2025 BMW 2 Series Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The four-door 2 Series Gran Coupe is a bit of an anomaly in BMW's lineup. Unlike the 4 Series and 8 Series Gran Coupes, this one is built on a completely different platform than its two-door counterpart. Instead of the 2 Series coupe’s architecture, it shares some of its underpinnings with the Mini Cooper, which helps to make the 2 Series Gran Coupe the most affordable BMW. While that should certainly entice some shoppers, it doesn't do much for appearances.

Starting with a front-wheel-drive (FWD) platform, the 2 Series Gran Coupe needs a taller hood to accommodate an engine that is turned sideways, at least when compared to other BMWs that have their engines mounted lengthwise for their rear-wheel-drive (RWD) layouts. That taller hood adds a lot of visual weight, especially above the wheel wells, giving the 2 Series Gran Coupe a profile more akin to that of a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla than a traditional BMW.

While it lacks the athletic stance of its two-door half-sibling, the Gran Coupe does well to stick to a more traditional BMW twin-kidney grille instead of the polarizing oversized nostrils that have plagued some recent models. From a straight-on frontal view, it can easily pass as any other BMW sedan or coupe, and the same holds true from the rear view.

The Gran Coupe's interior is much closer to BMW's current design language, with a large glossy panel that encloses both the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment touchscreen. Our M235 xDrive test vehicle further benefits from a sport steering wheel, some M Division-inspired flashes of color, and the optional M Performance package that adds sport front seats. Interior materials are comparable to some base-model BMWs, with sturdy, soft-touch materials on surfaces you’re likely to lean on, and attractively convincing metallic accents.

If you had any misgivings about its Mini Cooper origins, you can rest assured that there's little trace of that, except for the steering-wheel buttons. The 2 Series Gran Coupe's cabin is right at home under the BMW banner, with the same kind of sporty seriousness that you'd get from other models.

The 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The entry level 228 xDrive Gran Coupe is rated at 241 horsepower, which is 13 hp more than the previous version’s powertrain. The M235 xDrive Gran Coupe we drove increases output to 312 hp, which is 10 hp more than its predecessor. These second-generation Gran Coupes feature a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive (AWD) is standard. An even more affordable front-wheel-drive (FWD) 228 Gran Coupe is due for the 2026 model year, though.

In addition to the bumped-up power, the BMW M235 further benefits from upgraded brakes, a rear spoiler, unique interior trim, sport seats, and a sport steering wheel. As noted above, our particular Gran Coupe also came with the optional M Performance package that adds a sport suspension, M brakes, M Sport seats, and 19-inch wheels with performance tires that enable a higher top speed of 155 mph (compared to 130 mph for other tire options).

BMW claims the M235 will accelerate to 60 mph in a quick 4.5 seconds, while the 228 should get there in 6 seconds. Power is plentiful enough that you'll never feel the need to floor the pedal when launching up a freeway onramp or when passing slower traffic. Gear changes are quick and smooth in these conditions, and unlike some other dual-clutch transmissions, the Gran Coupe is also fairly smooth and predictable at parking-lot speeds. Brake pedal effort is lighter than we'd expect from a sporty BMW, but when called upon, the brakes bring this small sedan to a very quick stop and we didn’t experience any performance loss with heavy use.

On a challenging, twisty road, the xDrive AWD system does an admirable job of eliminating the front-end traction issues that limit the cornering performance of the Mini Cooper. There's plenty of grip to accelerate out of a curve, though the Gran Coupe still has a hint of the telltale nose-heaviness of its FWD-derived platform. All Gran Coupe models come standard with adaptive dampers, which allow you to choose between softer or firmer settings. With the M Performance package, it's biased more toward the firm side and tends to transmit a lot of jostling into the cabin. It's not so stiff as to be considered harsh, though.

The ride quality is comfortable enough for long-distance drives, though some prominent seams in the road surface can cause some noticeable thumps through the seat. The cabin also remains fairly calm when cruising, with wind noise well silenced and road noise only becoming noticeable on coarser asphalt. You won't mistake the engine for anything but a four-cylinder, but it only makes itself known under aggressive acceleration.

The front sport seats feature deep side bolstering to keep you in place when testing the Gran Coupe's handling limits, but don't get in the way when entering or exiting the vehicle. Thankfully, they also don't have the puzzlingly annoying center hump in the cushion that some BMW M cars have. The gear selector lever on the center console is both attractive and intuitive, and it's surrounded by a few secondary capacitive-touch buttons. On a few occasions, we accidentally brushed those buttons with our hands, inadvertently activating some features.

The instrument panel is placed well within the driver's sightline, and the available head-up display further reduces distraction. The minimalist air vent slots in the dashboard add to the modern look, but a remote toggle to adjust their flow direction seems unnecessarily over-engineered. Between the console and the dash is a small tray, a large rubberized wireless charging pad, and two fairly small cup holders. Combined with the moderately-sized center armrest bin and door pockets, there's adequate, but not generous, space for your personal effects.

The rear seats offer enough legroom for passengers, but headroom will be a limiting factor. Average-sized adults will likely bump their heads, and the narrow door opening also requires some care to avoid bumping into the roofline.

Behind the back seats, the trunk is listed as having only a 12 cubic-foot capacity, but in person, it seems much more accommodating. You should be able to easily slide a few large rolling suitcases back there, and when you need to expand past that space, some convenient seat-back release levers are located just inside the rear deck lid.

All 2 Series Gran Coupe models come standard with a 10.7-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, and a Harman Kardon premium sound system. Our M235 was also equipped with the optional Technology package that adds a 12.3-inch customizable instrument panel and a head-up display, among other items.

For the most basic functions, the infotainment system is intuitive and easy to use. For some secondary features and settings, however, control seems needlessly complicated. For example, if you want to adjust the adaptive cruise control following distance, you'll need to dig through a few menus until you finally find the page you're looking for. Almost every other car makes it easier by simply adding a button to the steering wheel or cruise control stalk, and there's also a conspicuously blank button where one should go on the Gran Coupe’s wheel.

Adjusting other systems can be equally frustrating. Physical climate control buttons have also been eliminated and moved to the touchscreen, but thankfully, they're anchored to the bottom section of the display for consistent access. Voice-activated controls can further alleviate some of the distraction and frustration, but they don't include many of the user settings.

As is the case with most modern vehicles, the Gran Coupe features remote monitoring and control via a smartphone app. Your phone can also double as the key fob thanks to the BMW Digital Key Plus feature. Over-the-air software updates ensure your system and maps will be up to date, and streaming audio and video services are available through the infotainment display as well.

The 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe comes with standard advanced safety and driver assistance features like forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, front and rear parking proximity sensors, and a semi-automated parking system. We suggest adding the optional Driving Assistant Professional package that includes: adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-change assist, evasive steering assist, and traffic jam assist (combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist to lighten the burden of driving). A surround-view camera system and head-up display are available as part of the Technology package.

Our test vehicle came equipped with all of the available safety features, and in our experience, they all performed as they should, with no false alarms or technical glitches. The adaptive cruise control has an automatic setting that adjusts the following distance according to conditions, but it tended to allow far too much space between us and the car ahead. In traffic, that's essentially an invitation to other drivers to cut in, so we preferred manually selecting either the far, medium, or close settings.

Crash test results have not yet been published by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In all likelihood, we expect the 2025 Gran Coupe to at least achieve the same rating as the first-generation model, which earned the top score of "Good" in all IIHS crash tests.

Pricing for the 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe starts at $42,775 (including $1,175 in destination charges) for the entry-level 228 xDrive Gran Coupe. The M235 xDrive we drove starts at $50,675. A FWD version costing $40,775 is due to arrive for the 2026 model year, further ensuring its position as the most affordable BMW. But if you're seeking a driving experience that is more indicative of the brand, we suggest stepping up to the M235, even though our nearly fully-loaded example was knocking uncomfortably on the $60,000 mark.

The 228 xDrive is the fuel economy leader of the 2 Series Gran Coupe lineup, with an EPA-estimated 26 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, and 30 mpg in combined driving. The M235 xDrive drops to 24/33 mpg city/highway, and 27 mpg combined. These specs beat those for the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and Audi A3, as well as their AMG CLA and S3 variants by a small margin, while the Acura Integra holds a slight advantage over all of them. All of these vehicles have front-wheel-drive roots, but only the Gran Coupe has side profile proportions that hint at that.

The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe should easily satisfy most drivers' appetite for performance, but it doesn't quite have the balance and liveliness that we expect from a BMW. For that reason, we think the two-door 2 Series coupe is a better choice for spirited drivers, if you can live without the convenience of those extra doors.