Joining the already populous lineup of the 2 Series is the new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer, a car the Munich carmaker proudly claims to be the first in the premium compact segment to accommodate seven individuals.
Despite being small by measurement, this 4,556 mm long 2 Series GT is a good 214 mm longer and sits 53 mm higher than the front wheel drive 2 Series Active Tourer. The rear seats have a flexible 40:20:40 split configuration, and cargo space expands from 645 litres to 1,905 litres in the five seater variant. The seven seater GT has a smaller cargo space of 560 litres which expands to 1,820 litres with the seats folded down.
Inside the cabin is very much like the 2 Series sedan, except for the steering wheel design and air conditioning unit placement. The GT shares the 6.5 inch colour display unit operated via BMW’s iDrive controller. Other amenities such as electronic parking brake, auto headlights, collision warning and city braking function all come as standard. One interesting option box to tick would be the heads up display, if you’re into that sort of thing.
There are five Euro6 compliant engines (three and four cylinder mills) offered here for the 2 Series GT – two petrol engines in the 22oi GT and 218i GT, while three other engines are oil burners offered in the 220d xDrive, 218d GT and 216d GT.
Three transmissions choices including an optional six speed manual is offered alongside the six-speed Steptronic and eight speed Steptronic box, one that we’re familiar with. They all feature auto start stop technology, while the Steptronic boxes benefit from a ‘coasting’ feature which decouples the clutch when your foot is off the throttle, thus saving fuel.
Our friends at BMW have hinted at the arrival of the 2 Series Active Tourer last month, so it’s only a matter of time before this Bavarian Gran Tourer reaches our shores.
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BMW 220i Gran Tourer
BMW 220d Gran Tourer
BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer Interior
