The BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer is the successor to the Active Tourer, first launched in 2014. This gives the two-seater seven seats and the good driving characteristics typical of a Bavarian.
when you see the 2 Series GT, it’s easy to see that BMW is undergoing a bold expansion of its model range. The idea is certainly not to satisfy old BMW fans in every respect, but to make the brand familiar to customers of other brands.
The interiors are very spacious and roomy. There are small storage compartments all around the car and you can clearly see that the car is designed for an active larger family.
Three rows of seats
The seats in the second row of seats move lengthways just as the rear passenger needs legroom. The rear bench is accessed by folding down the centre seats. The smallest members of the family are most comfortable travelling in the very back due to the limited legroom.
Folding the seats themselves is really easy and the rear seats integrate into the floor of the boot when they are not up. Similarly, the seats are easily lifted by pulling the backrest handle.
There’s nothing to complain about in the cabin and the driving ergonomics can be created to suit a driver of many heights. On the other hand, like the smaller Active Tourer, the front corner is very dark and obscured by a thick windscreen side mirror. As a good example, at roundabouts it can sometimes be very difficult to see pedestrians coming from the front left.
Two-litre diesel
The test car was powered by a 150 hp two-litre diesel engine, with power transmitted to the road by the BMW xDrive four-wheel drive system. The 2 Series GT always comes with automatic transmission, but xDrive is currently only available with two-litre diesel engines.
Overall, the test car’s engine, gearbox and all-wheel-drive system fitted the car’s character like a glove and the ride was smooth and reliable in all weathers.
Personally, I wouldn’t necessarily even consider a car without four-wheel drive, given the car’s large size and the long period of bad weather in Finland. The 2-series Active Tourer with front-wheel drive and a small petrol engine that we tested earlier felt like an inefficient and clumsy solution even on dry roads. Four-wheel drive adds to the versatility of the car.
The combined consumption figure during the test drive in mixed driving was between 5.5 and 6 litres/100 km, which can be considered a normal good result considering the winter conditions with cold starts and the large size of the car.
Discreet appearance
In terms of looks, the car is very similar to other competitors of a similar size, and no attempt has been made to make it look special. However, all of BMW’s trademark features have been retained, such as the very large air intakes in the front, known as kidneys, and the rear lights, which follow the familiar BMW L-shape.
The good news for Gran Tourer buyers is that the starting price of the car is a good two thousand euros lower than that of the smaller Active Tourer.
The cheapest version costs €31 150, while the test-driven version costs just over €46 000.
Pros
- a bold departure
- a complete departure from the rest of the BMW range, while retaining BMW’s quality and character
- spaciousness and versatility efficiency, driveability and economy
Cons
- visibility to the front, for example at roundabouts
- appearance
