BMW may be at its most heavily criticized point in history, at the moment. It seems as if the brand that could do no wrong in the eyes of the media, just a decade ago, can now do no right. Every car is heavily scrutinized for not being the sort of car BMW used to make, rightly or wrongly. There is one glimmer of positivity for the Bavarian brand, though — the BMW 2 Series. It seems that the 2 Series is the only car in BMW’s lineup that automotive fans can unanimously get behind. That’s evidenced here by Car and Driver’s In-Depth review of the 2 Series as a whole.
You will mostly hear about the BMW M2 on the interwebs, as it’s the most dynamic and exciting of all the 2 Series’. However, it seems that every 2er Coupe (the Grand and Active Tourers are left out, here) is a hit and the 2 Series lineup as a whole represents the brand’s core values better than any other BMW model line.
Out of five stars, Car and Driver gave the 2 Series four and a half stars. As for the “Highs”, C&D remarked “A pair of truly great engines, big fun to drive, looks every bit a BMW.” Its only quibbles are minor, with C&D claiming its “Lows” to be “Cramped back seat, behind the curve on active safety, interior is plain for the price.”
They seem to have hit the mark well on both its highs and lows. The 2 Series lineup as a whole is great to drive, even the lowly BMW 230i, which is a little firecracker of a car, especially with a manual. They all have the right BMW looks and there isn’t a bad engine in the lineup. As for the lows, the cramped back seat is true, though it’s true of every coupe of its size so that’s hard to really fault it for. No one is buying a small coupe for family road trips. But it does lack most modern safety features that come standard on many competitors at lower price points and the interior is a bit “blah”.
Still, though, if you want a small, fun-to-drive Bavarian, it’s hard to look past any car in the BMW 2 Series lineup. They’re all excellent.
[Source: Car and Driver]
