BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe F74

Is the new BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe F74 a major upgrade from its predecessor? Is the front-wheel-drive Bimmer sedan actually improved? Or did BMW fail to address the flaws in the F44? What will BMW purists say now that the F44 has been rehashed? Will they give the F74 the same flak that they gave the F44? We don’t know the answers yet, but the time is almost here for us to find out.

2025 BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe

Starting at 37,100 Euros plus additional costs, the BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe F74 is still the 2-Series most speedo boys may not like, but it's pointed squarely at the Audi A3 sedan. You can refer to it as a 1-Series with a liftback, but just like today's 1-Series it was based on, the F74 2-Series Gran Coupe also uses BMW's new naming policy where all petrol-powered BMW models will ditch the letter "i" at the end of the trim name because the letter "i" is officially exclusive to all-electric models such as the i4, the i5, and the i7.

2025 BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe

The design of the F74 2-Series Gran Coupe features a sharper front face than its predecessor. It also has rear lamps shaped like those from the Nissan Skyline V37, but the side view remains the same as the previous model. Purists who dislike that this is a front-wheel-drive car with bits from today's Mini may not be happy to see it again, but the front grille of this Bimmer can be configured to either weird or weirder, if that's what you are into.

The revised interior features the new dashboard and center console, including a 10.25-inch digital instrument display and a 10.7-inch infotainment touchscreen powered by the latest Android-based BMW Operating System 9. Although more user-friendly than the previous model, some would have a hard time mastering it, just like a newly bought smartphone with advanced features. As for space and comfort, it accommodates up to five people. Boot space is good for 430 liters, the same as before.

What features does the 2025 BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe have? Like the F44 predecessor, the F74 2-Series Gran Coupe still runs on the front-wheel-drive FAAR platform, making it mild on the corners and easy to drive everywhere.

As told earlier, it ditches the “i” lettering at the end of the trim name for petrol-powered models, while the “d” for diesel and “e” for PHEV models remain. There’s no PHEV model for now. Only the 1.5L petrol and the 2.0L diesel are available in this model with various configurations.

The range-topper of the F74 is the M235 with 300PS of power and 400Nm of torque. With the available xDrive all-wheel-drive system, it does 0-100kph in 4.9 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250kph. This is your go-to hot compact sedan worthy of redemption from its purist-unfriendly platform.

As for safety, the new 2-Series Gran Coupe has the Driving Assistant package and Parking Assist with a reversing assist that is now part of the standard specification. Customers can opt for the Driving Assistant Professional, which adds adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centering assist, and speed limit assist, while the Parking Assist Professional enables remote park assist.

With the F74 model, BMW's other worst offender just got slightly improved for better and for worse.

Photo: BMW AG