In January this year, BMW India introduced the petrol-powered 2 Series Gran Coupe. That was the 220i M Sport, with a sticker price of Rs 40.9 lakh. Now, however, you can have the same powertrain at Rs 3 lakh less. How? That’s courtesy of the newly introduced variant – the 220i Sport. With an ex-showroom price of Rs 37.9 lakh, it becomes the most affordable derivative in the 2 Series Gran Coupe range.

Since we’ve already touched upon the propulsion system, let’s start the unravelling process from there. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that puts out 189bhp/280Nm. The oomph is channelled to the front wheels via a 7-speed automatic transmission. With that setup, the car can hit 100kmph from a standstill in 7.1 seconds and reach 240kmph at full stretch. As for the claimed mileage, that’s 14.82kmpl.

No points for guessing – the price difference between the Sport and M Sport trim levels is due to their respective list of features. The 220i Sport offers stuff like automatic LED headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, two-zone climate control, cruise control, ambient lighting and an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system mated to a 6-speaker 100-watt sound system. What it misses out on are features such as a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless mobile charging, a 10-speaker 205-watt sound system, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and LED fog lamps.

As far as the list of safety gizmos goes, that’s identical for both variants in comparison. It includes six airbags, Dynamic Stability Control with Dynamic Traction Control and Electronic Differential Lock Control, tyre pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX anchorages for child booster seats and Cornering Brake Control.

At the moment, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t have a direct rival in India. That, however, will change tomorrow when Mercedes-Benz launches the A-Class Limousine. Other cars with a premium badge in the same price bracket include the Mini Countryman, Audi Q2 and the Volvo XC40.