It’s not a secret anymore that the BMW 2 Series range will get even more complicated after this iteration runs its production span. As we previously reported, BMW plans to diversify it even more to keep up with the competition. Initially the people in Munich wanted all future 2 Series cars to be front-wheel drive but the popularity of the Coupe and the M2 apparently made them change their mind and decided to offer a RWD Coupe for yet another production run and launch a FWD alternative as well.
The front-wheel drive model will be built atop the UKL platform and will be known as the F44 2 Series Gran Coupe. It will basically be a sedan roughly the size of the E46 3 Series, which will take on the Mercedes A-Class Sedan and the A3 Sedan as well. The Gran Coupe 2er will be using the same engines as the rest of the UKL cars, mainly 1.5-liter 3-cylinder mills and 2-liter 4-cylinder ones on both petrol and diesel fuel.
However, at the top end of the range we’ll also get an M Performance model which will most likely be called M235i even though the name hasn’t been set in stone just yet, according to our sources. It will be a B48 mill with around 300 HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque sending power to all four corners of the car. It’s the same engine that’s being tested on the BMW X2 at the moment for a similar M Performance version, a car we’ve recently seen out testing on the Nurburgring. This will provide the Bavarian rival for the likes of the AMG, S and RS models from Mercedes and Audi.
Luckily for us, apart from this new FWD model and the MPVs sold with the 2 Series badge on them these days, the RWD magic infused in the 2er is here to stay as well. The Convertible will be dropped but the Coupe will live on and, most likely, an M model as well. For the time being, the G42 230i seems like the only model the management agreed on but we’re pretty confident more powerful versions are still on the way.
