After BMW debuted the 6 Series Gran Coupe and 4 Series Coupe, it only seemed like a natural progression for BMW to make a 2 Series Gran Coupe. A few years into the 2 Series Coupe’s life cycle and still no Gran Coupe variant. However, fret not 2 Series fans, as it seems BMW has one coming down the pike. A 2 Series Gran Coupe has just been caught testing (we don’t own the spy photos but they can be seen here).
In these photos, we can clearly see some sort of small four-door coupe. At first, we though it might be the upcoming 1 Series sedan, based on it being a small BMW sedan but the swoopy C-pillar gives it away. Just from these spy photos, we can learn a bit about the upcoming 2 Series Gran Coupe. The first thing we noticed is just how small it is. Compared to the passengers inside the car, it looks positively minute. It’s quite refreshing, actually, as cars are getting bigger and bigger.
The next thing we noticed is that it is absolutely front-wheel drive. There might have been some debate as to whether or not the upcoming 2 Series GC would be front or rear-wheel drive but we now know definitively. The front brake caliper gives it away. As our good friend Hugo recently educated me on, if the brake caliper is ahead of the front axle center line, or on the front of the rotor, it uses rear-steer, which is when the steering rack is behind the front axle. This is the case with transverse-mounted engines, as there isn’t enough room to put the rack in front of the axle, where it’s ideal. So seeing the caliper ahead of the axle center line gives away its front-wheel drive nature.
While that might disappoint many enthusiasts, we have faith in BMW’s UKL architecture to deliver the handling goods. The 2 Series Gran Coupe seems to be the right size, will have optional-all-wheel drive and will likely be quite fun to drive.
[Source: Motor Trend]
