By Karl Peskett.
For years, we’ve been told that an SUV is something that can head off road occasionally, and is a bit more practical than a simple hatchback. So can a small car that’s front-wheel-drive and is a bit too cramped for a family really be called an SUV? According to the marketing team at BMW, the answer is yes.
This is where the Australian and US markets diverge a little. According to the Americans, an SUV is something that’s built on a ladder-frame chassis, has low range and long-travel suspension. Think Toyota Prado or Jeep Wrangler. Anything else created with a unibody chassis and with an all-wheel-drive system (with no low-range transfer case) is called a crossover.
The reason is they cross over from SUV to regular passenger cars. And this is the market that the BMW X2 plays in. It’s definitely no SUV, but it’s more than a small hatch. But without all-wheel-drive, is it any more useful than a BMW 1 Series, for example?
Well, having raised suspension is an advantage when ferrying older relatives around, as we discovered this week. Being slightly taller means it’s easier for those with hip and back problems to get in and out of. However, the door openings aren’t exactly user friendly. The curved openings are a little too tight to make entry and egress the pain-free experience they should be.
The back seat is also quite narrow and there’s not a huge amount of space in the back. Four people is fine for short distances, but there’s no way you’ll get five adults in without complaints. And when you take a closer look at the X2 you can see why.
The X2 is a sportier version of the BMW X1. It uses the same platform and drivetrain but is packaged in something that’s a bit more angular, a bit lower and more squat. The suspension is also M tuned, which means it’s a bit more stiffly sprung and therefore handles fractionally better than the X1.
But in terms of practicality, the X1 has it all over its numerically doubled sibling. There’s a larger boot, more space across the back seat and a fraction more legroom in the rear as well.
That said, it’s the X2 which drives better. The steering is a bit sharper, the feel is very good and the balance is quite neutral, despite it being a front-wheel-drive. In fact, the only time you can really tell that the power is running through the steering axle is when you take off aggressively in the wet, or if you’re setting off while turning; that’s where you get that characteristic tug at the steering wheel.
Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, producing 141kW and 280Nm. Nothing class-leading, but being able to reel off a 7.7-second sprint to 100kmh is quite acceptable. Even better is that BMW’s expertise in building engines means two things: 1) It has a great note; and 2) There’s plenty of scope for more power with a simple software upgrade. Not that point number two is going to seal the deal for anyone, but it’s good to know that this same engine has a lot more life in it if you need it.
However, for that to happen, you’ll want all-wheel-drive, which means stepping up to the xDrive version, which costs an extra $4K and only comes in diesel. Or you can opt for the M35i version, which costs $68,900 and blasts to 100kmh in just 4.9 seconds. As you can tell, most people will be happy to pay less and just go for a front-wheel-drive X2.
Inside, the quality is quite good, and there’s a lot of textures on the seats, with a mixture of honeycomb fabric and Alcantara. Up front there’s a decent sized touchscreen infotainment display controlled also by BMW’s iDrive rotary dial (with shortcut buttons).
The dashtop is fashioned from a matt, textured grained plastic and the harder, cheaper surfaces have been cleverly hidden from view, mounted lower down, so that everything you touch feels high end.
The presentation is definitely sporting, with coloured accents, ambient lighting, orange edging and orange stitching. It’s a nicer place to sit than in the Audi Q2 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, and it feels more well resolved than the Jaguar E-Pace.
And in fact, it’s a nicer car to drive than all three. Throw the BMW X1 into that mix and you’ll find the best vehicle to be steering than all of its rivals.
You’ll have to live without some of the space you may want, but for a high quality interior and high quality drive experience, the X2 is hard to go past.
Just don’t pretend it’s an SUV.
