Overberg living with the BMW 220i Convertible

By Ané Theron

A luxury few of us can afford

Families don’t buy convertibles, unless they already have the sensible SUV doing most of the practical stuff. The convertible is usually reserved for footloose weekends away, when the kids are visiting Grandma for the weekend. But what if it’s your sole mode of transport? Since my fiancé had to go on a cross-country business trip in his double-cab, I had no choice but to use the Bimmer for the school run, sports matches, and a brief birthday road-trip adventure.  

Monday to Friday

The kids were not impressed with the convertible’s two doors.  Now they’d have to take turns to fold the front seat forward so one can scoot into the rear, which meant extra effort (kids today are so lazy!). As it turns out, it’s a quick and easy manual manoeuvre. My 8-year-old son complained about rear legroom, but his taller 10-year-old sister couldn’t understand why he was moaning so much, when her turn came to sit in the back.

Redesigned cockpit

The cockpit of the new 2 Series features an all-new design for the instrument panel, which is as driver-focused as any BMW-owner would like. BMW isn’t about ostentation, like Mercedes-Benz. Practicality, functionality and ergonomics are much more important to Bayerische Motoren Werke. In their opinion, nothing should distract you from the road. Yet the 220i’s interior is not dull. There are enough chrome elements, fine wood inserts and glossy surfaces to break the monotony of the dark dashboard.

Tech for the whole week

The addition of the new touch-enabled screen (if you specify BMW’s Navigation System Professional, R13 900) with Apple CarPlay, simplifies operations even further, since you can ask Siri for most things, instead of fiddling with any controls. For the duration of the week I relied on her expertise for navigation, music, making calls, and the usual commands one would give. Just don’t expect her to search for stuff online and display the results on-screen while you drive; she is not permitted to endanger your life like that.

And if you forgot your phone? Not to worry - there’s a standard integrated SIM card which enables connectivity via BMW ConnectedDrive. Up to ten devices can be linked to this in-car Wi-Fi hotspot. Thanks to Microsoft Exchange, you can also have your emails read back to you – the system’s Afrikaans sounds a lot like Danish, but I could still get the gist of the message.

Safety wise, you can check driving assistance boxes to your heart’s content. I didn’t have Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Lane Departure Warning system and City Collision Mitigation (which applies the brakes automatically up to 60 km/h if it thinks you’re about to hit something), but felt pretty safe with the standard safety features (like dynamic traction and stability control, cornering/dynamic brake control, crash sensors) and six airbags.

Country roads

The 220i Convertible is surprisingly suited to everyday life. Regardless of its large, standard-issue 18-inch rims with slender rubber, I had a wonderful (yet unplanned) dirt-road detour one afternoon. The badly-corrugated road threw everything at the Adaptive M Suspension system (a worthwhile option at R14 400), but the 2 Series just sailed on, unruffled. With Driver Experience Control set to Comfort, there’s not much that perturbs the 220i. I won’t suggest driving 120 km/h on dirt, but cruising along at 80km/h, roof-down, is absolutely doable, and not unpleasant.

A few days later it was my daughter’s birthday and our girls’ day comprised a trip to Caledon for a zip line-experience. If you exit Hermanus via the Hemel-en-Aarde Road, you will find a tar road that starts off rather unevenly. With the abovementioned driver setting on Sport and no roof over our heads, there was a fair bit of scuttle shake, but one can hardly expect Mercedes-Benz S-Class torsional rigidity, without the extra metal.

Then, just before Creation Wine Farm, the newly-tarred road surface turns smooth as Brazilian blow-dried hair, and morphs into Overberg-specific, long, sweeping bends, flanked by vineyards and majestic blue-green mountains. Blissful! This is where you’re better off using the quick 8-speed Sports-Auto box’s flappy paddles to cog down before you enter a corner. The light steering (yes, even on Sport mode) is focused and direct, and the 220i feels planted, secure, and offers plenty of grip. And speaking of handling, I don’t see why convertible driving has to be as perfect as coupé-driving anyway - it’s hardly the reason why you’d buy a soft-top car.

With the roof up, you will be amazed at how quiet the cabin is. But don’t think your adult rear passenger will appreciate the serenity when her newly-coiffed hair is flattened against the canvas – short passengers or children are better off back there, and even then it is a cramped affair. Convertibles/coupés are not meant to carry rear passengers, mostly, unless it is the aforementioned S-Class with legroom for days. If you absolutely must carry rear passengers in a compact convertible, the Audi A3 Cabriolet is a better bet. The boot of the 220i Convertible, however, is not that tiny, with 290-335 litres available, and an adjustable shelf.

Take my money?

I found the 2 Series to be one of the more comfortable convertibles out there – so if you are serious about owning one, the 220i’s power figures of 135kW and 270Nm are sufficiently swift – the obligatory 0-100km/h sprint is completed in 7.7 seconds. You’re looking at reasonable consumption of 10 litres per 100 km of petrol on your daily drive, which includes stop-starting in heavy traffic. Switch to Eco Pro mode and you’ll get it down to about eight. To spend even less at the pumps, the 220d oil-burner may be more up your tree.

Convertible competition in this segment is quite tough, but Bimmer-fans won’t want to switch brands. The 220i convertible has all the precision you’d need, but mostly, it is about celebrating life.

Price (without options) :  BMW 220i Convertible Luxury Line sports-auto:

R 635 554

*Click here for the complete list of prices for 2018, as well as standard specification and optional extras.