While we saw the first official photos of the BMW 2-Series Coupe nearly three months ago, the world debut of the carmaker’s smallest coupe takes place at the Detroit Auto Show this week.
Replacing the 1-Series Coupe, the new BMW 2-Series Coupe is bigger and billed by the company as a spiritual successor to the classic 02 series. Furthermore, its sportiest variant available at the moment, the M235i, marks another U.S. debut.
“This is the first M Performance model for the US market. M Performance models are the sportiest versions of our BMW line-up, very close to the racetrack-type performance of our M products,” said Dr. Herbert Diess, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development.
In the U.S., the BMW 2-Series will be offered with two engine options: a 2.0-liter twin-turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 240hp and 258 lb-ft (349Nm) of torque in the 228i Coupe and a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six unit with 322hp and 332 lb-ft (450Nm) in the M235i Coupe. Both engines are linked to an 8-speed sport automatic transmission.
The 228i Coupe sprints from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 130 mph (210 km/h), while the M235i does it in 4.6 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).
U.S. pricing of the 2014 BMW 2-Series Coupe starts from $33,025 for the 228i and $44,025 for the M235i, including $925 destination and handling. U.S. deliveries begin in first quarter this year.
By Dan Mihalascu
