News / 6 March 2025 / Michael Taylor

What you will pay for BMW’s most affordable sedan in South Africa

BMW has officially listed the pricing for the next-gen 2 Series Gran Coupe ahead of its launch in South Africa, which will take place before the second half of the year.

At launch, the 2 Series will be sold in two specifications with prices starting at R725,500, making it the most affordable BMW sedan in the country.

Engines

The Gran Coupe is the sedan counterpart to the recently launched 1 Series hatchback, which means it is equipped with the same engines.

The starter option is the 218 – a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol mill with an output of 115kW and 230Nm.

This power is sent down to the front wheels via a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox, leading to an average fuel consumption of 6.4l/100km.

The 218 is capable of sprinting to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 226km/h.

If you’re in the market for something sportier, you can pick up the M235 which is decked out with a 2.0-litre turbo block producing 225kW and 450Nm.

The M235 has the same gearbox but benefits from the xDrive all-wheel-drive system for better traction and power delivery.

This, combined with its more powerful engine, means the M-badged model can rocket to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and hit a max speed of 250km/h.

Naturally, the added power means the hot sedan is thirstier than its sibling, as it consumes 7.8l/100km.

Features

The Gran Coupe’s appearance has been heavily reworked in this latest iteration to match the new 1 Series.

The signature kidney grille is flanked by a new set of LED headlights and vertical daytime running lights, and customers can upgrade these to Matrix LED headlights for an additional cost.

The sedan has a sleek side profile thanks to its coupe roofline, and there are new light alloy wheels that start at 17 inches in size.

As for the back, the 218’s exhaust pipes are now hidden behind the bumper, and there’s a redesigned set of LED taillights.

Customers can also choose from one of nine different colours, which can be enhanced further with an optional contrasting black roof.

Looking inside, the 2 Series is continuing the trend established by other BMW models with eco-friendly leather-free upholstery made from renewable materials, which is available in one of four two-tone colour schemes.

If you’d prefer, however, this can be substituted for Veganza/Alcantara trim with contrast stitching on request.

The front seats are electronically adjustable with heating functions, and these can be upgraded to M Sport seats with massage capabilities and lumbar support.

On the dashboard, there’s a new dual curved display comprised of a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.7-inch infotainment screen.

The displays are running on BMW’s latest Operating System 9, which offers voice commands, BMW Maps with cloud-based navigation, over-the-air software updates, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Other standard equipment includes automatic climate control, ambient lighting, and driving assistance functions such as front-collision warning, lane-departure warning, exit warning, traffic sign recognition, and a Parking Assistant with a surround-view camera and parking sensors.

Anyone who purchases the flagship M235 can also expect adaptive M suspension, larger 18-inch alloys, visible quad tailpipes, and an M Sport leather steering wheel with paddle shifters.