Highlights
- Sleek looks
- More than adequate performance
- Spacious and comfortable
- Impressive levels of kit
Introduction
If style and badge are all important on the booming SUV scene, then BMW is on to a winner with its new X2.
Extrovert looks, coupé lines and some subtle changes in the Bavarian carmaker’s design culture make this newcomer a crossover with a difference.
Pitching into the same market as Jaguar’s E-PACE, the X2 is based on BMW’s front-wheel drive platform, which also underpins the company’s 2 Series Active Tourer MPV and the X1 baby SUV. BMW also uses the same platform on the MINI Countryman.
Engines and Driving Experience
The difference with the X2 is that it has been engineered for sporty driving - and comes with suspension to match.
Firm, precise, and agile, the X2 feels very well planted, but its sporty prowess comes at a premium.
Chris Russon
The 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine develops 190bhp with a healthy 295lb ft of torque, giving the X2 a 0 to 62mph time of 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 137mph.
Fuel economy is a claimed 61.4mpg, with emissions of 121g/km.
On our drive, we saw an average of 42.3mpg – quite respectable for a 4x4 with automatic transmission.
Equipment and Technology
The X2 in all-wheel drive xDrive set up and powered by a 2.0-litre diesel is priced from £33,980 at the time of testing, and in higher grade M Sport trim as we sampled starts from £36,590.
Add on some extras such as a high-end Harman Kardon sound system, a ‘vision pack’ that included as head-up display and a snazzy leather interior, and it tipped the scales at £44,185.
For a medium-sized SUV, that’s top dollar in anyone’s book, but the X2 is built to impress.
On the inside, it is fully connected, Apple compatible and comes with a touchscreen nav system that is right up-to-date.
There is also a rather classy looking black optic instrument panel and BMW’s iDrive controller as an alternative way of navigating through the menus.
Design and Practicality
At 14ft 4 inches, the X2 is almost an inch shorter than the X1 but more significantly is some three inches lower but with the same wheelbase.
Factor in some clever styling such as slim windows, a flowing roofline with BMW’s hallmark Hofmeister kink pushed back into the rear pillar and the result is a compelling blend of 4x4 and coupé.
There is also some width inducing tricks such as making the famous BMW kidney grille wider at the bottom than at the top, pronounced side skirts and a rear spoiler, all of which create a ground-hugging look.
LED lights front and rear, twin exhausts and a number plate mounted in the bumper and breaks from the norm and so is the BMW roundel mounted on the back pillar.
Sporty yet muscular, the X2 looks the part but retains five doors, a good amount of rear legroom and boot space ranging from a useful 470 litres to a maximum of 1,355 with the rear seats down.
Summary
The BMW X2 proves to be the perfect middle ground for those wanting SUV practicality paired with coupé-like looks. It retains everything great about the BMW brand, but introduces a new approach to the crossover segment thanks to a dynamic driving experience and wide range of driver-orientated tech.
