The F44 Gran Coupé was BMW's answer to the Mercedes CLA in 2019: a four-door saloon with a low-falling roof and frameless doors, driving its front wheels. It shares its platform and mechanicals with the 1 Series F40; with the F22 2 Series Coupé, which wears the same number and drives its rear wheels, it has nothing in common.
That shared badge is the most expensive source of error here. At BMW, "2 Series" says nothing about platform, and an F22 and an F44 share only the digit.
The frameless doors are the component that counts. The glass drops a fraction as the door opens and only rises once it is shut. Behind that sit dedicated glass runs, dedicated seals and a dedicated window controller, so a door from an F40 will not do. Its successor the F74 abandoned the arrangement in 2024.
The range topped out with the M235i xDrive, a two-litre turbo with 306 hp, which brings its own bumpers and tailpipes but stands on the same metal. Aprons, mirrors, trim strips and front wings are what reaches us from this model.
