Friday, July 3, 2015
THE BMW 220i Coupe seems to recreate the heritage of the brand’s past legends, such as the 2002 and E30 3-series. It has an attractive design, full of character and drives better than most other BMWs in the market.
It brings out the fun of driving a BMW once again and sets itself distinctively apart from the 2-series, which it completely has overshadowed.
In essence, the 220i Coupe’s underpinnings is from the 1-series but engineers have done well to create a fully proportionate little coupe by infusing the design lines of the 2002. One would easily forgive the shortcomings in interior space for this little coupe.
Priced at 68,599.28 USD, the 220i Coupe is fully imported and comes in two trim variants; the Standard and Sport lines.
Priced at 68,599.28 USD, the 220i Coupe is fully imported and comes in two trim variants; the Standard and Sport lines.
The latter carries a 5,320.08 USD premium over the standard and comes with bigger profile 17-inch tyres, high-gloss finishing to the kidney grille, matt black side mouldings, black chrome finishing for the exhaust tailpipe, bumpers and air intake, Sport line badges and the M Sport suspension.
The 2-litre twin scroll turbocharged motor hardly lacks any punch, delivering a reasonable 184hp and a cool 270Nm. And thanks to the car’s 1,440kg weight, the 220i Coupe manages to reach 100km/h in 7 seconds, and a top speed of 230km/h.
The 2-litre twin scroll turbocharged motor hardly lacks any punch, delivering a reasonable 184hp and a cool 270Nm. And thanks to the car’s 1,440kg weight, the 220i Coupe manages to reach 100km/h in 7 seconds, and a top speed of 230km/h.
The 8-speed automatic gearbox used ensures a smooth drive and well balanced in its ratios, suffice to say, it does not gear hunt. Both city and highway drives are effortless with this transmission. And when needed, it transforms into a mean machine.
BMW claims the 220i Coupe returns some 6 litres per 100km but this can be questioned as it could hardly even come close. It is slightly better on Eco mode but that’s it. Anyhow, the car is hardly made for those fuel efficiency freaks anyway.
The M Sport suspension is very firm and can be a problem to rear seat passengers but thankfully, it is a tight squeeze behind and once belted up, it could keep its occupants pretty snug and enveloped.
The marriage between the suspension and sport mode is a perfect one as it really brings out the best in the car. Living with it only a daily basis may be an issue, especially with occasionally bad roads in the city.
The dashboard is a little boring, similar to other BMWs but this could be an advantage especially as nothing much can go wrong with it. Besides, the sports seats are sporty but comfortable, the sound system is impressive. The iDrive does a wonderful job in integrating all the functions, as usual.
Other conveniences include the automatic dual zone climate control, cruise control, paddle shifters, start/stop and Park Distance Control. However, in all of this, it does not have keyless entry, which is defeats the purpose of having the start-stop button.
The 220i Coupe is surely an enthusiast’s car. It is not just for those ‘feel good’ BMW owners. It is a more serious coupe with a clear focus on offering and satisfying its driver with the characteristics of a BMW from the days of the 2002 and even the E30. That much, they have stayed true to their reputation. The 220i Coupe surely has substance.
