High sedan, short station wagon or even crossover … When you turn around the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, you think of everything except a minivan. On the other hand, once on board it offers all the advantages. Could this be the secret of the survival of the species?
While generalist manufacturers are separating from their minivans, premium brands are resisting. Evidenced by this second version of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, which will take over from the current model launched in 2014 in spring 2022. Carrying the code F45, the car was at the time the first BMW of traction architecture and the one that inaugurated the three-cylinder engine. The Munich brand persisted and signed with the minivan formula, but taking a few decisive turns. Let’s find out which ones.
A minivan that hides its silhouette?
If customers remain attached to the minivan formula, especially for its interior virtues, the single-volume silhouette is no longer on the rise. BMW designers have therefore worked to offer the model the most dynamic posture possible without going so far as to imitate SUVs. We should not get too close to the BMW X1. The hood of the new 2 Series Active Tourer is raised in its front part, while the windshield is less inclined than in the past. These two combined actions erase the TGV-like nose of the current version and give the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer the appearance of a break or crossover, a terminology more trendy. Or even a BMW 1 Series with an even higher roof. From one generation to another, the dimensions of the Series 2 Active Tourer have hardly changed, count 3 cm better in length and 2 cm more in height and width.
Dimensions new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer vs old
Series 2 Active Tourer (2022) |
Series 2 Active Tourer (2014) |
|
Length (m) | 4.38 | 4.35 |
Width (m) | 1.82 | 1.80 |
Height (m) | 1.58 | 1.56 |
On the other hand, what is noticeable at first glance is the large grille style BMW X7 or Restyled 7 Series. But on a high-stature minivan, it knows how to put on a good figure and fit in properly with the whole without falling into caricature.
The two kidneys are framed by slim spotlights with full LED technology, offered as standard. In detail, the grille is obscured by motorized shutters which serve an optimized aerodynamics. The car claims a Cx of 0.26. To achieve this result, the engineers also installed the exterior mirrors in feather, opted for flush door handles – they also seem a little large – and even “filed” the top of the shark fin antenna, to the back of the pavilion.
“The long, 7-seater version, the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer is no longer on the program, its sales were too low.“
Finally, at the bottom of the rear bumper, the exhausts no longer have visible exits. Instead, galvanized plastic appendages appear which polish the drag by taking off the air flow from the sides. A lightness that is found in the treatment of the lights, refined, also like their counterparts at the front, and whose overhang on the wings highlights the shoulders of the vehicle. The whole is rather pleasing to the eye.
The iDrive is dead!
More than the exterior style, it is the interior layout that breaks with the previous version. The new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer enters the digital age with instrumentation displayed on a double 10.25-inch diagonal slab housed in a curved assembly towards the driver. A high-tech spirit that has just been released by the BMW iX electric SUV, which will arrive in dealerships in November 2021. Do not look for the iDrive wheel, it has simply disappeared! A floating center console now fits between the front seats. It conceals storage in the lower part and offers, well within reach, the automatic gearbox controls (the only type of transmission in the Series 2 Active Tourer range), the driving modes and the volume of the system. audio.
TO READ. BMW iX test (2021): another idea of the future automobile
The layout of the controls of the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is very natural and is immediately appropriate. The touchscreen houses the climate controls, which are always accessible and easy to use. At first glance, one would think that BMW nabbed the system of the Volkswagen ID.3 and Golf 8 with a slider that was hardly manageable while driving. Well no, just tap the minus or the plus to get what you want. A hook placed above the strip – in real unvarnished wood – barring the dashboard allows you to properly wedge your hand. But maybe you prefer to use voice commands, which will not leave a fingerprint on the screen?
Modularity worthy of a minivan
The new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer had the intelligence to retain a modularity worthy of that of a minivan. The bench is sliding (option at 300 € on rechargeable non-hybrid models; equipment not available on PHEVs), independently in 2 / 3-1 / 3 at the level of the seats, while the backrests have a 40/20/40 split for offer a ski hatch. The backrests are precisely reclining in three positions. There is a fourth, vertical, uncomfortable in use and which will be used as breakdown assistance for a move. Because if it increases the hold volume by 80 liters, then bringing the loading capacity to 500 liters, it above all makes it possible to load cubic objects such as bulky boxes. The trunk has the same capacity as the previous model, ie 470 liters in 5 places under the shelf for the thermal versions. Count only 405 liters on the 2 Series Active Tourer PHEV which we will talk about again below.
Accessibility and roominess in the rear seats are not open to criticism. Thanks to batteries of the hybrid versions now housed under the floor and not under the bench, as was the case on the first generation 2 Series Active Tourer. The roof guard has progressed. Finally, in terms of connectivity, there are two USB-C type sockets on the front and as many on the back. There is also a 12 V socket in the trunk. Enough to charge all your peripherals during the trip.
Five engines from 136 to 326 hp
At launch next spring, the range of engines for the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer will include two petrol proposals: 218i of 136 hp and 220i of 156 hp with a 19 hp boost offered by 48 V technology. But also a diesel version. 218d 150 hp strong. From July 2022, plug-in hybrid versions will enter the scene in the form of the 225xe and 230xe totaling respectively a cumulative power of 244 hp and 326 hp. The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer 230xe is credited with a 0 to 100 km / h in 5.1 s.
Engines available at launch in February 2022:
- BMW 218i Active Tourer – 136 hp
- BMW 220i Active Tourer – 156 hp + 19 hp boost
- BMW 218d Active Tourer – 150 hp
Plug-in hybrid versions available from July 2022:
- BMW 225xe Active Tourer – 244 hp
- BMW 230xe Active Tourer – 326 hp
The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer PHEV have a battery with a capacity of 16.3 kWh allowing a range in electric mode of 80 km according to the WLTP protocol.
“The range in electric mode has doubled from one generation to the next.“
Subsequently, a second diesel proposal will come as a reinforcement on the French market. But BMW has not yet decided whether it would be a 220d (190 hp strong as for the BMW 1 Series and BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé) or a 223d, offering more power.
BMW 2 Series Active Tourer Price (2022)
In euros | Active Tourer | Luxury | M sport | Business Design |
Gasoline | ||||
218i DKG 7 136 hp | 34,200 | 36,300 | 38,350 | 36,100 |
220i DKG 7 170 hp | 36,600 | 38,700 | 40,750 | 38,500 |
Diesel | ||||
218d DKG 7 150 hp | 36,400 | 38,500 | 40,550 | 38,300 |
Prices for the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer will start at € 34,200 for a basic 218i version and peak at € 40,750 for a 220i with an M Sport finish. This increase of € 4,000 compared to the existing model is justified by a significantly improved level of equipment, such as a standard seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox or a dual-screen infotainment system. As a reminder, the current BMW 2 Series Active Tourer had needle counters. According to our information, the bill will rise to 43,000 € for a plug-in version. Finally, a more accessible entry level using versions 216i and 216d could complete the offer thereafter. Case to follow.
Review of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer 2022
Based on an unprecedented technical platform called FAAR, the second-generation BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is newer than its almost unchanged dimensions suggest. It evolves appreciably at the technological level without however giving up the intrinsic qualities of the minivan. BMW has captured the desires of customers and refined a recipe that only the Mercedes-Benz B-Class is able to compete with him.
The propeller brand justifies the abandonment of the seven-seater version by its commercial performance half lower than that of the five-seater version. Too bad for large families. They will have no other solution than to opt for a BMW X5 or a BMW X7. But at what cost ! Mercedes, which has never yet offered a seven-seater B-Class, has found the parade: the GLB seven-seater SUV.