#NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED BMW SERIES#
In Sport and Sport Plus, the 2 Series is downright exciting. Speaking of heat, we drove a vehicle equipped with a $2,400 high-performance cooling package, which brought an auxiliary oil cooler, more powerful engine fan, and grippy summer tires to the mix.
In Sport and Sport Plus, the 2 Series is downright exciting, with throttle response that’s too sharp in normal driving but a total delight if you’ve lit your hair on fire. Producing 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet, the minimal turbo lag and flat torque curve provide good off-the-line and midrange performance, and the responsive eight-speed automatic is a good match here.īMW estimates the M240i will hit 60 miles per hour in just 4.1 seconds, with a silken inline-six whir from under the hood accompanying crackling turbocharged snarls from the rear tailpipes. The coupe is rather delightful on those pristine roads, with particular credit going to the 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine under that chiseled hood. Apart from full-fledged M models, no BMW in recent history has felt as alive as the M240i we drove in the mountains around Thermal, California. Instead, the 2 Series coupe is better suited to carrying two folks off to far-flung locales, preferably ones that lie at the end of a narrow, curvy road. It seems BMW would prefer you select the mechanically unrelated, front-drive-biased 2 Series Gran Coupe if you’ve got passengers to haul around. As with most coupes, legroom is tight at 32.2 inches, and headroom goes down to 34.7 ticks of the tape, a reduction of 2.3 inches relative to the outgoing two-door. With 38.1 inches of headroom and 41.8 inches of legroom, the front row is reasonably spacious for most folks, though the narrow sport seats felt a bit confining after an hour or two. The only exceptions are the needlessly complex taillights, whose gloss black housings look far larger than necessary. However, the grab bag of vintage and modern styling cues works well in person, giving the 2 Series a planted stance and nearly endless visual interest. And the aggressively chamfered rear fascia’s geometric lower bumper cutouts are decidedly unusual. Triangular vents on the bumper corners demand attention they’re massive on the M240i and only slightly more subtle on the 230i. The 2 Series still borrows liberally from modern BMW’s playbook, though, with sharp creases and an almost American power bulge appearing on the hood. The proportions also recall the company’s sport sedan legends – the crisp shoulder line above bulging front and rear fenders are pure 2002 Turbo, as are the upright greenhouse and slight forward lean to the front fascia. It’s a deliberate deviation meant to hearken back to the time before quad headlights were standard BMW fare. Foremost, it’s the first production BMW in decades not to feature two lighting elements in the headlights, with single projectors peeking out from little triangular housings. Although its kidney grilles are far less imposing than those of the 4 Series, 7 Series, or X7, the BMW 2 Series nevertheless makes styling waves.