The BMW Serie 2 receives a restyle that updates its styling, technology and equipment

We have to thank BMW for continuing to sell a sports coupé that is as pure as possible, the Serie 2, a model that in its latest generation has reached the midpoint of its cycle, so it is time for it to receive a small restyle — and when we say small, we mean small, because you will need a well-trained eye to notice the changes.

At least in terms of styling, an area where BMW puts its sportier face forward from the entry-level version of the range, something they achieve by including as standard the M Sport trim. This translates into chrome accents on the grille, body-coloured side skirts and a gloss black trim on the rear diffuser; and then there is the M240i xDrive, which as the step just below the M2 has styling closer to that of its bigger brother.

BMW will offer the Serie 2 bodywork in a palette of two solid colours and seven metallic finishes, and it can also be painted in Fire Red and Skyscraper Grey, both metallic and available for this model for the first time. The M240i xDrive also debuts an exclusive colour, Zandvoort Blue. As standard it features 18-inch M alloy wheels, which can be swapped for 19-inch wheels with new M or BMW Individual designs in various finishes.

Inside the new BMW Serie 2 there are not many major changes either, and they follow the line of the other restyles the brand has applied over recent months to the rest of its models. Most of them centre on the BMW Curve Display system, made up of a 12.3-inch screen for the instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch screen for the infotainment system, with which we can operate more functions by eliminating the corresponding buttons from the centre console.

There are other interior changes that we could consider minor, such as the introduction of new cascading LED ambient lighting integrated into the air vents on the dashboard. There is also a new M leather steering wheel with a sporty design, flattened at the bottom and with a new layout for the central spokes; new M Performtex seats with innovative velvet upholstery, or the new range of optional trims available for the interior, in finishes ranging from fine wood to carbon fibre.

The BMW Serie mechanical range will consist, on the diesel side, of a single option, reserved for the 220d with 48 V mild-hybrid technology, which provides 11 extra CV on top of the 190 CV this engine delivers. The important petrol engines are led by the entry version, the 218i with 156 CV, followed by the 220i at 184 CV; then jumping to the 330i, where things get serious with 245 CV, leading to the top rung below an M2, the M240i xDrive, which sets its power at 374 CV with its six-cylinder in-line engine and 3,000 cc. All versions share the 8-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox and the M sport suspension.

Technical specifications of this car

SedanBMW Serie 218 versions · from 38,650 €