BMW F22 2 Series Coupe 218d M-sport - Review
Discussion
Coming to the end of my lease on this car I thought I’d write a quick review for anyone interested.
Lease was £270/month on a 3/23 10k basis which I think worked out to about 25% on ‘The Formula’. Lovely Estoril Blue metallic paint was included but otherwise standard. Manual transmission.
The Brief.
I like small, nippy, manual cars that handle, but are also comfortable and economical ‘mini-GT’ motorway cruisers. Coupes or 3dr hatches are preferred. It’s a tough brief, one designed to suit my journey profile of regular trips from Essex to North Wales which is 3 hours of motorway then 2 hours of lovely, empty, Welsh A-roads
Previous efforts to match the brief have been, DS3, RCZ, Fiesta Zetec S, Mazda 2, C4, Megane CC, and Hyundai Coupe. I had high hopes that the 218d would be the best yet…
Package
Certainly all boxes were ticked here. Subjective of course but it’s an elegant and sleek looking coupe to my eyes which gives me a little warm buzz every time I see it - that’s worth a lot. The colour is gorgeous.
‘Small & Nippy that Handle’
Small – Yes. See it next to a 4-series coupe and it’s very noticeably more petite. Perfect in this respect for me
Things start to go downhill when we come to ‘Nippy’ though. Obviously it’s a diesel (like the RCZ, DS3 & Fiesta were) and so that’s not going to help, but I was still disappointed on this front.
Unlike the DS3 1.6 Hdi that went before this diesel lump is harsh and noisy, and hates to rev. It feels underpowered and – most disappointing of all – under-torqued. It’s got slightly better after 15k miles but only slightly. Further detracting from hard-driving pleasure is the ‘only-ok’ Gearbox – rubbery in the way I’ve come to understand is the BMW norm. Another issue is the throttle response sometimes feels hesitant and/or artificial in a nasty way. The driving modes seem pointless to me and I’ve stopped using them.
Better news on the ‘…that Handle’ front. The suspension is good, tight and taut and well damped, only the run-flat tyres (18”) spoiling the party with their motorway noise and slow-speed harshness. It feels heavy though, and so hustling through a series of tight bends feels a bit weighty – it’s not a chuckable car and the steering is vague around the centre. Fast sweepers are a joy though, the steering feel is there once it’s weighted up and you feel the RWD as you use the throttle and wheel in harmony… My first RWD for ages and there is that little bit of magic occasionally, although a FWD car with great steering (like the Zetec S fiesta) had its own magic too
‘Mini GT’
The 218d makes a pretty good stab at this…
The lovely suede M-sport seats are comfortable and supportive and although the driving position feels a bit odd at first it’s proven to be fine on the long runs I do – and my back is fussy about these things. I like the chunky M-sport steering wheel and the LED lights (a first for me) are ‘night and day’ compared to candle-power
The snug-cockpit is a nice place to be and the creature comforts of music and a/c are fine
I’ve got 56.5 mpg over the 15k miles which is normally 75mph on the limiter on motorways then spirited driving, albeit at legal speeds, through Wales.
Reliability has been flawless.
A mark is deducted for noise. The gruff engine, those tyres, and what seems like thin glazing all mean that it’s far from silent
Verdict
So, apart from being Heavy, Noisy, Rough, gutless and my most expensive ever lease, it’s been great! (joke). I can imagine the 240i on proper tyres is a great car..
I was expecting this to be near perfect for me – a 9/10. I’d actually give it 7.5. It’s probably the closest I’ve come to hitting that brief, but still falls well short of being ‘The One’. The RCZ was a better mile muncher, the little Fiesta more fun on the A-roads. The 218d is the better all-round compromise – I just wasn’t expecting to have to compromise…
Lease was £270/month on a 3/23 10k basis which I think worked out to about 25% on ‘The Formula’. Lovely Estoril Blue metallic paint was included but otherwise standard. Manual transmission.
The Brief.
I like small, nippy, manual cars that handle, but are also comfortable and economical ‘mini-GT’ motorway cruisers. Coupes or 3dr hatches are preferred. It’s a tough brief, one designed to suit my journey profile of regular trips from Essex to North Wales which is 3 hours of motorway then 2 hours of lovely, empty, Welsh A-roads
Previous efforts to match the brief have been, DS3, RCZ, Fiesta Zetec S, Mazda 2, C4, Megane CC, and Hyundai Coupe. I had high hopes that the 218d would be the best yet…
Package
Certainly all boxes were ticked here. Subjective of course but it’s an elegant and sleek looking coupe to my eyes which gives me a little warm buzz every time I see it - that’s worth a lot. The colour is gorgeous.
‘Small & Nippy that Handle’
Small – Yes. See it next to a 4-series coupe and it’s very noticeably more petite. Perfect in this respect for me
Things start to go downhill when we come to ‘Nippy’ though. Obviously it’s a diesel (like the RCZ, DS3 & Fiesta were) and so that’s not going to help, but I was still disappointed on this front.
Unlike the DS3 1.6 Hdi that went before this diesel lump is harsh and noisy, and hates to rev. It feels underpowered and – most disappointing of all – under-torqued. It’s got slightly better after 15k miles but only slightly. Further detracting from hard-driving pleasure is the ‘only-ok’ Gearbox – rubbery in the way I’ve come to understand is the BMW norm. Another issue is the throttle response sometimes feels hesitant and/or artificial in a nasty way. The driving modes seem pointless to me and I’ve stopped using them.
Better news on the ‘…that Handle’ front. The suspension is good, tight and taut and well damped, only the run-flat tyres (18”) spoiling the party with their motorway noise and slow-speed harshness. It feels heavy though, and so hustling through a series of tight bends feels a bit weighty – it’s not a chuckable car and the steering is vague around the centre. Fast sweepers are a joy though, the steering feel is there once it’s weighted up and you feel the RWD as you use the throttle and wheel in harmony… My first RWD for ages and there is that little bit of magic occasionally, although a FWD car with great steering (like the Zetec S fiesta) had its own magic too
‘Mini GT’
The 218d makes a pretty good stab at this…
The lovely suede M-sport seats are comfortable and supportive and although the driving position feels a bit odd at first it’s proven to be fine on the long runs I do – and my back is fussy about these things. I like the chunky M-sport steering wheel and the LED lights (a first for me) are ‘night and day’ compared to candle-power
The snug-cockpit is a nice place to be and the creature comforts of music and a/c are fine
I’ve got 56.5 mpg over the 15k miles which is normally 75mph on the limiter on motorways then spirited driving, albeit at legal speeds, through Wales.
Reliability has been flawless.
A mark is deducted for noise. The gruff engine, those tyres, and what seems like thin glazing all mean that it’s far from silent
Verdict
So, apart from being Heavy, Noisy, Rough, gutless and my most expensive ever lease, it’s been great! (joke). I can imagine the 240i on proper tyres is a great car..
I was expecting this to be near perfect for me – a 9/10. I’d actually give it 7.5. It’s probably the closest I’ve come to hitting that brief, but still falls well short of being ‘The One’. The RCZ was a better mile muncher, the little Fiesta more fun on the A-roads. The 218d is the better all-round compromise – I just wasn’t expecting to have to compromise…
Yes good call - I've always wanted a GTD!
I've just never been in the right place at the right time to get a decent lease deal and now I think they've stopped making the 3dr and also the manual...
Next car is a Mini One Classic - probably not a mini-GT either but should be fun in Wales
I've just never been in the right place at the right time to get a decent lease deal and now I think they've stopped making the 3dr and also the manual...
Next car is a Mini One Classic - probably not a mini-GT either but should be fun in Wales
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