Perfect second city car or ideal weekend sports car? The new BMW 2 Series suggests you should probably have both – in a single package.
- Underlying sense of fun
- User-friendly infotainment
- City-sized with open-road aspirations
- Priced high for the performance provided
- Standard specification omissions
- Cold-start driveline grumpiness
Introduction
Cars like the 2022 BMW 220i Coupe always feel like something of a gift when they’re announced.
BMW, like just about every other brand, sees the value of fast-selling SUVs, and at the same time continues to develop more cost- and space-efficient front-wheel-drive compact cars.
The new BMW 2 Series range is neither of those things. It’s a BMW sports car. Not based on a front-drive hatchback platform, and not raised and clad to cash in on the SUV market.
That limits its chance of success, but it shouldn’t. It should be a free kick to BMW.
The new 220i Coupe probably isn’t the perfect second car, but maybe it should be. It’s compact enough to squeeze through city streets, comfy enough to use daily, and exciting enough for a little weekend excitement.
As the opener of the new two-model 2 Series range, the 220i starts from $61,900 plus on-road costs, with the $89,900 plus on-roads M240i crowning the range with a more powerful six-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive.
The 220i keeps things a little more simple, with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine good for 135kW and 300Nm and rear-wheel drive. Classic sports coupe ingredients. Not too powerful, but nimble to make up for it.
You’ll also get M Sport styling, 17-inch wheels, LED head- and tail-lights, and styling that looks much more like something that should be wearing an M2 badge given the power-domed bonnet and pumped guards.
| Key details | 2022 BMW 220i Coupe |
| Price (MSRP) | $61,900 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | M Portimao Blue |
| Options | Enhancement Package – $3900 – Metallic paint – Powered sunroof – 19-inch M Light wheels Comfort Package – $3400 – Steering wheel heating – Comfort access system – Electric seat adjustment with memory – Front seat heating |
| Price as tested | $69,700 plus on-road costs |
| Rivals | Mercedes-Benz CLA200 | Ford Mustang | Renault Megane RS |
Inside
There are some nifty modern highlights to the interior, like the grid pattern embedded into the rear of the soft-covered door trims. For the most part, the dash and console design closely follows the playbook of models like the 1 Series and 3 Series.
While that’s not a particularly bad thing, and given the 2 Series is technically an entry-level model, we know that BMW has striking new interior designs coming. There always has to be a changeover point, but it’s a shame more of the new BMW direction from the 7 Series and iX isn’t seen here.
Standard fit-out includes interior ambient lighting, a wireless smartphone charger, driver’s head-up display, sports seats in part faux leather and part faux suede trim, a leather-trimmed M Sport steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control.
Seat heating, steering wheel heating, electric front seat adjustment with driver’s memory, and proximity key entry are available, but on the optional equipment list as part of the $3400 Comfort Package.
With fairly compact dimensions overall, the 2 Series feels low-slung but offers decent front seat space without significant compromise.
In the rear, legroom and headroom are limited. Kids will be fine, but teens and adults will probably want to stick to short-hop trips.
Boot space is more flexible, with a surprisingly roomy 390L of boot space, expandable further via the folding rear seats and pass-through for long items.
| 2022 BMW 220i Coupe | |
| Seats | Four |
| Boot volume | 390L seats up |
| Length | 4537mm |
| Width | 1838mm |
| Height | 1390mm |
| Wheelbase | 2741mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Heading up BMW’s infotainment offering is the frankly rather excellent BMW OS7.0, which is displayed on a crisp and clear 10.25-inch touchscreen augmented by a centre console iDrive controller and conversational voice inputs.
Again, BMW’s newest vehicles move to a new operating system (BMW OS8.0), but there’s a clarity and ease of use to the older system that makes it intuitive and easy to work with.
Inbuilt navigation, connected news, weather and traffic info, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, AM/FM/DAB+ radio and Bluetooth connectivity are also included.
The standard six-speaker audio system is, perhaps, a little underwhelming, but an optional 14-speaker Harman Kardon system is available. It’s part of the $3000 Executive Package, and might be worth investing in if you’re more about the soundtrack than the drive itself.
Safety and Technology
The current 2 Series Coupe range has not yet been crash-tested by ANCAP, but European affiliate Euro NCAP awarded the 2 Series Coupe a four-star rating out of five.
The 2 Series range comes standard with six airbags, forward autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, rear collision prevention, and speed limit recognition.
More advanced functions like adaptive cruise control, auto high beam, adaptive headlights, tyre pressure monitoring, BMW Drive Recorder, and park assist plus are available as part of a $3400 Driver’s Assistant Package.
This positioning puts BMW at odds with cheaper, mainstream brands that offer more detailed and advanced safety systems at much lower price points.
| 2022 BMW 220i Coupe | |
| ANCAP rating | Unrated |
Value for Money
The 220i is something of a rarity. Mercedes-Benz doesn’t offer a coupe at this size or price, nor do prestige rivals like Jaguar, Lexus, Genesis and Volvo. In fact, the Audi TT is the only kinda-sorta rival. Otherwise, you might be tempted by something like a Mustang.
The hard part for anyone trading out of an old 220i is the shift in price, from $56,131 three years ago to $61,900 today, both before on-road costs.
Hot hatches like the Volkswagen Golf R or Renault Megane RS might tempt you into something with more grunt. If you want a rear-wheel-drive coupe your options are, essentially, a Mustang High Performance (with more power and torque) from $51,690 plus on-road costs or a Subaru BRZ (with more power but less torque) that may not be as flash inside, but starts at a budget $38,990 by comparison.
If style matters most, a Mercedes-Benz CLA200 wraps svelte four-door coupe styling around a tame mechanical package, putting it somewhat in the 220i’s orbit.
| At a glance | 2022 BMW 220i Coupe |
| Warranty | Three years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months (condition-based) |
| Servicing costs | $1700 (5 years) |
BMW steadfastly sticks with a three-year warranty, making it one of only a few holdouts in the market to not offer five years’ warranty. A move that seem belligerently contemptuous to customers.
On the other hand, BMW Service Inclusive pre-paid servicing means you can cover your car for up to five years or 80,000km of scheduled maintenance for $1700 – working out to just $340 per service.
Claimed fuel consumption is 6.3 litres per 100km, which feels like a figure that would be more achievable outside of the urban snarl. For our week, a mix of peak-hour crawling balanced with some local open-road stints, the little coupe recorded 8.5L/100km.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.3L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.5L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 54L |
Driving
No two people can ever seem to agree on the definition of a sports car. The BMW 220i won’t settle that score either.
If you believe a sports car should be about connection with the road, handling, and outright confidence, then maybe the 220i is for you. If you think it’s all about horsepower, this is not the car.
Steering is very fast and alert off centre, which gives it an eager and sharp feel, but that’s quickly tempered as the steering doesn’t have much feel or feedback. That isolation is compounded by heavy-feeling assistance that tends to provide a gluggy feeling through bends.
The ride is usually pretty serene. Find a big hit and the suspension can be sharp occasionally, but quite liveable overall. Tyre noise is present, but not outrageous.
As a touring coupe, the compact BMW hits all the right notes: relaxed for less entertaining stretches of road, but capable of waking up when the road ahead gets more entertaining.
Ultimately, engine outputs are low, which means the 220i lacks the pace to match its chunky M2-junior styling. The 2.0-litre engine is torquey and flexible, but not particularly swift in the real world.
Switching the car into Sport mode helps, but that’s a measure just a little too frenetic for use around town. At times, the 220i feels like it needs a half-step between its efficiency-optimised Comfort mode and Sport.
You could absolutely live with the 2 Series as your sole car if you’re single or a young couple, but ultimately it comes with compromises. If you want something to commute to work in, alongside a family SUV to be deployed for other weekday duties, that can kick up its heels on the weekend, this works.
Cold starts leave the transmission lurching and surging in slow-moving traffic, making for a less than ideal match to the morning commute. It’s a quirk we noticed that dissipated once all essential fluids were up to temp.
Other than that, though, the 220i actually loves an urban environment. It’s happy to punt around town, easy to manage in tight confines, and commands a presence that you just won’t get from a small hatch or SUV.
| Key details | 2022 BMW 220i Coupe |
| Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
| Power | 135kW @ 6500rpm |
| Torque | 300Nm @ 1350–4000rpm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Eight-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 90.6kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 1490kg |
| Tow rating | 1600kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.1m |
Conclusion
While it may not be a perfect all-rounder (again, the hot hatch beckons), the 2022 BMW 2 Series challenges convention by its very existence.
It offers a blush of luxury, particularly in its comprehensive and connected infotainment. It brings a sense of fun, with rear-wheel-drive dynamics that can’t help but elicit a smile. And, it is sensible enough to fit the bill as the car to have for your second sometimes-sports car.
Its value might be a sticking point, when more dedicated performance models offer more for less, but it still manages to feel special without being extravagant.
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