BMW 216d Active Tourer F44 vs BMW 216i Gran Tourer F22: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the 216d Active Tourer hits 100 km/h in 11.24 s versus 11.54 s for the 216i Gran Tourer. Despite the faster sprint time, the 216i Gran Tourer is 9 m further along the track at this moment: stronger low-speed acceleration offsets a slower run beyond 100 km/h.

At 200 metres, the 216i Gran Tourer is doing 101 km/h against 104 km/h for the 216d Active Tourer. The gap is 0.30 s. The gap remains stable from the start.

At 400 metres standing start, the 216i Gran Tourer crosses the line in 18.11 s versus 18.18 s. The 0.08 s gap represents roughly 3 m of track - barely a car length.

Past 400 metres, the situation changes. The 216i Gran Tourer maxes out at 188 km/h while the 216d Active Tourer keeps accelerating towards 195 km/h. At 600 metres, the gap has dropped to 0.14 s.

Around 469 metres, both vehicles are level. This is the inversion point: the 216d Active Tourer overcomes its launch deficit thanks to a 7 km/h higher top speed.

At 1,000 metres, the 216d Active Tourer finishes in 32.71 s versus 33.26 s. The 0.55 s delta in favour of the 216d Active Tourer shows that top speed makes a clear difference.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the 216d Active Tourer is capped at 195 km/h, the 216i Gran Tourer at 188 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (12.24 kg/hp vs 12.94 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Manual).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 20.02 seconds. The 0.30 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.