BMW's first 2 Series coupé found its biggest fan base in America
Built in Leipzig from late 2013 to 2021, the first 2 Series coupé and convertible replaced the 1 Series two-doors with a slightly bigger, sleeker car. Despite its German roots, the United States accounted for a third of all sales, ahead of Germany and Britain, and the range spawned the hard-edged M2.
The coupé, coded F22, made its debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show and went on sale in March 2014, with exterior styling led by Christopher Weil. The F23 convertible followed at the Paris Motor Show that October and reached buyers in February 2015. Both shared a platform with the 1 Series hatchback, and weight was split evenly, half over each axle, with strut front suspension and a five-link rear.
Compared with the outgoing coupé, the new car grew 72 mm longer and 26 mm wider while sitting a touch lower. Rear passengers gained 21 mm of legroom and the boot grew to 390 litres. The 220i coupé achieved a slippery drag coefficient of 0.29. On the convertible, the electric roof could open or close in 20 seconds while driving at up to 50 km/h, and the body was 20% stiffer than before.
Buyers could choose Sport Line, Modern Line or M Sport trims, and add extras such as automatic parking, traffic sign recognition, Apple CarPlay and a navigation system with a built-in SIM for live traffic updates. Engines evolved steadily, including a three-cylinder 218i, before a July 2017 facelift brought hexagonal LED headlights and a revised dashboard.
The headline act was the M2, unveiled in November 2015 and sold only as a coupé from 2016. A Competition version replaced it in 2018, and the CS, revealed in November 2019, went on sale in March 2020 with 2,200 units planned. The coupé collected praise too, including Sports Car of the Year from Auto Bild Sportscars in 2016 and Emotional Car of the Year in Japan in 2016 and 2017.
Source: BMW 2 Series (F22)
