Eric's Autos: 2026 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe

It used to be that a luxury brand's least expensive model was smaller and for that reason less practical than the more expensive models. It also usually looked like the least expensive model.

The upside was the lower price.

BMW's 2 Series Gran Coupe has a different upside. It doesn't look like BMW's second-least expensive sedan, the 3 series -- even though it also has four doors.

It's also less expensive than it was last year.

Imagine that.

What It Is

The 2 Series Gran Coupe is actually a four-door sedan made to look sleeker -- more coupe-like -- via a lower roofline and a "faster" (more swept-back) windshield. It's technically a subcompact, but by the yardstick, it's only about 6 inches shorter overall than a 3 Series sedan and has comparable interior room, except for backseat headroom -- of which there's about 2 inches less versus the 3 Series sedan. That -- plus a smaller trunk -- is the price you pay for the coupe-like good looks.

But you'll pay less -- in terms of what it costs. Not just versus the only slighter larger but much more expensive 3 Series sedan, which stickers for $47,500 to start, but also versus last year's 2 Series Gran Coupe, which stickered for $41,600 to start.

Prices for the '26 2 Series Gran Coupe start at $39,600 for the 228i; it comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that makes 241 horsepower, paired with a seven-speed automatic and front-wheel drive. The $41,600 228 xDrive is basically the same but comes standard with all-wheel drive. The high-performance M235xDrive has a much more powerful (312 horsepower) version of the 2.0-liter engine, plus handling, braking and cosmetic upgrades. It lists for $49,500.

The BMW's main rivals are the Mercedes CLA, which also has coupe-like styling but a higher MSRP ($44,400 to start) and much tighter backseats -- and the $40,100-to-start Audi A3, which is the bargain of the bunch (especially when you take into account that it comes standard with AWD) but which also has a trunk that's got less space than some women's purses.

What's New for 2026

BMW has added a new -- less expensive base trim (the 228i) to make this model more affordable than it was.

What's Good

-- Doesn't look inexpensive (for a BMW).

-- Much stronger standard engine than its two main rivals.

-- Exceptional high-speed handling chops.

What's Not So Good

-- Automatic only (but then so are the others).

-- Rear-seat headroom is significantly less than up front (that's the price you pay for the low, swept-back roofline).

-- Small car trunk (but not as small as either the Benz CLA's or the Audi A3's).

Under the Hood

Like its rivals, the BMW comes standard with a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine -- but it differs in two key respects. First, it is more powerful than the 2.0-liter fours in the Mercedes CLA and the Audi A3. The BMW's turbocharged 2.0-liter four touts 241 horsepower -- versus 221 for the Mercedes CLA and just 201 for the Audi A3.

Unsurprisingly, the BMW is the quickest-accelerating of the three. It can get to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds.

The other thing that's different is that the BMW is the only one of the three that isn't a so-called mild hybrid, meaning it doesn't have a 48-volt electrical system/lithium-ion battery pack and some iteration of flywheel/belt-start to quickly restart the engine, which is turned off as often as possible by the hybrid system to increase gas mileage (and reduce emissions of the dread gas that feeds plants, CO2). It just has automatic stop-start, which uses a conventional starter -- the same one that starts the engine the first time you go for a drive -- and that can be turned off, if you dislike the engine automatically cutting off at every red light.

You can't turn off the mild hybrid stuff.

Also, not having the mild hybrid stuff means there's less stuff to wear out or just quit on you -- costing you more money to have repaired/replaced.

The mild hybrid stuff doesn't even save you much in the way of gas money. The 228i touts 26 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, which is close to economy car mileage -- and this is a luxury-sport sedan (er, "coupe"). The Benz CLA250 touts lower mileage -- 26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway -- and the Benz costs more and is less powerful. The A3 touts even lower mileage -- 24 mpg city, 34 mpg highway -- and it is much less powerful than the BMW.

The m235i -- which is the high-performance variant of the 2 Series Gran Coupe -- also comes standard with a 2.0-liter engine, but it has been goosed to produce 312 horsepower and 295 foot-pounds of torque, output comparable to that of a small V8. Even so, it still manages 24 mpg city, 33 mpg highway -- while also managing a 0-60 mph run of 4.2 seconds.

Both variants of the 2.0-liter four are paired with a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic. The base 228i is FWD; both the 228i xDrive and the M235i xDrive come standard with AWD. AWD is optional with the Benz CLA and standard with the Audi A3.

On the Road

"Entry-level" doesn't have to mean it drives that way. The 2 Series doesn't feel that way, at least.

It feels better, in some ways, than a 3 Series.

It's lighter, for openers -- 3,534 pounds versus 3,644 pounds -- and it rides on a much shorter wheelbase -- 105.1 inches versus 112.2 for the 3 Series. The two differences combine to make the 2 Series feel more agile -- and it's more than just a feeling. The 2 Series is more agile for essentially the same reason that Bruce Lee was more agile than Chuck Norris. Smaller and lighter generally translates as quicker and snappier. This is especially interesting because of the other big difference between these two BMWs, which is that the 2 Series Gran Coupe is built on a FWD layout (with AWD optional) while the 3 Series is built on a rear-drive layout (with AWD available).

It is interesting because -- usually -- FWD cars feel nose-heavy (because they are nose heavy, because most of the weight of the drivetrain is over the front wheels) and are inclined to understeer early when pressed. Not this FWD-based car. It feels like a rear-drive car, tracking with admirable neutrality -- neither tail-out oversteering or understeering unless track-day pressed, and then it's a kind of get-out-of-trouble-free card that is more forgiving than the sudden tail-coming-around (and you'd better know how to throttle steer clear of trouble).

The 3 is the better track tool, if you're actually going to drive like that. But if you're going to drive on the street, the 2 Series can be more real-world enjoyable because it can be driven very fast in the curves without the kind of drama that needs a driver with track-day skills to keep in check.

Speaking of enjoyable:

There's a "boost" button -- a paddle, actually -- on the left side of the steering column that works a little like the nitrous oxide button some hot rods have -- in that when you pull it back toward you, the computer allows a momentary surge of extra turbo boost to give you maximum thrust. The LCD dashboard goes angry red when this happens, and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic goes into its most aggressive shift programming.

The standard adaptive suspension delivers firmness without harshness. The optional M Sport package includes upgraded brakes with powder coated calipers; they bite like a bulldog.

It's just a shame you can't shift for yourself, there being no manual transmission option. BMW sedans were once prized for being four-door sports cars precisely because they were available with manuals. The automatic shifts more precisely, of course -- and it never misses a shift. But something important is missing here. It'd be wonderful if BMW decided to put it back.

At the Curb

Though it is classified as a subcompact, the 2 Series Gran Coupe -- which is 179.2 inches long -- isn't much smaller in terms of its overall footprint than the 3 Series sedan, which is 185.9 inches long. The 3 does ride on a much longer wheelbase -- as outlined earlier -- and this makes it look like a larger-than-it-is car when viewed from the side. But inside, there's much less difference -- in terms of room for the passengers.

In the 2 Series Gran Coupe, the driver and front-seat passenger have 41.4 inches of legroom, and the backseat occupants have 34.4 inches. In the 3 Series, there's 42 inches of legroom up front and 35.2 inches of legroom in back -- virtually the same, in other words.

The main space difference is backseat headroom, of which the Gran Coupe has about 2 inches less (35.7 inches versus 37.6 inches) than the 3 Series sedan has. But there is enough headroom back there for people under 6 feet tall, and that's probably 85% of people. The 3 Series' main advantage is that it has a much larger (16.9-cubic-foot) trunk versus the Gran Coupe's 12-cubic-footer. However, the Gran Coupe's trunk isn't so small as to make this sedan as useless as a coupe -- like the Audi A3's purse-sized 8.3-cubic-foot trunk.

The Mercedes CLA's 11.6-cubic-foot trunk is about the same size as the BMW's -- but you're paying nearly 3 Series money -- $44,400 to start -- for the CLA250.

The main attribute you're getting for your money when you buy the 2 Series Gran Coupe is more distinctive looks -- for less money -- than you'd pay for a 3 Series. The latter is not an unattractive car. It's just not as sexy-looking a car as the Gran Coupe -- and that may be worth less to you.

The Rest

The 2 Series GC is a BMW -- that is to say, a luxury-brand car -- but its price (to start) isn't that much higher than what you'd pay to get into a loaded non-luxury-brand sedan of about the same overall size, such as Honda Civic -- which can easily sticker out for $35,000-ish. This makes it awfully tempting to reach just a little higher to get into the BMW. Not that there's anything wrong with the Civic. The point is it's not a BMW -- and even when loaded with all the options available, it's still not a BMW. The highest-performance Civic Si trim only offers 200 horsepower -- and it doesn't offer an adaptive suspension (although it is available with a manual transmission).

The Bottom Line

It's nice to find an entry-level vehicle that (arguably) looks more expensive than the next-up-in-the-lineup vehicle. It's even nicer to find that's it costs less this year than it did last year.

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Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.