BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe review - Interior, design and technology

The 2 Series Gran Coupe uses BMW’s UKL2 platform and shares components with its 1 Series hatchback sibling and some MINI models. Although the four-door coupe style has become more popular over the past few years, the overall look of the 2 Series Gran Coupe still divides opinion. 

It has a rather awkward stance, and feels very much the niche car it is - full of compromises and shouting to the world at large that you wanted the bigger 4 Series Gran Coupe, but couldn’t quite afford it.

The interior is a saving grace, with good build quality and plenty of soft-touch materials throughout to raise the ambience. We found it to be on par with the classy Mercedes CLA, while some of the Gran Coupe’s key touchpoints actually feel more premium.

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Entry-level sport trim is well equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, sports seats, dual-zone air-con and BMW’s Connected Package Professional media set-up.

We’d recommend upgrading to M Sport trim which gives the car a more dynamic edge and a much needed visual boost. It adds bigger 18-inch alloys and the usual M Sport exterior addenda, while the cabin includes Dakota leather upholstery, heated front seats, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and digital instrument dials.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

BMW includes its Live Cockpit Plus infotainment system as standard. It features an 8.8-inch display, while the M Sport and M235i xDrive versions get an upgraded 10.25-inch touchscreen and a digital dash.

The central screen is excellent, with very sharp graphics, a user interface that’s simple to understand and lots of features. The digital dial pack isn’t quite as sharp as the unit in the Mercedes CLA, but all the info you need is there and it works well enough.

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The set-up in the 2 Series Gran Coupe is good to use while driving, because BMW has stuck with the rotary dial controller on the centre console. Once you’re used to the menus, it can be controlled without looking.

Apple CarPlay connectivity is standard and BMW is working towards providing Android Auto across all models using its latest OS 7 infotainment software.