SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp., the country’s official importer and distributor of BMW vehicles announced at a virtual launch and press briefing last Saturday the arrival of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. It is the first time BMW will have a Gran Coupe on a 2 Series. For now, it will only be available in one variant, which is the 218i Gran Coupe Sport.
The 2 Series Gran Coupe uses BMW’s advanced front-wheel-drive architecture that it shares with the new BMW 1 Series. This four-door coupe’s driving dynamics and nimble handling makes it the perfect choice for young urban professionals with a small family looking for a sporty sedan. Its sexy and appealing profile comes with the same cutting -edge connectivity, ample on-board space and interior feel of its bigger Gran Coupe siblings.
Priced at P2,990,000.00, it wedges in between Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class and CLA sedans and priced below that of the Audi A3. The new model is also meant to appeal to first-time BMW owners or those who find the 3 Series a bit out of reach.
Powering the 218i Gran Coupe is a 1.5-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo 3-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch Steptronic automatic transmission that’s rated at 140 hp and 220 Nm of torque. Inside, there is ample legroom for both front and rear passengers and the headroom is also quite decent, despite the slanting roofline. It has 33mm of extra knee room and the seating position is 12mm higher than the previous 2 Series Coupe. The boot compartment holds 430 liters of space and can be added by folding down the 40/20/40 split rear seat backrest. The rear bench can be released fully from the load compartment. For added convenience, the tailgate opens automatically at the press of a button or – if the optional Comfort Access is specified – with the wave of a foot.
One very salient feature are its four frameless side doors, following a classical coupé blueprint. The new Gran Coupé model also features slightly angled headlights, which feature full-LED technology as standard, and form a prominent BMW four-eyed face and draw attention to the familiar BMW kidney grille. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé Sport is fitted with 17-inch light alloy wheels with runflat tires.
The interior of the BMW 2 Series 218i Gran Coupé Sport seats are wrapped with Sensatec upholstery, ensuring creature comfort and extended durability, with the very good lumbar support for the sporty front seats and is fully electronically adjustable with a memory function for the driver seat. The dash and sides are accented with trim strips that are finished in “Illuminated Berlin” geometric design, and its steering wheel is equipped with controls for the car’s various functions. Access to the infotainment system is via the familiar BMW iDrive wheel, or a touchscreen 8.8-inch Central Information Display, all part of the seamless BMW Live Cockpit.
Its central information display features BMW’s innovative Parking Assistant, allowing automatic assisted parking in spaces that are either parallel or perpendicular to the road, as well as automatic maneuvering out of parallel parking spaces. Park Distance Control also comes as standard, offering front and rear parking sensors, paired with a rear-view camera.
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