The late Paul Walker was introduced in Furious 7 with a close-up of his face. He's behind the wheel in his signature Vans shoes on the gas and staring at the road ahead with intensity.
For a moment we are led to believe that the next shot will show him speeding away in his Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R but no. The vehicle Paul pilots is a minivan and he's on a mission to drop his son off at school instead of smoking an old man in a Ferrari 355 Spyder. "You'll get used to this," says the teacher taking his son from the vehicle, to which he responds, "That's what I'm afraid of."
Our love for cars that are fun and fast runs deep but it's inevitable that we too will one day find ourselves in a similar situation. That leaves us thinking. What sort of family hauler will drivers like us want that still offers a decent driving experience? Those questions were answered when we met the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer.Up close and Personal
The Gran is the second Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) offered by the Bavarian marque following its foray into family mobility requirements with the Active Tourer. While its not drop dead gorgeous (not quite the priority for an MPV anyway), the Gran's precise lines leave it with a stretched look and particularly dynamic flavour.
It also sports a similar elegant appearance as the Active but is longer and taller (an extra 120mm between the wheels and a further 90mm in the boot) with room for two more occupants in the third row. Apart from that, the well-built and generously appointed cabin shares the same design language as the Active and the X1.
Room in the third row may be a little cramp for adults and not very easy to access but will do the trick for children. There is one tiny problem, though. Passengers in that last bench may not be too happy about the lack of dedicated air-conditioning vents, especially on longer journeys.
BMW makes up for this with an ample amount of storage space. Boot space, as we expected, is bountiful. To fully maximise this, a few simple flicks will fold both the second and third row neatly away - increasing the storage capacity from 550 litres to 1,820 litres.
The Drive
Apart from the slightly intrusive diesel murmur (distinctly louder than that in the Citroen C4 Picasso), the Gran drives well enough to attract the rest of the Bavarian loyals.
The 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged motor pulls strong from the get go and its 116bhp and 270Nm or torque will haul the MPV around town without much fuss. Part of the powertrain's success comes from the astutely tuned six-speed automatic transmission, which smoothens out the power delivery.BMW has proven that its less sporty offerings are just as fun behind the wheel and the Gran reiterates this fact. Seating position is noticeably driver-focused and surprisingly low for a car like this. Moreover, the car's responsive steering allows you to push confidently through corners.
Apart from the slightly intrusive diesel murmur (distinctly louder than that in the Citroen C4 Picasso), the Gran drives well enough to attract the rest of the Bavarian loyals.
The 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged motor pulls strong from the get go and its 116bhp and 270Nm or torque will haul the MPV around town without much fuss. Part of the powertrain's success comes from the astutely tuned six-speed automatic transmission, which smoothens out the power delivery.BMW has proven that its less sporty offerings are just as fun behind the wheel and the Gran reiterates this fact. Seating position is noticeably driver-focused and surprisingly low for a car like this. Moreover, the car's responsive steering allows you to push confidently through corners.
Although the car takes on twists and turns with gusto thanks to a chassis that is tuned for agile handling, there is a little more body roll than the Active and it doesn't feel as tight. But given the dimensions of the car - it's forgivable.
Dynamics aside, the Gran rides compliantly and there is not much wind or road noise that echoes through to the cabin.
Conclusion
With a tag of $162,800 (as of 22nd January 2016), the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer falls under a category of cars that we have affectionately named - Decently Sized and Reasonably Priced.
But more importantly, is it the sort of car that we as motoring enthusiast dads would be happy to own? We don't see why not. "What do you say? Parking-brake slide right up to the school?"
