Adding to the horde of upcoming launches, BMW Group Malaysia will be introducing a new car here very soon. The company is previewing it in an unconventional manner – instead of putting it on display, it is driving the car around various locations in Kuala Lumpur for the public to spot, and it has brought it to our premises in Jaya One today for a sneak peek.
Even though the company will not explicitly say what car it is – and the fact that these particular units are wrapped in camouflage designed by local NGOs – its identity is glaringly obvious. It is, of course, the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, a low-slung, four-door version of the new front-driven 1 Series.
No details have been revealed just yet, but judging by the spyshots we’ve seen, it looks like we’ll be getting both 218i and M235i variants. The single tailpipe of these cars denotes them as entry-level models, although they still come with the more aggressive M Sport kit.
As far as we can tell, standard equipment on the 218i will include LED headlights and tail lights, LED fog lights, 18-inch double-spoke style 819 M alloy wheels, keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone climate control (with rear air vents), power-adjustable sports seats with driver’s side memory, and the basic BMW Live Cockpit Plus infotainment system with an 8.8-inch touchscreen and an analogue instrument cluster.
And as with recent BMWs, the 218i Gran Coupé will come with the Driving Assistant package. This includes autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert. Despite what appears to be a radar sensor at the front, the car does not get adaptive cruise control.
The 218i is powered by a B38 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, making 140 PS from 4,600 to 6,500 rpm and 220 Nm of torque from 1,480 to 4,200 rpm. It is mated to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, with drive sent solely to the front wheels.
Meanwhile, the M235i gets the same version of the B48 2.0 litre turbo four-pot as the M135i, churning out 306 PS from 5,200 to 6,250 rpm and 450 Nm between 1,750 and 4,500 rpm. It gets an eight-speed automatic and sends its power to the road through the xDrive all-wheel-drive system, getting from zero to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.
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In one glance look like KIA.
(Like) Handsome
(Dislike) Fugly
new gen KIA Cerato tebo superb.
the 18i and 35i use difference gearbox
Not pretty
A potential nominee for ugliest BMW design awards, specially on the back with bulky bumper and unusual sharp roof line from the side. Just look at the size of rear door compare to front when looking from the side. To be honest the propulsion of the car design is a clear looser against an A-Class sedan or new CLA.
BM 218 – 3 cylinder turbo (140bhp)???
Protn X50 – 3 cylinder turbo (150bhp) entry model
Who has a better engine?
No doubt, BMW is better in making engine.
Ha ha ha! Just look at headline figures and want to judge which one “better”…. So shallow
Hmm, Why the rear bumper looks like Proton X70 car boot bumper
2Series paying respect to X70 just as X6 paid respects to Gen2.
No radar cruise control means instant no buy, better get proton x50 with L2 autonomous driving, bmw just doesn’t care consumers’ safety anymore
Over priced junk!!!
I know everything happen for a reason. But wtf!
ugly and fwd.
Coupe not reserved for 2 door?