Small wonder

IT has BMW's familiar 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood but in a brand new body that is small, sleek and fun to drive. The BMW 220i takes over from the old 1 Series Coupe in a renaming exercise that is in line with the German luxury carmaker's philosophy of using odd numbers for sedan models, and even numbers for two-door or coupe-like bodystyles. The 2 Series is a completely new development with an extended body and longer wheelbase to make it long and lithe compared with the shorter and stubbier squarish 1 Series Coupe.

As a result, this sparkling super-compact coupe looks more like a proper - albeit somewhat downsized - two-door model, rather than the cuter and dinkier 1 Series Coupe. It may not be long (4,432 mm) but its profile is sleeker.

The 2 Series shares its platform with the current BMW 1 Series hatchback, with the same 2,690 mm wheelbase (up 30 mm from the previous car) but overall, it is 72 mm longer.