Drive Test: BMW X2 will be known as the stylish one

Remember the automotive controversy BMW stirred with the Active Tourer? A car that didn’t fit into X or -Series mould was one thing, but worse was to come…it was front-wheel drive. All told, Active Tourer wasn’t awful; a posh, civilised Mini Countryman. But BMW was already selling large numbers of X derivatives (a third of all volume) so you don’t need to be all that clever to realise an Active Tourer simply had no long-term future in South Africa. The BMW X2 jumps into that space – a less niche space now in the context of Cape Town’s restricted parking, general chaos and penchant for expensive things.

Instantly it inspires a strong first impression, one that reminds me of the X4, as it should. The recipe of funky looks melded with practicality…blah blah. It generally works, so long as brands don’t skimp on the engineering underneath that vibrant paint – are you listening Audi Q2?

You might have surmised that I like this BMW X2 but before I get to those reasons, let’s talk about an area where I’m unqualified to judge – the way it looks. I believe the terminology is ‘lit’ although BMW uses #ungovernable to describe the non-conformist attributes. To me that’s a negative connotation that undermines BMW’s premium position. Anyway, the tail end is stubby, the kidney grilles are inverted to ‘sniff the road’, triangular intakes carved into the front bumper and obligatory body cladding. The new BMW X2 marks the return of the symmetrical C-pillar badges for a total of four exterior reminders, although I assume the typical BMW X2 buyer won’t draw the provenance with the BMW M1 of the late seventies.

Compared to the recently-launched 10+ derivative Jaguar E-Pace, BMW has rationalised the range with two engine options (three later this year) all in macho M Sport guise. And they’ve covered the bases well; 2.0-litre petrol or 2.0-litre diesel with the latter paired exclusively to all-wheel drive. A 1.5-litre petrol turbo triple, as available in the MINI, arrives later with a sub R600 000 starting price but higher claimed consumption than the bigger engine. We’d go with the front-wheel drive 2.0-litre petrol. Not only is the engine quieter, since the X2 doesn’t boast useful ride height and comes with 19-inch M Sport alloys, this is unlikely to go off-road.

Which conversely means that when you hold it to tarmac the BMW X2 is terrifically good with steering feedback that underscores its highly alert manners at speed and nimbleness in a dense urban environment. It’s a relief that the dash layout resists the opportunity to be quirky but there are enough interesting colour combinations to differentiate from the mature X3.

With a wheelbase 200mm shorter than the X3’s, I was expecting some ergonomic nightmares so cue a surprised me by the amount of rear space. We’d say that 470 litres of boot space is a fair trade-off but as with all even-numbered X variants, this is less than you’d get in the practically-styled X1.

There are other caveats with its pricing which invites comparison to models such as Volkswagen’s Tiguan which, in top spec, retails for nearly R100 000 less. Same story with a flagship Countryman S, with which X2 shares many components from the UKL1 platform. BMW will argue, citing desirable rivals like the similarly-priced Audi Q2 and Range Rover Evoque. In that boutique battle the BMW X2 wins hands down. ANDREW LEOPOLD

SPECIFICATION BMW X2 sDrive20i

• R646 652
• 1995cc 4cyl, turbo petrol, FWD, 141kW, 280Nm
• 6.0l/100km, 138g/km
• 0-100km/h in 7.7secs, 227km/h
• 1535kg
• Verdict: Clever packaging mitigates loss in overall footprint. Energises maturing X range.