BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe 220d 2020 first drive

It's not long since the idea of a front-wheel-drive BMW would have been regarded as heresy, not least within the company itself. But now the lower reaches of the family are rapidly filling out with models that pull rather than push.

The 2 Series Gran Coupé follows on from the BMW X1, BMW X2 and 1 Series hatchback, sitting on the same FAAR natively front-wheel drive platform and powered by a range of transversely mounted four-cylinder engines, with the 220d set to be the sole diesel offering at launch.

It slots in beneath the 3 Series as BMW's baby saloon for Europe, with a coupé-inspired rear end, four doors and more leg room than the 2 Series coupé, which stays on a rear-wheel drive platform.

While the range-topping M235i delivers its 302hp through a part-time four-wheel drive system, the 220d and entry-level 218i will be front drive only. The 220d's engine is a transverse version of the twin-turbo engine that we've already seen in the 320d and 520d, making 187bhp and 295lb ft of torque. Here, it's able to manage 0-62mph in 7.6sec via an eight-speed automatic - the diesel's only gearbox option.

A sports commentator would describe what we've got here as being a game of two halves. Driven at an everyday pace, the 220d Gran Coupé feels familiar, delivering a good impression of a more traditional rear-driven BMW. It feels respectably agile and willing to turn, steering is close in terms of both weight and response to that of a 3 Series and performance is respectably brisk.

The diesel engine thrums a little more than we remember it doing in the outstanding 320d, but it is still acceptably quiet under all but the hardest use. Part-throttle acceleration is impressively strong, the engine delivering solid shove without seeming to break sweat as the automatic ’box shifts deftly to keep the motor in the muscle of its mid-range. Taking manual control through the steering wheel paddles confirms that there is no point in taking the engine beyond the 4000rpm where it delivers peak power, although it will pull cleanly to the limiter.

The base chassis settings are soft, with the Gran Coupé picking up a fair amount of vertical motion over rougher surfaces. The test cars we drove in Portugal were in non-representative spec, wearing optional adaptive dampers that won't be offered here; in Sport mode, these increase discipline without adding harshness, but we will have to wait to see how firm the standard setup is. Cruising refinement is good, with the cabin staying well insulated at what would be a rapid motorway cruise and little wind noise despite frameless doors.