Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Before you start screaming that this is not a true BMW and that pitches and forks should push it out of Munich’s production lines, let us remind you that we already know the die-hard fan’s opinion. Our review is for those people that are actually looking for practicality, comfort and space in a car that happens to wear the blue and white roundel. Is that so wrong?
The 2 Series Active Tourer uses the brand new UKL1 platform developed by BMW specifically for front-wheel drive cars. It is currently being used only for MINI’s 3-door and 5-door models and the here present, Active Tourer but in the future, up to 12 new cars will be using it, including the new X1 and 1 Series.
When first meeting the 2 Series Active Tourer, its design will hit you, hard! Depending on which side you’re on when laying eyes on it the first time, you can even mistake it for a B-Class Merc. Look at it head on and you can’t mistake it for anything else but a BMW due to the kidney grilles and the corona rings.
Inside it’s a similar story, the Tourer having a new interior that’s more on par with the times. The instrument cluster is similar to the rest of the 2 Series range but other than that, most things are new. The steering wheel, the center console, the head-up display and even the door panels, everything is new and fresh.
You get plenty of room both up front and in the back, justifying BMW’s claim that using transverse engines helps them give you more space inside. In the back you basically feel like you have more air to breathe than in the 7 Series. You’d also be more comfortable if it wasn’t for the hard seats that ruin a perfectly comfy suspension setup.
As for the driving dynamics, the engine we tested was meaty and sometimes felt like too much. It was the top of the line 2-liter 4-cylinder petrol unit making 231 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque that will also be used on the MINI JCW Hardtop. That translates into a 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint of 6.8 seconds and some torque steering too when launching from a standstill.
However, you won’t be racing with this car and you also won’t be taking it to the track. The high center of gravity can be felt when doing sharp turn-ins, while the rear axle feels completely dead when compared to other BMWs. What surprised us was that there’s almost no understeer when you turn the DSC off and that made us feel like we were driving a taller MINI. Not bad at all.
The only problem we found with it was that it could’ve offered more practical tricks. After all, this is a car that is supposed to assist you in all your more... unusual activities. It’s also aiming at new families and it should provide more options for your the extra luggage your passengers might carry. Keeping in mind that this is actually BMW’s first attempt at such a car, we think they are damn close to what others are offering. It’s just that it’s not quite there yet. We explained it all in our 2015 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer review.
When first meeting the 2 Series Active Tourer, its design will hit you, hard! Depending on which side you’re on when laying eyes on it the first time, you can even mistake it for a B-Class Merc. Look at it head on and you can’t mistake it for anything else but a BMW due to the kidney grilles and the corona rings.
Inside it’s a similar story, the Tourer having a new interior that’s more on par with the times. The instrument cluster is similar to the rest of the 2 Series range but other than that, most things are new. The steering wheel, the center console, the head-up display and even the door panels, everything is new and fresh.
You get plenty of room both up front and in the back, justifying BMW’s claim that using transverse engines helps them give you more space inside. In the back you basically feel like you have more air to breathe than in the 7 Series. You’d also be more comfortable if it wasn’t for the hard seats that ruin a perfectly comfy suspension setup.
As for the driving dynamics, the engine we tested was meaty and sometimes felt like too much. It was the top of the line 2-liter 4-cylinder petrol unit making 231 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque that will also be used on the MINI JCW Hardtop. That translates into a 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint of 6.8 seconds and some torque steering too when launching from a standstill.
However, you won’t be racing with this car and you also won’t be taking it to the track. The high center of gravity can be felt when doing sharp turn-ins, while the rear axle feels completely dead when compared to other BMWs. What surprised us was that there’s almost no understeer when you turn the DSC off and that made us feel like we were driving a taller MINI. Not bad at all.
The only problem we found with it was that it could’ve offered more practical tricks. After all, this is a car that is supposed to assist you in all your more... unusual activities. It’s also aiming at new families and it should provide more options for your the extra luggage your passengers might carry. Keeping in mind that this is actually BMW’s first attempt at such a car, we think they are damn close to what others are offering. It’s just that it’s not quite there yet. We explained it all in our 2015 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer review.
Google News