BMW has been adding its fancy new giant screens, which it calls ‘Curved Display’, to the interiors of its vehicles at a startling pace. After the 2023MY 3-Series and M3, the 2 Series also gets the piece of technology, despite debuting less than a year ago. BMW Germany’s configurator now shows the updated 2 Series, which comes with a massive screen that combines both the instrument cluster and the infotainment screen into a single unit running BMW’s latest infotainment software, iDrive 8.
Although they look like a single screen,
the system is actually made up of two displays that are 12.3-inches across
behind the steering wheel and 14.9-inches between the front seat passengers.
Although the instrument cluster is the same size as it was in the system shown
when the vehicle was launched in the summer of 2021, the infotainment side of
the unit was previously much smaller at 10.25 inches. In Europe, the least
expensive models could also previously be equipped with a bargain-basement
infotainment system that featured a 5.1-inch instrument display and an 8.8-inch
infotainment screen. That option can no longer be found on the German
configurator.
First discovered by Bimmer Today, the
configurator also appears to suggest that the new infotainment setup will also
raise the price of the car. In April, the BMW 220i started at € 40,700 (US$ 43,694), whereas it now starts at € 42,800 (US$ 45,948), which is a significant
price hike, though you do get the standard Curved Display and iDrive8. Plus,
BMW has introduced a new base model in Europe, the 218i Coupe that in Germany,
starts from € 39,400 (US$ 42,298).
The 218i and 220i are both powered by a
turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that makes 154 hp in the
former and 181 hp in the latter. There’s also a 188 hp diesel 220d and a 241 hp 230i, both sporting a
2.0-liter turbo four. The M240i is powered by a 3.0-liter
inline-six that makes 382 hp. The 2022 BMW 2 Series debuted in
July 2021, to mixed reception, at least in regards to its styling. The new
design divided opinions but the performance should be more than acceptable.
