[p912guy]

This article from CarBuzz seems to give some hope to those of us who love a 2 Series with the top down. Is this just wishful thinking or could it be reality?

https://carbuzz.com/news/get-ready-f...-series-models

[Ron Jeffries]

it's their only chance to sell me a new car. not sure that's enough incentive ...

[MikeT]

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but that article seems to be coming at it from the perspective of "of course there'll be a 'vert, so take a look at our lovely render." That's quite different from actual news or even rumors along the lines of "our sources in Munich say that there'll be a 'vert after all."

I would note that camo-d M2s have already been on the road, and that car is probably a good 16 months away from production. If a G42-derived 'vert were planned for anytime soon, it seems to me that it would have shown up for road testing by now. Not to say that it can't happen for 2024 or something, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm guessing that the powers that be in Munich have decided that the 4-series vert and the Z4 are enough.

[p912guy]

Originally Posted by MikeT

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but that article seems to be coming at it from the perspective of "of course there'll be a 'vert, so take a look at our lovely render." That's quite different from actual news or even rumors along the lines of "our sources in Munich say that there'll be a 'vert after all."

I would note that camo-d M2s have already been on the road, and that car is probably a good 16 months away from production. If a G42-derived 'vert were planned for anytime soon, it seems to me that it would have shown up for road testing by now. Not to say that it can't happen for 2024 or something, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm guessing that the powers that be in Munich have decided that the 4-series vert and the Z4 are enough.

I tend to agree with your assessment. I just threw it out there to see if anyone else had any input on the subject. I'd be very surprised if it came to be. CarBuzz is fun to look at but perpetually loaded with "click bait".

[harma24]

It seems to me like the article was written by someone who hasn't heard that BMW has already announced the 2-series convertible has gone the way of the dodo. Unfortunately, the only way you're going to get a new topless 2-series moving forward is if you take a Sawzall to it.

[Ajowhan]

It's discontinued, it wouldn't be back anytime soon for sure. Gotta let it goo

[Ugly Kar]

It won't be coming back. The 2 is already a very niche car and my bet is they can't make a convertible profitably.

It's too bad BMW has never carved out a big market for the 2, but it's always been in the shadow of the 3. Maybe they don't want too because it would cannibalize too many 3 sales.

[MikeT]

Originally Posted by Ugly Kar

It's too bad BMW has never carved out a big market for the 2, but it's always been in the shadow of the 3. Maybe they don't want too because it would cannibalize too many 3 sales.

Why didn't the F22/F23 sell better than it did? Yes, I think it was very much in the shadow of the 3-series, and let's face it, it was priced very similarly. Chances are if someone walked onto a dealer lot a few years back and came upon a 228/230 coupe, it was likely a fairly loaded car in the 40k range... right where the 320s and 330s were. Heck, you probably had a fairly decent chance of finding a 3-series on the lot for less money. IMO, pricing and the general public's drift away from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers were the two biggest factors limiting the market for the 2-series.

With that said, as I've often mentioned on threads on this board about "how often do you see another 2-series?", where I live (San Francisco) this car has actually sold quite well. I see these cars all over town every day. I have to assume that I'm likely living in the 2-coupe's #1 market worldwide. Now, why has the car had more success here? I think it goes to the two factors that I mentioned. Pricing is perhaps less of an issue because you have a lot of people making good money in fields like tech. And, well, good luck finding a parking place for your full-size SUV on the streets of San Francisco. I'm serious about that. Having a large vehicle is a total PITA in this town. You might have a parking space at your house or apartment garage, but let's say you're out and about doing errands, having a smaller vehicle opens up a lot more options for parking spaces. I'd imagine that this town is also a leading market for vehicles like Mini Cooper, Fiat 500 etc.

[freakystyly]

Originally Posted by MikeT

IMO, pricing and the general public's drift away from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers were the two biggest factors limiting the market for the 2-series.

Calling it right now, X2 convertible for 2024.

Sorry if anyone just ate before seeing this...

Yeah there's a good amount of 2 series where I am too. I see them a lot more than 5, 6, 7, 8 series cars anyways. Maybe I'm just noticing them a lot more since buying one.

Mercedes is also coming out with more convertibles, it wouldn't be wise to abandon them quite yet.

[harma24]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Calling it right now, X2 convertible for 2024.

Sorry if anyone just ate before seeing this...

I'd never seen that thing before. Talk about fugly. Yikes. Somebody though that thing was a good idea?!? Hope they were fired!

[TAZ007]

Originally Posted by harma24

I'd never seen that thing before. Talk about fugly. Yikes. Somebody though that thing was a good idea?!? Hope they were fired!

If you think it is ugly in pictures, you should have seen it in real life. Fugly went to Coyote Ugly.

[VAcurler]

they will either need a 2 seater convertible or make the 2 series a convertible if they want to compete with Mercedes up and down the lineup. Unfortunately I can't see them offering a car with 3 pedals

[SteveinArizona]

Consumer Reports just did a piece on the new 2 series and they reported...no convertible.

But they did praise the car including:

"For those who cringed at the polarizing grille introduced on the 4 Series coupe, the 2 Series will be a refreshing departure. Its grille doesn’t resemble part of a baboon’s anatomy. But gone is the conservatively styled 2 Series of yore (or the 1 Series before it). The redesigned compact coupe appears to have gone to the gym, and its sheet metal ripples with bulges, creases, and various aerodynamic vents.

The increase in size serves a practical purpose, though, boosting passenger room and increasing the track width and wheelbase, presumably for a better ride and handling. And it’s really only a few inches longer and wider than the outgoing model."

[freakystyly]

Just brainstorming here but I think an electric power plant would make a great convertible (the first one?). Skateboard style with a "frunk" for missing trunk space due to the soft / hard top. Added rigidity and lower center of gravity to reduce body roll due to well.. battery mass. EVs are great for a 2nd or 3rd vehicle, why not a fun convertible?

I forgot about the O.G. Tesla roadster, but that's hardly mass production.

Kind of wondering why there aren't many yet.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Just brainstorming here but I think an electric power plant would make a great convertible (the first one?). Skateboard style with a "frunk" for missing trunk space due to the soft / hard top. Added rigidity and lower center of gravity to reduce body roll due to well.. battery mass. EVs are great for a 2nd or 3rd vehicle, why not a fun convertible?

I forgot about the O.G. Tesla roadster, but that's hardly mass production.

Kind of wondering why there aren't many yet.

I think we're going to continue to see a wide divergence between those who unequivocally embrace electric propulsion as a principal means of forward progress and those who choose to continue hanging on to previous means of movement.

I'm among the latter, if only because I'm at an age where I'm sure I can continue enjoying my ICE vehicle until I'm no longer here to enjoy it. Mind you, and especially if you're environmentally-oriented (as I am), I do not drive it much.

Although I won't be around to watch the ICE-to-electric transition, I expect:

It will be remarkably interesting, in an engineering sense (it is too bad so many Americans cannot appreciate these sorts of major transformations),

It will be entertaining (what isn't these days when more than three people refuse to agree on anything ), and,

That we as a society and species will continue along the path we've already set out for ourselves. That path being that we get better and better at what we're good at, and we don't improve a whole lot at what we're not good at.

In that context...big picture-wise...what's new.

Sorry to be so philosophical, but...you know, there's a time for it, right.

[freakystyly]

I'm not really a luddite myself, but I still don't care for turbo engines (not much choice but to embrace them now), automatic transmissions and even useless screens in cars. I just want something that is simple and engaging to drive.

I'm just hoping that a fun to drive car will still be on the market (and affordable) in the not too distant future and not minivan sized that these "sport compact" cars are becoming.

Being in Canada and having a convertible usually means it's a 2nd or third car, I may see one or two during the winter months but it's rare.

[VAcurler]

I wasn't a turbo kind of guy until I moved to Denver. Driving in the mountains above 10k feet my poor 328i 3.0 NA couldn't keep up with the kids and their turbo charged 2 liter engines.

[Ron Jeffries]

With the BMW 6 there's not much not to like about a turbo engine. torque from low right across, lots of power. responsive. My F23 keeps satisfying me, wet or dry hot or cold. I can't find anything I'd switch to, and I keep looking ...

[msej449]

Could We See The New 2 Series In A Convertible Someday?

We already can - it's the M440i Convertible.

If you look at the M440 xDrive Convertible, then the new M240i is pretty much its coupé match, given the usual weight difference between a coupé vs convertible.

The new car shouldn't be called a 2 Series at all. I'm not saying that BMW can't do what they want with the model numbering - it's up to them. But the new car isn't a 2 on the basis of the main physical metrics.

I'm not saying it's a bad car, just that it's evolved to the point where it's what I regard as a 3 Series in terms of bulk, with the 3 already having grown to the size of the previous-generation 5. I've spent the last 10 years trading-down from a 5 to a 3 to a 2 Series and one reason is that with the kids grown up, I like the smaller size of my M235i and don't want anything bigger. There's now nothing in the BMW range to match the F22/F23, so if I ever want an exact equivalent replacement, it'll have to come from elsewhere.

[JWR]

Originally Posted by MikeT

Why didn't the F22/F23 sell better than it did? Yes, I think it was very much in the shadow of the 3-series, and let's face it, it was priced very similarly. Chances are if someone walked onto a dealer lot a few years back and came upon a 228/230 coupe, it was likely a fairly loaded car in the 40k range... right where the 320s and 330s were. Heck, you probably had a fairly decent chance of finding a 3-series on the lot for less money. IMO, pricing and the general public's drift away from passenger cars to SUVs and crossovers were the two biggest factors limiting the market for the 2-series.

With that said, as I've often mentioned on threads on this board about "how often do you see another 2-series?", where I live (San Francisco) this car has actually sold quite well. I see these cars all over town every day. I have to assume that I'm likely living in the 2-coupe's #1 market worldwide. Now, why has the car had more success here? I think it goes to the two factors that I mentioned. Pricing is perhaps less of an issue because you have a lot of people making good money in fields like tech. And, well, good luck finding a parking place for your full-size SUV on the streets of San Francisco. I'm serious about that. Having a large vehicle is a total PITA in this town. You might have a parking space at your house or apartment garage, but let's say you're out and about doing errands, having a smaller vehicle opens up a lot more options for parking spaces. I'd imagine that this town is also a leading market for vehicles like Mini Cooper, Fiat 500 etc.

The 2-series is a driver’s car and there are less and less people interested in driving every year.

[morphomeman]

Size inflation has been a BMW hallmark for the last 20 years or more. The current 3 is the size of an older 5, and similarly for the 2 and 3. Exactly why this is is a bit of a mystery to me, but BMW is in the business of making money, so management must have some data that leads it to believe that this is the right strategy for doing so.
That said, I agree that the new 2 is not a great departure from the first generation, for which we should be grateful.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

Size inflation has been a BMW hallmark for the last 20 years or more. The current 3 is the size of an older 5, and similarly for the 2 and 3. Exactly why this is is a bit of a mystery to me, but BMW is in the business of making money, so management must have some data that leads it to believe that this is the right strategy for doing so.
That said, I agree that the new 2 is not a great departure from the first generation, for which we should be grateful.

Except in one dimension, my former M6 was smaller than my current M240i. The M6 was an E24 (aka The Shark), so it had the E24's extended nose and bumper, making it longer than the M240i.