Coupe of the Year 2025: BMW 2 Series
The BMW 2 Series is the 2025 Auto Express Coupe of the Year, with the Ford Mustang and Maserati GranTurismo commended
It’s understandable that much of BMW’s range has moved with the times, because high demand for SUVs from buyers plus lower appetite for smaller, sportier models has seen the brand drift away from its previous mantra of “the ultimate driving machine” to instead offer ever more comfortable and refined – yet still engaging – models instead.
However, if you’re a BMW fan who yearns for a modern take on its previous icons, then our Coupé of the Year is just the car for you. The 2 Series feels more like an old-school BMW. Its overall footprint is similar to that of an E90 3 Series from 20 years ago and its simple front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout makes even the base four cylinder models feel engaging to drive. Of course there’s also the four-wheel-drive M240i, which delivers superb all-weather traction, plus the lure of a lusty six-cylinder engine.
At the top of the range, however, is the M2. This superb bruiser of a car remains one of the best modern performance cars from BMW’s M division, blending muscle-car brutality with scalpel-like precision. While most buyers go for the slick automatic, it’s at its best with a six-speed manual gearbox. This transmission delivers one of BMW’s highest-quality shifts, and trades some point-to-point pace for a heap more driver involvement.
An update for this year has seen its power output grow by 20bhp to 473bhp, while as with the rest of the 2 Series family, it’s gained a smarter infotainment system, revised trims and more standard kit, all of which sealed its victory as our Coupé category winner.
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Our choice
- BMW 230i Coupe (£43,405)
Unusually, it’s the least popular model in the 2 Series line-up that is the sweet spot. The 230i’s 242bhp four-cylinder turbo engine is 61bhp up on the base 220i – which is enough for a keen driver to appreciate a noticeable bump in performance for the cash. If money is no object, the latest M2 is superb, though.
Commended
Ford Mustang
Coupe buyers love a two-door with a big personality, and the Ford Mustang has a bigger personality than most – by which we mean its fantastic 5.0-litre V8 engine. While its noise will have you coming back for more, it’s the fact that the car is also spacious, sharp to drive, comfortable and surprisingly frugal that earns it a commended spot for 2025.
Maserati GranTurismo
Our 2024 winner in the Coupé of the Year category is still a fabulous two-door option. In fact, if we were asked to pick a car to drive down to the south of France in a day, we would find it hard to think of a better answer than the Maserati GranTurismo. This superb Italian GT offers comfort, refinement and performance in spades, which makes it worthy of its place in our top three this year.
See all the winners...
Click on the gallery below to see all the winners of our 2025 New Car Awards...
You can find all the information on our New Car Awards 2025 winners and the reasons why we chose them on the pages below. Just follow the links to read more…
New Car Awards 2025: the winners
Special edition of Auto Express
For the full New Car Awards experience, make sure you pick up a copy of our special 2025 New Car Awards collectors' edition of the Auto Express magazine, which is available in shops now.
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