BMW 220i Coupe - Full Review: The Cheapest REAL BMW | Carfection 4K

There are a load of lifestyle-oriented BMW 2-series'es, except this one. This is the BMW 2-series Coupe, and the lifestyle it's going for is more fun than function. In the UK, this is going to be the top seller of the 2-series Coupes, which means you and at least one of your neighbours will probably have something to talk about. It's rear-wheel drive, like a proper BMW, and comes with a two-litre four-cylinder motor packing 184 horses and 221 pound-foot. BMW says 0-62 will take 7.5 seconds and go on to 146 miles an hour, all the while managing up to 44.1 mpg. That all seems very sensible, which is strange, because this isn't the sensible 2-series. Allow me to explain. BMW's strategy of using odd numbers for the sensible cars and even numbers for the lifestyle cars has worked so far to a point. It turns out there are plenty of lifestyles that fall into the small exec car category. So, for example, you can have a 2-series Gran Coupe. In that, you can have a number of three- or four-cylinder petrol or diesel engines and front- or all-wheel drive. If your lifestyle's all about, say, having kids and needing space, then you need to get yourself a 2-series Gran Tourer. And guess what that comes with? A line-up of three- or four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, and it comes in front- or all-wheel drive. You see, both of those cars are based on the same platform as the 1-series, but this, the 2-series Coupe, well, that's not. And it's not front-wheel drive either. That's a shame, because it is quite easy to, you know, dismiss low-powered, pretty cars as little more than accessories. But you've got to remember, BMW built its reputation on fun, rear-drive, sporty cars. I mean, it certainly hasn't forgotten, and as such, it's thrown all its know-how at the little 2-series Coupe. So its suspension, for example, that's geared more towards fun than helmsmanship. It's steering tuned to keep you entertained in bendy bits, but not too busy. You know, and its motor, well, that offers a decent mix of economy and vim. The place you enjoy all that, the interior, is plush as they come as well. It's built like a modern BMW, so you don't expect bits to fall off, and it's full of toys. There's mood lighting, chunky bits of metal, slidey panel things, a digital instrument panel, and, of course, iDrive to navigate past and skip to carplay. Yes, BMW did make its rep on cars like this, but they weren't quite as cakey. See, this weighs a little over 1,500 kilos, which is a huge chunk of change. It's enormous for something this size, especially when you consider the amount of grunt it's got. Now, I know it's like that for a reason, because it's safety and what have you, but still, it's heavy. It's heavy. So is this going to go down as one of the all-time great steers, or are the pounds a bit of a disadvantage? Well, you know what? I've got a two-series coupe on a circuit all to myself, and it's quite entertaining, actually. I'm not worried that there's too much power that's going to try and eat me or spit me off the circuit at any given moment. I'm not really concerned that, oh, what if I do this here or do that there, and it'll spin me out in some sort of cloud of tyre smoke. That's for the 240s and the M2s and all that nonsense. What this is, is it's got a beautiful flow to it. There are some bits I'm definitely not a fan of. Why piano black? Why is that a thing? All it does is collect dust, fingerprints, and make people who are obsessed with having clean cars very angry. Some people don't like the rear. I like the rear. The front, it just looks a little bit like a shoe. It does look a little bit like a shoe, but quite ungainly. I think this will benefit from the full M treatment. It'll look properly meaty and chunky. Now, when it comes to power, I do find myself wishing it had about 30 to 40 horsepower more, because as you can hear, it's making a lot of noise, but we're not actually going that fast, he says, looking down. We're doing 90-odd, but with a little bit more grunt to it, it might just have a tiny bitier edge to it and feel a little more exciting. I'm not bored. I'm having a really lovely time, but that's sort of where I'm sitting with it. I am entertained. I'm on a racetrack and I'm entertained, but my trousers aren't on fire. The 220i is, of course, not the most potent in the lineup. That'll be the M240i, with its sub-5 second 0-62 time and all-wheel drive. But throwing power at a car is an easy way to impress people on the internet with big shiny numbers or show off in a supermarket car park. This needs to be something to catch little moments of joy in, the de-stress after a rubbish day or the reason to go out for an early Sunday blast. If I had one of these on my drive and I lived near some, say, entertaining roads with some undulating sweepy bends and some bits to have a little bit of a tickle and a play with, I'd get up at four o'clock on a Sunday morning for a play. In the middle of London, it would be nice to see it planted outside of, I don't know, somewhere swish in Notting Hill or something like that. But as something to do the town bit and then do the countryside bit, I would not be disappointed. And I will bet you any money the people that drive these will find a good excuse to go out for an early morning coffee run at least once a week. At least once a week. It's a wonderful car. It really is. I am entertained. I am very, very entertained. My hair isn't on fire but I'm not worried I'm going to end up in a ditch. It can play with you and you can play with it. Fantastic. There's one question left and one that may fox us all until the end of time. Why so many two series? Marketing? Or am I getting all het up when the answer is plainly they ran out of numbers? Either way, no matter how you want your slightly smaller than the three series thrills or how many children you have, it seems there's a two series for you. Sheer volume of two series and lifestyle things aside, if you've ever been worried that the small, fun, rear drive BMW is going to be a thing of the past, for now at least, worry no more. It's here and it's ace.