2015 BMW 2 Series Convertible | new car sales price

Drop-top BMW 2 Series and M235i to land in Australia in February.

The third addition to the BMW 2 Series range will hit local showrooms next month, with the Convertible joining the coupe and front-drive Active Tourer bodystyles.

Priced from $54,900, the 1 Series Convertible replacement is slightly less expensive than its predecessor which started at $56,000 and came with less standard equipment.

While the 2 Series drop-top is around $7,000 more expensive than its most obvious Audi A3 Cabriolet rival, the entry BMW is more powerful and fitted with more standard equipment like satnav and a reverse camera.

The 2 Series Convertible range will only be available with petrol power from launch, with the 135kW/270Nm 220i as the entry point to the range.

As standard, you get the eight-speed automatic transmission with rear-wheel drive, auto start-stop fuel saving system, satnav, 17-inch alloy wheels and reversing camera with rear parking sensors.

Stepping up to the $68,900 228i Convertible brings the more powerful 180kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 0-100km/h time of 6.0 seconds.

The mid-spec convertible also gains variable sport steering, 18-inch alloys, front parking sensors, Bi-Xenon headlights and leather upholstery on top of the standard items fitted to the 220i.

The range-topping $85,800 M235i Convertible is powered by a 240kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six that can fling the sporty drop-top to 100km/h in 5.0 seconds.

On top of the standard equipment in the 228i, the M Performance model gets adaptive suspension, beefier brakes, redesigned 18-inch alloys, more aggressive front and rear bumpers, sports steering wheel and BMW’s Professional navigation system which has a larger 8.8-inch infotainment screen – up from the 6.5-inch screen in lesser variants.

The 2 Series Convertible is fitted with an electronically removable fabric roof which can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds at speeds of up to 50km/h, while additional sound insulation over the old 1 Series drop-top has reduced interior noise by up to 7dB.

Thanks to its slightly larger dimensions compared to its predecessor, boot space has swollen by 30-litres to 355-lites, which drops to 280-litres with the roof down.

Structural rigidity has also been improved, with the open-top 2 Series boasting a 20 per cent increase in torsional stiffness and 10 per cent better bending resistance compared to the old 1 Series.

The new BMW 2 Series Convertible will arrive in Australia towards the end of February.