First drive BMW 2 Series Active Tourer


With its new look inside and out plus mild hybrid engine technology, can the 2 Series Active Tourer breathe life into the MPV class? Martyn Collins


Only when I was researching rivals for this 2 Series Active Tourer, did I realise how few competitors it has now. The seemingly endless growth of SUVs and crossovers is swallowing up the MPV class – just like the upper-medium class. Still, 430,000 units sold of the first- generation version of the 2 Series Active Tourer plus few rivals must make production of the new second generation model viable.


Outside, the styling for the 2 Series Active Tourer is more evolution than revolution – although there is no seven- seater Grand Tourer model anymore. The biggest change is at the front, with this model following the big kidney grille style most recently seen on the iX Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) and i4. There are also full- LED front headlights, which together give the Active Tourer way more


BMW 220i Active Tourer Lux Tech Plus


P11D £34,570 On sale Now Residual value £11,472 Depreciation £23,098 Fuel £8,343 Service, maintenance and repair £2,047 Cost per mile 55.81p Fuel consumption 47.9mpg CO2 (BIK %)* 135g/km (31%) BIK 20/40% a month £179/£357 Luggage capacity 406 litres Engine size/power 1.499cc/170hp *from April 2022


Positive


Stylish, well-made and spacious interior, impressive performer


Negative


Some infotainment issues, overlight steering, styling will not appeal to all


presence – even if the result couldn’t be called attractive. Our advice if you are buying is to choose the M Sport equipment grade, where the dechrome means the grilles stand out less. At the side, there is much more smooth surfacing than before, with the cleaner door handles and two precisely


8/10


drawn character lines. BMW calls them the “upward tick,” which starts from the grilles and ends in the raked A-pillar windows – including a sharp under graphic at the bottom of the doors. The back looks more like the outgoing model, but the lights now feature LED technology. The inside of the 2 Series is more of a revolution, as like the iX and i4, the Active Tourer benefits from the latest curved infotainment display, made up of two screens and dominates the slim design of the dashboard. The first is for the digital instruments and measures 10.25in, plus a 10.7in screen for the infotainment. Running BMW’s latest OS8 software, like the iX the infotainment is easy to use. Also, like the iX, we still miss the physical controls for the climate and on this 2 Series buttons to engage the different driver modes, which are instead hidden in the infotainment. Finally, although easier to read than in the iX, it is still difficult to know what speed you’re doing at a glance. Our test car had “Exclusive” wood trim, which although not our choice was well finished. In fact, apart from the column


Standard equipment:  17in alloy wheels, sport seats with anthracite cloth upholstery, LED headlights, high-gloss Shadowline exterior trim, and Parking Assistance with reversing camera and Park Distance Control


Engines:  Petrol: 170hp 1.5, 218hp 2.0  Diesel: 150hp 2.0


Equipment grades:  Sport, Luxury, M Sport


Transmissions:  Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic


stalks, the overall material quality inside this car was top notch.


BMW seems to be on a mission to declutter with the Active Tourer’s interior, as there is no rotary selector – or even a gear selector on the floating centre console. Instead, drive is engaged via buttons. Still, the lack of these adds to the feeling of interior space inside this car, front and rear. There is even a decently sized 406-litre boot, that can be extended to 1,455 litres with the rear seat folded. There are three flavours of 2 Series Active Tourer – two petrol and one diesel. Petrol versions start with the 220i that we drove, which is powered by the familiar 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit that is also


“BMW seems to be on a mission to declutter with the Active Tourer’s interior.”


32 | March 2022 | www.businesscar.co.uk


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