28 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 8 APRIL 2 020
Δ sl ip l i m it at ion (A R B) s y s t e m t h at
first appeared on the i3, too. This
can gently brake the inside front
wheel during cornering to help
prevent understeer.
Su s p e n sion i s b y w ay of
MacPherson struts up front and
multiple links at the rear, although
configurations vary between
trim levels. Our test car employed
lowered M Sport springs and passive
dampers and it rode on optional
18in alloy wheels.
INTERIOR
AAABC
Although the 2 Series Gran Coupé’s
interior decor doesn’t quite match
its Mercedes rival for outright visual
panache, it isn’t exactly lacking in
upmarket appeal. Material quality
is, for the most part, very much up
to the standard you’d expect from a
high-end compact saloon. Inevitably,there are a few areas in the lower
reaches of the cabin where harder,
scratchier plastics are employed, but
these are generally pretty innocuous.
Our test car’s Oyster Grey leather
upholstery contrasted nicely with
the polished piano black and chrome
trim elements while simultaneously
lending the interior a pleasantly light
and airy ambience.
As with its 1 Series sibling, the
2 Series Gran Coupé’s transverse
engine layout works wonders for
interior packaging – at least in the
f r ont r ow. W it h no t r a n sm i s sion
tunnel to impede front-row
space, there’s a comfortable
amount of distance between the
driver and passenger.
Un for t u n at e l y, t h i s s e n s e of s pa c e
doesn’t translate to the second row
all that convincingly – and theGran Coupé’s sloping roof line is
undoubtedly the culprit. According
t o ou r t ap e me a s u r e , r e a r he a d r o om
s t a nd s at 870 m m , w h ic h i s 4 0 m m
le s s t h a n y ou’ l l f i nd i n t he s t a nd a rd
1 Series. That said, the CLA 250 we
r oa d t e s t e d l a s t y e a r h a d e v e n le s s , at
860mm. As for typical rear leg room,
the Gran Coupé’s measures 670mm
- a figure that’s equal to the rear
leg room in the Mercedes but some
40mm shy of that in the standard
1 Series. As a result, it’s somewhat
u n l i k e l y t h at a du lt pa s s e n ge r s w ou ld
find the back row a particularly
comfortable place to spend extended
periods of time – although, of course,
children should fit just fine.The BMW doesn’t exactly knock
things out of the park for boot space,
either. With no hatchback opening to
call upon, the aperture is relatively
c ompa c t a nd pr ov ide s a c c e s s t o a
capacity of only 430 litres, although
the rear seats can be collapsed to
make loading particularly long items
a bit easier. By comparison, the CLA
offers up 460 litres of storage.
PERFORMANCE
AAACC
Look beyond the coupé silhouette
- and the aggressive M Sport
bodywork addenda – and it soon ◊
Impressive range of
adjustability makes for a
superb driving position.
Brake pedal is centrally
located, perhaps to
encourage left-foot braking.
HEADLIGHTS
All 2 Series Gran Coupés
have full-LED headlights as
standard. Because our car
had the optional Technology
pack, it gained a high-beam
assistant, too.
PARKING
DIMENSIONS
z Front seats are heated as standard on M Sport models. The seats themselves
aren’t the widest but they offer decent support and plenty of adjustability.
z Not only is there less space in the back than in the 1 Series hatch, but it seems the
rear door aperture is marginally smaller too, making ingress and egress trickier.
Typical leg room
670mm
Height 440-560mm
Width 960-1140mm
Length 930-1720mm
z Boot offers 30 litres less outright capacity than that of the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
There’s no spare wheel or inflation repair kit here, either.
2670mm
Kerb weight: 1420kg
4526mm
(^14)
2
0
m
m
881mm 975mm
10
60
mm
m
ax
67
0 m
m
8
70
m
m
10
10
m
m
m
ax
430 litres
0.25-0.32
2100mm (with mirrors)
3600mm
Ty Typical parking space width (2400mm)
p
ic
a
l
g
a
ra
g
e
(^) h
e
ig
h
t
(^16)
8
0
m
m
140mm
Centre
WHEEL AND PEDAL
ALIGNMENT
Weights and measures