BMW has a reputation for producing luxury cars that offer excellent driving performance, but does this apply to the brand's entry-level models? After spending some quality time behind the wheel of the new 228 Gran Coupe—BMW's lowest-priced four-door sedan—the answer is a resounding yes. Updated for the 2025 model year with enhanced performance and fresh styling, the relatively affordable 2 Series remains true to BMW’s core qualities.
Photo: Perry Stern
For the 2025 model year, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe enters its second generation with updated engines, a range of new features, and fresh exterior styling. The new model incorporates components from BMW's high-performance M vehicles, such as the M Sport exterior design and Adaptive M Suspension. Slightly larger than its predecessor, the 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe features a high-tech cabin, highlighted by the BMW Curved Display.
The 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is only a coupe in name—it is available solely as a four-door sedan with a sloped roof (we review the 2 Series two-door Coupe separately). It offers three trim levels: 228, 228 xDrive, and M235 xDrive. Base prices range from around $41,000 to $51,000, including the destination charge. Its low starting price makes it the least expensive new BMW available in America.
For this 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe review, BMW provided a 228 xDrive test vehicle with the following significant options:
The test vehicle's manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) was $50,825, including the $1,175 destination charge to ship the sedan to your local dealership from the Leipzig, Germany, assembly plant.
Photo: Perry Stern
Although the 2 Series Gran Coupe is one of the smallest models in the BMW lineup, it doesn't feel cramped inside at all. This open-air feeling is mainly due to the redesigned cabin, which features BMW's seamless curved display and a smaller gear selector in the center console. With these updates, most physical buttons are gone, and there's more open space between the front seats for cupholders and a wireless phone charger.
For the 2025 model year, the BMW 2 Series goes leather-free with Perforated Veganza—the brand's synthetic leather upholstery—for the seats, center console, and door armrests. The material is soft and pliable, so you wouldn’t even notice it isn’t genuine leather. Other surfaces, like the dashboard and upper door trim, look good, but the material feels a bit rubbery and cheap.
Splashes of brightness, like the BMW M colors stitched into the dashboard, add a nice touch. Aluminum panels around the center and side vents feature backlighting that changes color with the drive mode or cabin temperature settings.
The front seats have good bolstering and are very comfortable with great support. Long drives behind the wheel were no problem, and while the side bolsters feel snug, they aren't too tight. I like the manual seat bottom extender, which adds extra support for those with longer legs.
Rear seats offer decent legroom and headroom for such a small car, although the seat bottoms are a bit low. Dual USB-C ports provide charging for rear-seat passengers. The trunk space also seems large for the car's small size, and its 12 cubic feet easily accommodate a few pieces of luggage.
Photo: Perry Stern
The 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe is the latest model in the BMW lineup to feature the brand's high-tech curved display, which seamlessly combines the 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster and the 10.7-inch touchscreen infotainment display behind a single panel. Showcasing the latest version of BMW iDrive with BMW Operating System 9, the system interaction no longer relies on a central controller like previous versions.
Features of the infotainment system include:
With almost no physical controls in the new 2 Series cabin, most interaction with the vehicle systems occurs through the touchscreen display. The homepage keeps the navigation map in the background, while tiles on the left side of the screen swipe up or down to show media, weather, communications, and other vehicle information. While the display is large and easy to read, I would prefer to fill the screen with the selected information; when not using navigation, the space with the map feels wasted.
Climate functions stay fixed at the bottom of the screen, where the dual-zone cabin temperature settings are easily accessible. As a nice touch, the red and blue lines below the temperature display animate to show whether the system is heating or cooling. However, changing air direction, fan speed, or activating seat heaters requires opening a sub-menu, which can be frustrating and distracting.
There are shortcuts to media, communications, and the navigation menu on the right side of the screen, or if you prefer, pressing the four-square icon opens all available applications. BMW also offers voice interaction with its personal assistant; however, this feature requires a subscription to the vehicle's connected services, which was not active on my test vehicle.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard with a wireless connection by default, and connecting my Samsung Galaxy S23+ to use Android Auto was quick and easy. I appreciate that when using Waze navigation through Android Auto, directions still show up on the driver's display.
The new digital gauge cluster is clear and uncluttered, with no glare, even when the sun shines directly on it. I found it easy to configure different information using the buttons on the steering wheel, and it can display fuel economy, navigation information, or driver assist features. There's also a head-up display. However, it is completely invisible if you wear polarized sunglasses.
BMW also provides entertainment features in the 2 Series, including available movie streaming and video games that allow passengers to play using their mobile devices as controllers. However, the vehicle must be in Park for these features to work. There's also an optional Wi-Fi hotspot that can connect up to eight devices, but they need to be inside or within five feet of the vehicle.
Photo: Perry Stern
The 2025 BMW 228 xDrive Gran Coupe features a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It comes with a standard seven-speed dual-clutch automated transmission (DCT), and the xDrive model includes all-wheel drive (AWD).
It may have the base engine, but the 228 xDrive quickly proved that it doesn't feel underpowered. The throttle responded immediately, and the quick acceleration off the line made me smile before I even hit 60 mph. With plenty of low-end torque combined with the fast-shifting gearbox, the small BMW feels much quicker than its claimed 5.8-second zero-to-60-mph time would imply.
Best of all, the 228 drives like a BMW; for a driving enthusiast, that's high praise. Steering is precise with instant response, and the small car felt nimble on my favorite curvy roads in Southeast Michigan. There always seems to be plenty of oomph, especially with DCT's quick downshifting under hard acceleration. That strong acceleration is even noticeable when already cruising at highway speeds.
Unfortunately, the firm suspension that helps the 2 Series corner so well makes the ride somewhat stiff. Rough road surfaces are quite noticeable, and in some cases, the bumps resonate through the car. Aside from when driving on the smoothest, new blacktop, road noise seeps into the cabin, especially at highway speeds.
Not only does the 2025 BMW 2 Series deliver excellent performance on the road, but it also does so very efficiently. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the 228 xDrive Gran Coupe gets an estimated 30 mpg combined. On my standard drive route in the BMW, the trip computer indicated 28 mpg, although on a separate highway-only drive, the readout showed an impressive 39.5 mpg.
Photo: Perry Stern
BMW offers a range of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on the 228 xDrive, but surprisingly, most features are not standard. Here's what you can get:
Although many of these features are optional, my test vehicle was equipped with the Driver Assistance Professional package, which includes all the available ADAS.
To test the systems, I drove to Detroit on Interstate 94 and set the adaptive cruise control (ACC) to 70 mph. The lane-centering system worked well to keep the BMW in the center of the lane with very little weaving. However, unlike the ACC in some competitors, you have to go into the settings on the infotainment screen to adjust the distance to the car ahead.
One of the features included in the package is an automatic lane-changing system. While the ACC was active, I encountered a slower vehicle. Activating the left turn signal initiated the lane change, and the car smoothly steered into the left lane and re-centered itself. Since it is not a hands-free system, I question the usefulness of an automatic lane-change system. Because you're already gripping the wheel, you can switch lanes manually just as easily.
BMW offers a hands-free system, but only at speeds below 40 mph on limited-access freeways. Designed to assist in traffic jams, Driver Assistance Plus paced the car ahead of me all the way to a complete stop and then resumed automatically when the vehicle in front moved again. A Driver Assistance Plus icon in the gauge cluster indicated it was active, but once I went over 40 mph, it switched back to standard ACC, requiring me to keep my hands on the wheel.
At the time of writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has published crashworthiness ratings for the 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.
According to the JD Power 2025 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Acura Integra ranks highest in the Small Premium Car segment. The BMW 2 Series is the next-highest-ranked model.
According to the JD Power 2024 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, the BMW 2 Series ranks highest in the Small Premium Car segment.
Other 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe competitors include the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA.
As one of the most affordable BMWs you can buy, the 2025 2 Series Gran Coupe is a great entry into the German automaker's lineup. With excellent handling and performance, the stylish sedan highlights what makes a BMW a BMW.
The Gran Coupe 228 xDrive surpassed my expectations, offering a comfortable, spacious interior in a sedan that is truly enjoyable to drive. Although the stiff ride and road noise somewhat clouded my impression of the 2 Series, its responsive power and nimble handling made me want to drive this car every day.
Perry Stern has worked in the automotive industry for over 30 years and has always been a car enthusiast. Driving almost every new car on the market, Perry has written for multiple publications in addition to his work for JDPower.com. Recently relocated to southeast Michigan, Perry remains passionate about cars, especially his 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
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