BMW X2 review: The new £35,000 SUV is so cool you’ll want to fist bump your car salesman – but don’t
BMW have oversold it as being 'young and edgy', but there was really no need — the X2 is a very good car
IT could be said that some car firms try a leeetle bit too hard at launches.
I’ve seen a McLaren in a penthouse, an F-Pace floating in a bay, a G-Wagen encased in orange plastic.
And here we have a BMW plonked on top of a grafitti-covered-sea-container-slash-DJ-booth belting out house music. It’s because it’s urban innit, bruv. Dope.
Please, just gimme the keys and point me towards the nearest mountain.
Because the X2 is a good car — you don’t need to oversell it as being “young and edgy”.
Think of it as a baby X1 coupe. Same footprint and off-road capability as the X1 but shorter, lower, sportier . . . and, er, cooler. Balls. I’ve said it.
I’m a big fan of those BMW badges on the rear pillars. We haven’t seen that on a Beemer since the legendary 3.0 CSL in the 1970s.
And I like the angled wheel arches too. Now let’s talk money.
The X2 family starts at £29,995 for the 150hp 2-litre diesel badged sDrive18d. The sDrive20i (2-litre petrol) is £31,445. Both are front-wheel drive.
But the gold car I’m testing here — predicted to be the best seller — is the £34,985 xDrive20d.
That’s a 190hp 2-litre turbo diesel with 4WD, eight-speed auto and, I’ll keep banging the drum, my friends, cleaner than many petrols.
Note: All new X1/X2/X3 diesels have standard SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology, which converts most of the NOx from the engine into harmless nitrogen and water before it reaches the exhaust.
BMW X2: Key facts
Price: £34,985
Engine: 2-litre diesel
Power: 190hp, 400Nm
0-62mph: 7.7 secs
Top speed: 137mph
Economy: 60mpg
CO2: 124g/km
Rivals: Evoque, E-Pace, XC40, Q3
Out: March
As do X2 rivals like the Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar E-Pace and Volvo XC40.
Other observations. The X2 is no slouch. The auto gearbox is silky smooth. The ride and handling is typically brilliant BMW. The interior is lush.
The low driving position and logical controls all please.
Much of the tech is taken from the 5 Series — including the central touchscreen paired with BMW’s rotary controller. The boot is decent.
But there’s only one USB point. What? And just one 12-volt port for my kids in the back.
Seriously? I’m spending 30 grand-plus on a trendy motor and I’ve got to go to Poundland for a USB adapter?
Also, be warned. You could burn some serious cash on options like head-up display, wireless charging, wifi, hands-free parking and so on.
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But all in all, this a thoroughbred BMW. A dream to drive.
Wonderful to thread down a twisty road. And it tells the neighbours that you are successful.
Go try one. But promise me one thing: DO NOT fist bump the salesman.