• Features BMW’s latest dual-screen dashboard
• Infotainment system packed with features
• Sober colour scheme

How is the quality and layout?

The BMW 2 Series’ dashboard is lifted pretty much wholesale from the bigger 3 Series and 4 Series, which it shares a lot of hardware with. A huge sweep of display screens dominates the interior. They’re divided into a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display. (Pre-update, there were two separate screens.)

There’s a row of air vents below the central screen, a further row of shortcut buttons below the vents and a lidded storage space below the buttons. The latest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment controller is on the centre console.

12

The ergonomics work brilliantly, but everything looks decidedly business-like, even austere. That’s rather at odds with the sporty exterior styling. There are some flashes of colour, but they don’t do much to lift the sober mood. Quality is first-rate, though. Everything you touch regularly feels pleasant and the interior is very solidly put together.

Infotainment and tech

The latest 2 Series models come with BMW’s dual-screen display that’s split into the digital instrument panel (12.3in) and infotainment system (14.9in). The driver’s display has several pre-set configurations, or you can create your own. The infotainment display is a touchscreen, or you can use the iDrive controller to navigate it.

It all looks very impressive. The colour palette’s dark but the graphics are pin-sharp and both screens are packed with features. Perhaps too many – the menus are chock-a-block with quite small icons, which can make it difficult to pick out the thing you want. You could always use the voice control, but it didn’t understand all our testers.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity feature. iPhone users can unlock the car with their phone, Amazon Alexa is built in into the infotainment, as well. Other features include two-zone climate control, multi-colour ambient lighting, and satnav.

12

Comfort

• Not the most forgiving…
• …but fine for a sports car
• Firm, supportive seats

The front seats in the 2 Series are certainly firm – they always are in sporty cars – but provide good support. It’s a similar story in the back, though those seats provide less lateral support. You don’t exactly relax into either pair of seats, but they’re unlikely to generate any aches or pains. Crucially, you don’t feel like you’re falling out of the seats during spirited driving, which is crucial in a car like this.