Stretching 179 inches long, 70 inches wide and 63 inches tall, the 2 Series Gran Tourer rides on the same front-wheel drive UKL platform as the aforementioned Active Tourer, the MINI Hardtop and the next X1 crossover. As expected, the Gran Tourer looks similar to its five-seater sibling from the tip of the front bumper to the B-pillar. Beyond that, it gains a stretched wheelbase and a noticeably longer rear overhang that frees up additional space in the cockpit.
In Germany, the Gran Tourer inaugurates an application called myKIDIO that keeps kids entertained on-the-go by providing age-appropriate content such as movies, TV shows and audio books. The application is designed for tablets such as iPads but it can be controlled by the front passengers using the iDrive Controlled and the Control Display. Additionally, myKIDIO features a BMW Kids Cockpit that provides information such as the outside temperature and the speed in a simple and fun way. Notably, Kids Cockpit puts an end to the age-old “are we there yet?” question by providing youngsters with the time and the estimated time of arrival.
Trunk space checks in at 22 cubic feet with five occupants on board. Sliding the rear bench forward bumps that figure up to 28, and folding the bench flat into the floor clear up 67 cubic feet. Gran Tourers equipped with the optional third row of seats boast a respectable 19.7 cubic feet of cargo space while carrying seven passengers.
Mechanically, the Gran Tourer is nearly identical to the Active Tourer. It is available with five downsized engines including both gas- and diesel-burning variants of BMW’s ubiquitous 1.5-liter three-cylinder, a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 192 horsepower and a 150-horsepower 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-banger. Both the 220i and the 220d can reach 62 mph from a stop in 7.6 seconds, while the fuel efficiency champ of the lineup is the 216d that returns over 56 mpg in a mixed European cycle.
Power is sent to the front wheels via a standard six-speed manual transmission regardless of which engine is chosen. The three-cylinder engines can be linked to a six-speed Steptronic gearbox at an extra cost, and the four-cylinders can be ordered with an optional eight-speed automatic. Similarly, the top-spec 190-horsepower turbodiesel engine is paired BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system.
After greeting the show-going public in Geneva, the 2015 BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer will go on sale across Europe next fall. Whether or not the people-mover will be sold in the United States is up in the air.
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