New BMW 2 Series Coupé enters last leg of testing, includes M240i xDrive

By CARSIFU | 17 May 2021


MUNICH: The development of the new BMW 2 Series Coupé is almost completed following dynamic testing and tuning of its drive and suspension systems under racetrack conditions.

Series production is expected to start in late summer 2021.

The two-door compact sports car takes inspiration from the legendary BMW 2002 and features numerous hallmark ingredients that are unique in the premium compact segment for achieving a sporty and emotional driving experience.

The unique selling points of the new 2 Series Coupé include the rear-wheel drive setup, a powerful in-line 6-cylinder engine, the almost 50:50 balanced axle load distribution, a stiff body and chassis technology for agile and dynamic driving behaviour.

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The coupe is being subjected to tuning trials on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife for wheel suspension, chassis, damping, steering and braking system.

BMW is also putting the coupe through its paces on public country roads around Munich and at the BMW Group test site in Maisach to ensure that its driving qualities can be experienced in everyday traffic and under different road conditions.

At the same time, the car is fine-tuned to optimise self-steering behaviour and the dynamics when building up lateral acceleration forces. The power transmission to the rear wheels, unique in the segment of the new 2 Series Coupé, is ideally suited to sporty, ambitious cornering including easily controllable drift manoeuvres.

An M version is also in the offing.

The M240i xDrive Coupé draws its drive torque from an in-line 6-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. The engine pruduces peak output of 374hp and is combined with an 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. The M model puts its power to the road using the intelligent BMW xDrive all-wheel drive system.

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The system's rear-wheel oriented design ensures hallmark BMW driving pleasure in conjunction with a power distribution that adapts to adverse road and weather conditions.

The driving dynamics tests also conducted on the Nürburgring, are ideally suited for refining the interaction of the all-wheel-drive system with the M sports differential in the rear-axle transmission.

With a fully variable locking effect generated by an electric motor, the differential aids the new 2 Series Coupé in optimising cornering performance with regard to traction and driving stability. The targeted distribution of power between the rear wheels enables significantly higher lateral acceleration and also a noticeable increase in dynamics when accelerating as you come out of bends.

Regardless of the engine, all model variants benefit from a torsion-resistant body structure. Static torsional stiffness has been increased by around 12 per cent compared to the predecessor model, for example through the use of dynamic driving struts in the rear of the vehicle, which contribute to improved agility.

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The car also has increased track width at the front and rear axles that reduces body roll and wheel load fluctuations during sporty cornering.

All model variants are equipped with stroke-dependent dampers as standard, which have been tweaked for a balance between sportiness and ride comfort.

They respond sensitively to slight road unevenness and compensate vibrations to optimise comfort. When driving over large bumps, the movements of the body are controlled by correspondingly higher damper forces. An Adaptive M Chassis is offered as an option for the new 2 Series Coupé. Its electronically controlled dampers offer the option of activating the appropriate mapping for both sporty and comfort-oriented driving.

In addition to the powerful and highly controllable brakes, the precise steering also characterises the handling of the two-door model. In addition to the balanced axle load distribution between the front and rear wheels, the model-specific design of the steering and the particularly high connection stiffness of the support bearings on the front axle contribute to this.

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Available as an option for the new BMW 2 Series Coupé, Variable Sports Steering combines further optimised precision when steering into bends with reduced steering effort when parking and manoeuvring.

The body design of the new 2 Series Coupé reflects the brand's modern, clear and reduced design language.

Only visible at second glance, but immediately noticeable during the high-speed test drives at the Nürburgring, the measures that help optimise the aerodynamic properties of the M car in particular.

In addition to a model-specific front spoiler lip, front splitter and air curtains, air deflectors, a tank and a rear axle cover as well as the contours of the air-flow-optimised driving dynamics struts on the underbody ensure that lift on the front axle has been reduced by 50 percent compared to the predecessor model.

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