BMW 220i M Sport Gran Coupe (India Spec)

Note: This review is for "India Spec" version only. There are quite a few features not present in Indian version due to high import cost and taxes, hence please read the review in that context.

I purchased the BMW 220i M Sport Gran Coupé in Sep 2022. It was a long 1-year search that finally ended with this car. This is relatively a newer model and I could not find many ownership reviews on the internet before I made the decision hence, I am sharing my initial impressions to help others who are considering this model. The other alternative I considered was the Mercedes A200 but finally, the BMW with a better engine and driving dynamics won over the fancy interiors of Mercedes A200.

I have completed 4,000 km in last three months, which included a return trip between Bangalore & Goa. I am sharing my short-term ownership review here; a more detailed review will come through post six months.

I will break my review into different sections:

What I love (this is a long list, and that’s good news):

1. It's a BMW! The aspirational value of this brand is amazing; the car gets a lot of attention on the road, even while it is parked.
2. Super refined, powerful engine for its size and weight. The engine is super quiet at slow city speeds and growls well at higher RPMs in Sports mode with paddle shifters which is music to the ears.
3. An inline 4 cylinder, 2 ltr. 190 HP engine with 280 NM torque, dual-clutch and twin-powered turbo delivering 0-100 in 7 seconds make it a rocket that’s faster than many EVs available in India.
4. 220i shares the same petrol engine with its longer and heavier 3 series sibling, making the 2 series 1 second faster in 0-100 run.
5. Turbo kicks in at as low as 1350 rpm and the automatic gearbox keeps the car in the right gear at all times.
6. Highly aerodynamic, road-hugging, bottom-heavy, coupé styling, sports car-like seating and handling generate confidence at high speeds. The car remains completely stable and grounded at high speeds.
7. 5-star rated safety with plenty of safety features.
8. Launch control with paddle shifters in sports plus manual mode make this car fun to drive.
9. Run flat tires are an added safety, though they give it a firm ride and are expensive to replace, but I still love the confidence they give me when driving in lonely places
10. Ambient lighting is subtle and not distracting. For more sensitive eyes, the brightness can even be reduced, and the infotainment screen can be switched off.
11. Love the sports seats, the adjustable side padding holds the body in place during high-speed manoeuvres, though the seats are more comfortable for people with lean body frames.
12. The car cocoons itself around you, some might find cramped but I prefer it this way since the car tightly hugs you which ultimately inspires confidence. It is like the comfort of wearing a right-sized, tightly snugging sports shoe vs the feeling of emptiness when you wear a shoe that's two sizes above what you need. An analogy to explain how I personally feel in a Coupé vs an SUV. That's my preference; others may prefer it differently.
13. Wireless Android auto and Car play work well without a glitch
14. Ten touch-sensitive memory buttons which can store favourite functions/settings and not just radio stations.
15. Automatic reverse assistant, this is not just a marketing gimmick, I use it every day to take out the car from my parking lot automatically, hands-free with touch of a button.
16. Auto Park takes complete autonomous control of the car including forward, reverse, brake, accelerator etc. Always perfect in both parallel and perpendicular parking.
17. Large panoramic sunroof. I keep the blind open to let in the light, but for safety, I never open the sunroof itself.
18. Feature-rich infotainment system, lots of hidden tips and tricks available on the internet. The screen display is sharp and crisp. Display of on board maps both in driver display and on infotainment system is helpful.
19. Powerful LED headlamps, LED tail lamps and LED fog lamps. The projection of the BMW logo from the driver-side rear-view mirror is another party trick.
20. High-quality soft-touch interiors.
21. Feels very well built; everything you touch is of high-quality leather, and plastic, soft touch, and appears well put together.
22. Key-based recognition of drivers, including the welcoming function, is a boon for me and my wife with both of us having different driving positions. Preference of seat position, ORVM position, radio station, AC settings and ambient lighting colour can all be set as per driver preference, all these settings change depending on the key fob used.
23. Rear camera is sharp & provides good clarity in low light conditions; automatic emergency breaking upon detecting collision is beneficial and has already avoided a collision or two.
24. You can flaunt rimless doors all the time; the trick never fails to get you attention.
25. Gesture controls, auxiliary ventilation, journey data, driving behaviour analysis, and coffee break reminders (analysis-based and not just timer based) are a good addition.
26. Key fob is attractive with M badging.

What could improve, but I am really nit-picking here:

1. Strangely, there is no dedicated button in the car to open the boot lid, I need to use the button in the key fob, which works only after pressing P on the gear lever. Every time I enter a mall and the security needs to check the boot; it is a mini procedure in itself.
2. Light buttons on the right side of the dashboard are an ergonomic failure, left most buttons on the control panel hide behind the steering wheel and not visible unless I lean right, forcing me to take my eyes off road to use fog lamps.
3. Auto start stop is too sensitive for my preference and sometimes triggers even at crawling speeds. As a workaround, I keep this feature off and use it only after the car has come to a complete halt.
4. Speakers are okay and should have been better.
5. Cornering light function is a miss, though mentioned in the brochure.
6. Arm rest does not slide forward, though mentioned in the brochure, but not a big miss.

Nice to have, but can live without

1. Passenger seat memory functions.
2. Connected car features, although typically not used but good to have only to flaunt.
3. Cooled glove box
4. Ventilated seats, this would push up the cost substantially and hence I am okay with this miss.
5. Wireless charging these are often slow and hence not a big miss.
6. Keyless entry, clicking a button on the remote while walking up to the car is hardly an effort. In fact, I prefer the car to not open automatically since many a times I am closer but not ready to get into the car, and it is always safer to keep the car locked till I want it to unlock.

Not complaining about:

1. Low mileage - because this is meant to be a fun-to-drive, high-speed, sports car with a powerful engine. You can drive this car for mileage in Eco mode. But Naaah!! You will not be BMW'ing then.
2. Front wheel drive, I have seen lot of critics writing about this car not being a typical rear wheel drive BMW but trust me, you will hardly ever notice it, maybe because the weight of the car is very well balanced. I don't know for sure, but it feels like 50:50 weight distribution. If you are a car enthusiast, you will notice the difference only while launching the car using launch control, but then one doesn't always do that.

Who should not buy this car? Don't buy this car if:

1. You have a large family, and you need space, or you are well-built.
2. You lean the seat back and/or push your seats behind to the maximum. For context, I am 6-footer, and my driving style is upright with seat pulled halfway forward and hence a 6-footer sitting behind me is not a problem.
3. You need high ground clearance, or you often drive on bad roads. Do note that this car is low. Although it can manage nearly all the infamous humps of Bangalore and in my recent Bangalore-Goa trip it never under bellied, it still is a low car and you must be careful.
4. The car is not meant for senior citizens. You sit low in a sports position and hence ingress/egress could be an issue, particularly if one has medical problems in the knees because you really must get up to get out.

This is a sports coupé and needs to be respected as one, period! If you are planning to buy a car, please list down your requirements and buy a car that meets your needs. One shouldn't complain about the car that misfits because of wrong choices made at the time of purchase. For context my decision to purchase was made after an exhaustive test drive of nearly 50 kms in different driving conditions on multiple roads on different days. The purchase was made only after being thoroughly convinced about road handling manners of the car, features, comfort, driving position, power and most important after getting the feeling of oneness with the car.

I am happy with my purchase, and I have no complaints thus far.

Car dealers: Navnit Motors, Bangalore

Car detailing: H1 Bigfoot Car Detailing, Sahakar Nagar, Bangalore.