Compare the2024 BMW 2 Series Gran CoupeVS 2025 Kia K4

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The K4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The K4 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The K4 doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The K4 doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the K4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard Cross Traffic Warning, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the K4 LXS/EX/GT-Line offers Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard BMW Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The K4 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the 2 Series Gran Coupe and the K4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s corrosion warranty is 7 years and unlimited miles longer than the K4’s (12/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 2 Series Gran Coupe for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the K4.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the 2 Series Gran Coupe first among small premium cars in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The K4 isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 1 place higher in reliability than Kia.

The 228i Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 81 more horsepower (228 vs. 147) and 126 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 132) than the K4’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The 228i Gran Coupe’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 38 more horsepower (228 vs. 190) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 195) than the K4 GT-Line Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder. The M235i xDrive Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 112 more horsepower (302 vs. 190) and 137 lbs.-ft. more torque (332 vs. 195) than the K4 GT-Line Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe is faster than the K4 GT-Line Turbo 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:

Regenerative brakes improve the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The K4 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The K4 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s brake rotors are larger than those on the K4:

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the K4 are solid, not vented.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe stops much shorter than the K4:

For better traction, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has larger standard tires than the K4 (225/45R17 vs. 205/55R16).

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the K4 LX/LXS’ standard 55 series tires. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the K4 GT-Line’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the K4 LX/LXS. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the K4 GT-Line.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the 2 Series Gran Coupe can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The K4 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

For superior ride and handling, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The K4 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The K4’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the 2 Series Gran Coupe flat and controlled during cornering. The K4 base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The K4’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The M235i xDrive Gran Coupe handles at .91 G’s, while the K4 GT-Line Turbo pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The M235i xDrive Gran Coupe executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the K4 GT-Line Turbo (25.8 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 26.6 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

The 2 Series Gran Coupe is 6.9 inches shorter than the K4, making the 2 Series Gran Coupe easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has a larger trunk than the K4 (15.1 vs. 14.6 cubic feet).

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The K4’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the 2 Series Gran offers cargo security. The K4’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The K4 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The K4 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The K4’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the K4 EX/GT-Line’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The K4’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the 2 Series Gran Coupe offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The K4 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The K4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and Kia K4 offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The 2 Series Gran Coupe features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the K4’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the K4 EX/GT-Line.

Both the 2 Series Gran Coupe and the K4 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The K4 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, based on reliability, safety and performance.