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After teasing the car on Facebook, BMW Malaysia has given the BMW 2 Series Coupe its local launch in conjunction with the BMW Malaysian Open tennis event. The 1 Series Coupe successor arrives in a single 220i variant, with an available Sport Line upgrade.

The rear-wheel driver features a muscular three-box design that’s typical of BMW coupes, and is a salute to the sporting BMW 02 range of the ’60s and ’70s. Its face is different from the 1 Series hatch‘s – no droopy eyes and oversized nostrils, and there are Air Curtains in the front apron to aid aerodynamics.

Compared to the outgoing 1 Series Coupe, the BMW 2 Series Coupe is 72 mm longer (4,432 mm), 26 mm wider (1,774 mm) and sits on a 30 mm longer wheelbase (2,690 mm). Height is 1,418 mm. Front and rear tracks are also up by 41 mm (1,521 mm) and 43 mm (1,556 mm) respectively.

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As a result, there’s 19 mm more front headroom and 21 mm more rear legroom, and the boot can hold 390 litres of luggage – a 20 litre improvement. Access to the back seats, which are split 60:40, is made easier by an Easy Entry function.

The vehicle’s 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine produces 184 hp from 5,000-6,250 rpm and 270 Nm of torque from 1,250-4,500 rpm. Zero to 100 km/h is accomplished in seven seconds; top speed’s an impressive 230 km/h. Average fuel economy is a claimed 6.0 litres per 100 km.

Transmission is handled by an eight-speed auto. Naturally, there’s the Driving Experience Control with Eco Pro mode, and a stop/start system as standard. Suspension is handled by double-joint spring struts up front and a five-link setup out back.

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Inside, you’ll find a cockpit that’s pretty similar to that of the 1 Series. Infotainment’s provided by a 6.5-inch BMW Radio Professional system, so there’s no touch-sensitive iDrive nor navigation.

The standard BMW 2 Series Coupe gets 205/50 R17 Y-spoke alloys, manual air-con, satin silver matte dashboard trim and Sensatec fabric upholstery, with xenon headlamps, fog lamps, auto headlamps and wipers, a sports leather steering wheel, six speakers, reverse sensors and run-flat tyres as standard.

Scale up to the Sport Line and you get a lot more: 225/45 R17 star-spoke alloys, high-gloss black exterior trim, additional front and rear bumper trim, M Sport suspension, plus an eight-speed sports auto gearbox that brings with it shift paddles and Launch Control.

Inside, there’s auto dual-zone air-con, sports seats, high-gloss black dashboard trim with Coral Red matte accents, cruise control with braking function, a seven-speaker 205 W sound system and Anthracite (black) headlining.

Dual frontal and side airbags, plus head airbags front to rear, DSC, ASC, CBC and DTC are standard. The base car is offered either in Alpine White, Midnight Blue, Black Sapphire or Mineral Grey; the Sport Line car in Alpine White, Melbourne Red, Glacier Silver or Valencia Orange.

The price to pay for the fully-imported (CBU) BMW 2 Series Coupe is RM259,800, OTR without insurance. The Sport Line package is a RM20k upgrade. Included is a three-year/60,000 km BS+RI free service package.

Read our review of the hot BMW M235i from Las Vegas.