BMW M2 Gran Coupe on the way?
A four-door 2 Series is due, the M2 is popular, BMW loves to fill a fast car niche... Fingers crossed!
You know how it goes with M cars: the estate version (if it happens) is cooler than the saloon, the saloon is cooler than the coupe, and everything is cooler than the cabrio. They're the rules. See the unbridled delirium around M5 Tourings, homebrew M3 wagons and similar machines which deviate from the two-door M car norm.
Another could be joining the ranks soon, with Autocar suggesting an M2 Gran Coupe could become a reality, to provide a four-door rival to cars like the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA45. The rumours have come about with the emergence of new spy shots of the standard 2 Series Gran Coupe, with that model likely to arrive later this year. BMW of course has some form here, the two-door 6 Series (and M6) spawning Gran Coupe equivalents. The 4 Series coupe does have a four-door equivalent as well, though not an M4 yet.
As for what the M2 GC might be, Autocar's intel thus far is implying that the car would use the original M2's 370hp N55 straight-six turbo, rather than the S55 now found in the M2 Competition. Presumably this would be to leave some headroom to the two-door Comp as the flagship for now, though it would be surprising if a four-door version didn't happen in time.
Besides that expect a small weight gain to account for the additional doors - as a point of reference a 4 Series GC is 50kg more than a regular coupe - as well as fractional increases in length, wheelbase and interior dimensions. With the new G20 3 Series growing over its F30 predecessor in length, width, height and wheelbase - which will naturally carry over into the next M3 - the scope is there for the M2 GC to occupy the four-door niche once occupied by the now-larger car.
It all makes quite a lot of sense then, with a space being freed up in the range, a regular model imminent and the running gear already in the empire. Whether an M2 Gran Coupe actually happens, though, remains to be seen - count us amongst one of the (hopefully many) interested parties.
Images: S.Baldauf/S.B. Medien
I prefer the idea of a 4-door to a hatch or a coupé for everyday use, but don't need a car as big as a 3-series.
I prefer the styling of the 4GC and 6GC to the 3 and 5 series respectively.
The camo'd up thing is pretty ungainly, mind.
I wonder if they'll install a Haldex type 4wd system or make it a hybrid with the rear drive being electric like the current Mini Countryman.
I can't see any M2GC having the original N55 engine anyway though, I thought the entire reason the existing M2 lost that engine and got the S55 was because it wasn't cost effective to bring it up to the latest emissions regs.
If it is transverse engined it may have more interior space than the 3-series, too.
Note the single exhaust tip so this isn't the M2 mule in the article above, but it is a 2-series GC mule. So the M2 might well be 4wd but the platform is apparently engineered for FWD and hence probably transverse-engined.
If they run this along side a M3 (which I can’t see why because there was never a M4 GC) then why would anyone bother with the M3?
The new M3 will be bigger so this M2 GC will probably be a pretty straight swap power wise and cheaper so I’ll take the M2 GC.
I think BMW will loose out on sales of the mid range M cars if this is released.
I sincerely hope there is a proper I6 RWD M2GC with a decent hatch back coming though because there is a lot of demand for a properly practical M car. I'll take mine with a manual please...
I sincerely hope there is a proper I6 RWD M2GC with a decent hatch back coming though because there is a lot of demand for a properly practical M car. I'll take mine with a manual please...
BMW will sell you a X5M (soon a X3M or X4M also) if you want a practical 'M' car. Not that these appeal to me.
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