The BMW 1 Series Convertible, the predecessor of the car you see on the following few pages, brought open-top motoring to the premium compact segment for the German marque.
It has butch looks, an electrically operated soft-top and the snob appeal of the blue-and-white roundel, but it also has a sagging waistline, giving it a frumpy profile. On the whole, it’s a good way from being hideous, but it also isn’t what you might call pretty.
This time around, the new 2 Series Convertible has cured that with a new wedge-shaped profile, but its designers have also went ahead and gave it an aggressive mien, a more squat stance and new rear-end styling. We still don’t think it’s heart-meltingly beautiful, but it’s definitely pleasant-looking enough to turn heads.
BMW has been beavering away on the engineering front as well, with a soft-top that takes 20 seconds to stow and deploy, which is two seconds quicker than before. Even better is how it’s operable at speeds of up to 50km/h, preventing embarrassment when the lights suddenly turn green while you’re trying to drop the top.
The chassis itself is also all-new, and some 20 percent stiffer than before, so this means scuttle shake is kept to a minimum. When push comes to shove, the 2 Series proves itself to be decent enough, with an accurate helm and sharp handling manners. This is no doubt helped by its rear-driven nature, slick-shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox and rigid chassis.
That said, it’s still not the most incisive car around, which is softness that would normally have left us dissatisfied, were it not for the car’s grand-tourer levels of plushness. It smothers tarmac imperfections and its acoustic refinement is also top-notch, especially when the wind deflector is erected (though doing so negates the use of the backseats).
But if you want to have (most of) your cake and eat it, BMW offers the 2 Series Convertible with an optional adaptive suspension package that features firmer settings and a 10mm drop in ride height, something that should make it that much keener in the corners.
Powering it along is a 2-litre engine with 245bhp in the 228i variant we tested (the range-topping M235i Convertible with a 326bhp 3-litre inline-6 and an M Division-fettled chassis is also available), which doesn’t make it a autobahn blaster, but it’s no slouch either, with the zero-to-100km/h dash taken care of in 6 seconds dead.
As with all newer BMWs, the 2 Series Convertible comes with several driving modes that can control driving parameters such as throttle sensitivity and steering heft, altering its personality from languid to manic. However, in keeping with the car’s laid-back nature, I never felt the need (other than for the sake of journalistic curiosity) to take it out of Comfort mode.
And on that “comfortable” note, its cabin is an eminently pleasant place to spend long hours in the saddle, helped along by a fuss-free interior that harkens back to great BMWs of the 1980s, though this is given some visual pop with our test car’s black-and-tan seat upholstery.
While the 2 Series Convertible’s airy cockpit evokes memories of older open-top BMWs, it most certainly isn’t retro, with numerous high-tech goodies, that include smartphone-like mobile data functionality for the iDrive infotainment system.
The car the 2 Series Convertible reminds us of most of is the E30-generation 3 Series Convertible, and we’re in no doubt that’s exactly what BMW’s engineers were shooting for with this.
While the new 4 Series has grown into a junior version of the marque’s 6 Series grand tourer (in other words, a little too large), the 2 Series is a near-perfect blend of compact dimensions, sorted handling and pert good looks.
It may have taken nearly three decades for BMW to revive the brilliance of the E30 Convertible, but it’s been worth the wait – all the alfresco BMW you really need can be found in the 2 Series Convertible.
SPECIFICATIONS
DRIVETRAIN
TYPE Inline-4, 16-valves, turbocharged
CAPACITY 1997cc
BORE X STROKE 84mm x 90.1mm
COMPRESSION RATIO 10:1
MAX POWER 245bhp at 5000-6500rpm
MAX TORQUE 350Nm at 1250-4800rpm
POWER TO WEIGHT 157.6bhp per tonne
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select
DRIVEN WHEELS Rear
PERFORMANCE
0-100KM/H 6 seconds
TOP SPEED 250km/h
CONSUMPTION 14.9km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 157g/km
SUSPENSION
FRONT MacPherson struts, coil springs
REAR Multi-link, coil springs
BRAKES
FRONT / REAR Discs
TYRES
TYPE Michelin Pilot Super Sport
SIZE 225/40 R18 (front), 245/35 R18 (rear)
SAFETY
AIRBAGS 6
TRACTION AIDS ABS with DSC
MEASUREMENTS
LENGTH 4432mm
WIDTH 1774mm
HEIGHT 1413mm
WHEELBASE 2690mm
KERB WEIGHT 1555kg
TURNING CIRCLE 10.9m
BUYING IT
PRICE INCL. COE To be announced
WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km
WE SAY
+ Minimalist cabin, surprisingly competent dynamics, superb cruising refinement
– Keen drivers might find still it a little too soft, adaptive suspension is optional
