BMW’s new 2-Series Gran Tourer, which boasts a seven-seat (5+2) format, will arrive in Irish showrooms in June with prices starting at €35,940 for the 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol 218i. The entry-level diesel - also a 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit - will start at €36,580 for the 216d.
The car is the first seven-seat people carrier for the brand, aside from its optional third-row in its range-topping X5 SUV. It’s yet another expansion of the firm’s model range in its efforts to match the increasing sales volumes of rival Audi.
As BMW’s first front-drive, seven-seat family production car it has already set traditional fans of the brand into a tailspin.
BMW is claiming the 2-Series Gran Tourer is the first premium compact model in the world to offer seven seats and it does it on a stretched version of the UKL architecture that also underpins the new MINI three- and five-door models.
The 4.6-metre 2-Series Gran Tourer is 214mm longer than the Active Tourer and that helps it offer far greater interior space. Sitting on a 2,780mm wheelbase, the 2-Series Gran Tourer shares its little brother’s 1,800mm overall width.
Another area where it differs significantly from the Active Tourer is in height, where the 2-Series Gran Tourer is, at 1,608mm, 53mm taller than its sibling.
Besides allowing it to carry seven seats, the bigger dimensions boost the luggage capacity from the Active Tourer’s 560 litres to 645 litres and from the Active Tourer’s maximum capacity (with the seats folded down) of 1,820 litres to 1,905 litres.
The new car, which will make its public debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, uses the same engines, gearboxes and suspension systems as the Active Tourer.
BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer Price List
218i SE € 35,940
218i Sport €37,820
218i Luxury € 38,940
218i M Sport € 40,440
220i Sport € 42,960
220i Luxury € 44,150
220i M Sport € 45,730
216d SE € 36,580
216d Sport € 38,410
216d Luxury € 39,510
216d M Sport € 41,410
218d SE € 38,660
218d Sport € 40,510
218d Luxury € 41,620
218d M Sport € 43,110
220d xDrive Sport (Auto Only) € 47,690
220d xDrive Luxury (Auto Only) € 48,810
220d xDrive M Sport (Auto Only) € 50,850
