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BMW Modifies 2 Series Naming Scheme

by Frédérick Boucher-Gaulin
BMW 2 Series
Photo: Jeremy Alan Glover

A short while ago, the nameplate strategy at BMW was pretty simple: the first number represented the Series, while the two other numbers indicated the car’s displacement. For example, the 318 was a 3 Series with a 1.8-litre engine, while the 328 had a 2.8-litre inline six.

Things are a little more complex nowadays. While the hierarchy is maintained (the 2 Series is smaller than the 3 Series, and both are dwarfed by the 5 and 7 Series), the rest of the numbers don’t mean much: the 328i has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit, the 335i has a 3.0-litre engine and the 340i has the same 3.0L inline-six, but with more power.

And it’s about to get even more complicated: for 2017, the 2 Series (as well as the 1 Series, which isn’t sold on our market) receives some modifications under the hood and new names.

The four-cylinder variant formerly known as the 228i will henceforth answer to 230i. It has a turbocharged engine displacing 2.0 litres and pumps out 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, an increase of seven horsepower compared to last year. The six-cylinder version is now named M240i—instead of M235i—and develops 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, which is 13 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque more than last year.

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