BMW EXPANDS ITS GRAN COUPLE FAMILY
WHILE THE FOUR-DOOR 8 SERIES CAN NOW BE HAD IN FIERY M8 FORM, A NEW MEMBER HAS EMERGED ON THE OPPOSITE END FOR LIGHTER WALLETS
THERE SEEMS NO ABATING OF THE POWER WAR AMONG GERMAN CARS…
Hot off the heels of the just-announced X5 M and X6 M, BMW has extended the high-performance treatment to the 8 Series Gran Coupe.
Using the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, eight-speed torque-converter automatic and all-wheel-drive bits of those two big SUVs, the so-called M8 Gran Coupe becomes the fifth Bimmer to employ these mechanicals. The other three are M5 and M8 Coupe/Convertible.
Likewise, the M8 Gran Coupe comes in two power outputs: 600hp for 3.3sec 0-100kph time and 625hp in Competition guise for a better, 3.2sec record.
Details that separate this four-door missile from its lesser brethren are more aggressive-looking air vents, four tail pipes, chunky alloys and red-marked buttons on the steering wheel to store personalised settings of the vehicle’s driving modes. IS IT THE FASTEST OF ITS KIND?
If you look at the market for super-sedans with twinturbo V8 power, the M8 Gran Coupe is among the fastest when it comes to accelerating from 0-100kph.
The just-announced 600hp Audi RS7 Sportback is slower at 3.6sec, while the 680hp Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid does it in 3.4sec.
But the M8 Gran Coupe isn’t the champ yet because the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4-Door Coupe packs 639hp dispatching the time in the same 3.2sec.
And because the AMG costs 14.99 million baht in Thai showrooms, the M8 Gran Coupe shouldn’t cost more if BMW Thailand is interested in adding some colour to its Thai line-up of M cars. AND WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT NEW BABY ABOUT?
Like in the Gran Coupe derivatives of the 4 and 8 Series, the latest 2 Series has four doors with frameless windows and a sleek profile to take the fight straight to the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
The cabin in the 2 Series Gran Coupe adopts the brand’s latest infotainment system, dubbed BMW Operating System 7.0. There’s a raft of assistant features to make driving easier.
While the 2 Series Coupe and Convertible models come with longitudinally laid-out engines driving the rear axle, the five-seat Active Tourer and seven-seat Gran Tourer MPVs get transverse motors propelling the front wheels. SO IT SURELY MUST BE REAR-DRIVE…
No it isn’t, even though the 2 Series Gran Coupe has a sporty concept like the Coupe and Convertible models. Instead, the 2 Series Gran Coupe adopts the drivetrain matrix of its MPV siblings, just like in the CLA.
Regular front-drive models of the 2 Series Gran Coupe include 150hp three-cylinder petrol 218i and 190hp four-pot diesel 220d.
While the 218i uses seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the 220d employs the eight-speed torqueconverter type.
There’s also the 228i running 231hp 2.0-litre petrol, but sales of it is confined to only the US market.
Higher up the range is the M235i xDrive equipped with 306hp 2.0-litre petrol, eight-speed auto, and allwheel drive. It goes from 0-100kph in 4.9sec, the same time required for the AMG-fettled 306hp CLA35. WILL THERE BE AN M2 VERSION?
As Mercedes-AMG has the CLA45 sitting on top of the range with either 387hp or 421hp in go-faster S guise, it’s most likely that BMW won’t be sitting still with no answer.
In fact, an M2 version of the Gran Coupe will be an interesting development because it remains to be seen how BMW will respond with 400hp of power from a transverse engine. It has never done so, but AMG already has.
The M2 in Coupe guise, meanwhile, utilises a sixpot longitudinal motor driving just the rear wheels. This sounds like a nice recipe for driving fun, but whether the Gran Coupe will get it is completely another thing.
Whatever, expect the regular 2 Series Gran Coupe to launch in Thailand in the first quarter of next year with prices ranging from some 2.5-3.5 million baht.