The new BMW X2 moves away from its predecessor in many ways. It’s bigger, bolder and, ultimately, better. Just not as beautiful.
When the first X2 came out in 2017, I didn’t quite understand it. Here was a car that was supposed to be the coupé version of the X1 – much like what the X4 was to the X3 and the X6 to the X5 – but their design languages were so different they seemed to have absolutely nothing in common.
Okay, the chassis, powertrains, transmissions, and a lot of other mechanical and technological solutions were precisely the same, but, for 90% of customers, that doesn’t matter. Truth is not many people know or care about platform and engine sharing in the car industry, so what sells the car is the way it looks or how the customer perceives its place in the brand’s line-up and/or in the market.
This means the first X2 did not have such a close link with the X1 as its naming might have suggested. It was very much its own model. Context done, I have to say this: I was a big fan of the first X2. I think it looked incredible, more sophisticated than 95% of other SUVs, but, at the same time, with a traditional beauty typical of older BMWs that cannot be found in any SUV the German constructor has launched since.
The new one I just drove is clearly a case in point. Not beautiful by any objective measure, the latest X2 is a sign of the times BMW are living at the moment. Less beauty, more shocking power.
It’s not that they don’t know what they are doing – sales are at record highs – it’s just that they chose a path more focused on the present, on what a car means today. The wow factor became more important than beauty or visual harmony and that is fine. BMW is in the business of selling cars, not history or nostalgia.
The current model is much closer to the rest of the range than before. It is a smaller sibling to the X4 and X6, like the first one never was. The sloping roofline makes it easily identifiable as the coupé version of something else and it is visually much bigger than the first generation.
It’s not a beautiful car, but it is undoubtedly striking. I got some ‘wows’ from family and friends during the week I drove it around.
The top-of-the-range model is the X2 M35i, as in the X1 and X2 there are no pure M models. X2M will never happen, at least in this generation.
Under the hood, BMW have put a four-cylinder (no six cylinders here), two-litre, 300 horsepower engine and a DCT seven-speed gearbox. This is, therefore, the sportiest option of the X2 range, the one who has to uphold BMW’s mantra of being the car for keen drivers.
BMW themselves say the X2 is not exactly an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) but an SAC (Sports Activity Coupé). So, nothing as commonplace as a utilitarian vehicle, but something for people with a desire for adventure.
It is built on the FAAR-WE architecture, which allows for different propulsion systems to be installed. The new X2 can, therefore, exist as a pure internal combustion option, plug-in hybrid or battery-electric vehicle. It is necessarily bigger than its predecessor, meaning a lot more room inside, but also has a different way of setting about being a car suited for everything: the daily runs, the family trips and, with 300 ponies, also serves up some fun moments behind the wheel when the opportunity presents itself.
Specific M35i details differentiate it from the rest of the range: the front splitter, the kidney grille with horizontal bars (and a very questionable illuminated frame), M rear spoiler and mirrors and quad exhausts. Inside, the M sport seats look and feel great and the Alcantara gives it a classy sporty touch.
The two-screen layout – 10.25-inch and 10.7-inch – works very well, and BMW still know how to create appealing modern graphics. The only problem I see is that there are too many functions, too many unnecessary options that we don’t really need whilst driving. Logically, this is not a BMW-specific issue and I truly believe we will witness a return of more button-activated functions and a simplification of the infotainment systems in the future.
The new X2 is a more grown-up car and, apart from fussier aesthetics, better in every way than the car it replaces. I found it to be a very good daily driver and, although the four-cylinder engine does not have the heart of a six-cylinder Bavarian unit, it is very competent, if never soul-stirring. This also means you can have 300 horsepower and permanent four-wheel drive and still be able to average less than 10l/100km if you are very gentle with your right foot. With petrol hovering around the €2 mark per litre, it’s something that matters.
Or maybe it doesn’t, once you have spent the €86,000 the press car I drove costs. Which is quite a lot for a small(ish) SUV (or SAC) with a four-cylinder engine. Even if it has 300 horsepower.
Anyway, BMW sold more than 380,000 first-generation X2. The new one has to do better, but will it? Well, I believe it will. This ‘shock and awe’ approach in car design is exactly what people want nowadays and BMW are simply answering to customer demand. Sacrificing timeless design seems like a small price to pay. Plus, the X2 is a very good car in objective terms. And, at the end of the day, that is what matters most.
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