Competes with: Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
Looks like: It did before, but with a standard M Sport exterior package
Powertrain: 241- or 312-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine; seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; front- or all-wheel drive
Hits dealerships: March 2025 (228 xDrive, M235 xDrive); summer 2025 (228 sDrive)
It sounds more like a thorough mid-cycle refresh (and, coming five years after the model launched, it’s timed like one), but BMW is calling the 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe the second generation of its compact sedan. With its wheelbase and width unchanged, length up an imperceptible 0.7 inch and standing an inch taller, the 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t look all that different from its predecessor. But under the hood and in the cabin, the smallest BMW is comprehensively reworked.
Related: 2022 BMW M240i Review: BMW’s Tiniest Grand Tourer
Standard M Sport Exterior
The 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe is most distinguishable from its predecessor from head-on or directly behind thanks to its standard M Sport exterior design package. There’s less plastic and more negative space in the front bumper, with a larger intake under the grille flanked by vertical inlets. Headlights with prominent LED daytime running lamp elements mimic those on the face-lifted 3 and 4 Series. Similarly exaggerated forms dramatize the rear bumper, with an amplified central diffuser element and large outboard vents. It’s not just the M Sport appearance that is standard on the second-gen car; it also rides on an adaptive M suspension.
The Gran Coupe will be available in 228 and M235 guises. (BMW is now reserving the “i” in its model designations for electric models.) Both get heavily revised versions of the brand’s four-cylinder engine that still displaces 2.0 liters, but the 228’s now generates 241 horsepower and 295 pounds-feet of torque, increases of 13 and 37, respectively. The M235’s outputs 312 hp and 295 pounds-feet, up 10 hp but down 37 pounds-feet from its predecessor. BMW claims the 228 will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds, and the M235 will need just 4.7 seconds.
Both engines swap out the eight-speed automatics of the pre-face-lift — excuse us, first-generation — Gran Coupe for a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. A front-wheel-drive 228 sDrive will be available later in 2025; at launch, BMW will offer both engines exclusively with all-wheel drive.
Meat-Free, Screen-Heavy Interior
The 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe’s interior is updated to incorporate BMW’s Curved Display, which abuts a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel and 10.7-inch touchscreen behind a single curved screen; it runs on BMW Operating System 9. Completely leather-free, the refreshed interior is upholstered with perforated Veganza synthetic leather and features standard heated front seats, cloud-based navigation, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and wireless device charging.
The 2 Series Gran Coupe already enjoyed a thorough suite of standard safety gear, but the 2025 model gains some significant optional driver-assistance tech. Forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane departure steering assist and road-sign recognition are standard, as are front and rear parking sensors. However, the list of optional upgrades now includes adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering, lane change assist, traffic jam assist for hands-free self-driving at speeds up to 40 mph, and front and rear cross-traffic alert. Automated parking and a 360-degree camera system are also available.
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Availability and Pricing
The 2025 BMW 228 xDrive and M235 xDrive Gran Coupe will launch in March of 2025, with the front-drive 228 sDrive arriving in the middle of the year. The 228 xDrive starts at $42,775, while the M235 bases at $50,675 (all prices include $1,175 destination fee). When the sDrive hits dealers, it will be priced from $40,775.
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