Not long ago, E-NCAP, the European new car safety evaluation agency, announced the results of the first batch of safety crash tests in 2022. Seven models were tested, including the Renault Mégane E-Tech, Lexus NX, Volkswagen Taigo, Volkswagen ID.5, Ford Toureo Connect and BMW 2 Series. What is somewhat surprising is that from the results, only the BMW 2 Series of 7 cars failed to receive 5-star reviews, and the total rating was only 4 stars.
In fact, from the detailed evaluation report content, it can be seen that the BMW 2 Series has done a good job in the crew protection and child protection links, and the gap between the horizontal and other models tested together is not large, and the scoring rate is above 80%, which is at the same level for several years. At the same time, the AEB system has shown good performance in the same direction test of pedestrians and cars. The real points that allowed it to be deducted points were in the scene where pedestrians crossed sideways and turned at intersections encountered pedestrians and bicycles, and the two test items received only passing and insufficient evaluations. This also greatly lowered the average score, and the final evaluation only received 4 stars.
In fact, all of this can be avoided, but it is necessary to solve the problem through money. The original 2 series car is not equipped with any active safety functions, such as lane departure warning, parallel assist, active braking, etc. all need to be added to the optional. This practice has been seen in many luxury brand car companies. Most of the active safety configurations only appear on the top models, and some medium or low-end models need to add money to select, and some even do not have the qualifications for optional. On the contrary, more and more models now have an L2-level assisted driving system at the factory, which is more helpful for daily driving safety.
The BMW 2 Series was officially introduced to China at the Guangzhou Auto Show last year. In terms of appearance, the two-door coupe design is adopted, and the front face double kidney type grille does not release itself like the 4 series, and the size is relatively moderate. The headlights on both sides have been redesigned, and the daytime running lights have a high degree of recognition.
Due to the longitudinal rear-drive structure, the front of the car appears very slender, and with the low-lying body and the smooth waist line running through the front and rear, the taste of the coupe is very prominent. It is worth mentioning that the borderless doors are still retained. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the car are 4537*1838*1390mm, and the wheelbase is 2741mm.
In the interior part, the new 2 series continues the BMW family design language, and the overall shape becomes more concise and modern. The 12.3-inch full LCD instrument is equipped with a 10.25-inch suspension central control screen, equipped with BMW iDrive 7.0 entertainment system, supports Apple CarPlay, and creates a scientific and technological atmosphere in place. The large aluminium metal trim looks younger.
The all-in-one sports seats in the front row are not only more visually brilliant, but also have a better sense of wrapping, providing better lateral support when driving intensely.
In terms of power, since only the 225i has been introduced in China, the 2.0T four-cylinder engine that will be equipped is low power, with a maximum horsepower of 184 horses, a peak torque of 300 Nm, and a transmission system matching an 8AT gearbox.
summary
Overall, the BMW 2 Series failed to achieve a 5-star rating more because of the lack of necessary active safety hardware, but this is not an excuse for poor performance. On the contrary, a luxury brand model that is not cheap, the active safety configuration actually needs to be optional, it is inevitably too stingy.