Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Back in 2014 when the 2 Series Active Tourer was first introduced, all everybody talked about was the fact it was front-wheel-drive. It didn't matter that BMW never had an MPV model before, the real sacrilege was sending the power strictly to those two front wheels.
The car came out, people drove it, and the pitchforks and torches were put down. The Active Tourer was more than capable of offering some thrills, especially when compared to the other vehicles in its segment. Take the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, for example, its closest rival: it was about three times sportier, and that's using our patented sporty-meter system.
Seeing how it got away with murder, BMW decided to take things further and announced the 2 Series Gran Tourer. Essentially a longer and taller version of the Active Tourer with an extra row of seats, the GT (funny, heh?) laid any sporty claims aside and focused on moving as many people around in one go.
Needless to say, these weren't BMW's most successful models, but nobody expected that. Their purpose was to enter the Bavarians into a segment where Mercedes-Benz was enjoying its solitude and spread the brand's lineup to cover every possible niche.
The MPV (or minivans, if you like) are now getting ready to receive their first facelift, and after the Active Tourer was spotted way back in March, the Gran Tourer has now gotten its turn. This is actually the second time it's been caught testing, but what makes this scoop more valuable is the fact the vehicle was stationary.
We get a very good and detailed look at its front end, the only important bit wearing camouflage. Unfortunately, we're not able to see much apart from the hexagonal headlights. The wrap masking the rest suggests we should see changes to its grille as well, together with the front bumper.
The rear only has the bottom part covered in camouflage, but the bulges seem to suggest very little is changed. Unlike the first car caught earlier this month, this one has double exhausts, suggesting there's a two-liter engine under its hood, and not one of the 1.5-liter three-cylinder units.
We don't think there's going to be much to talk about in the powertrain department, nor should BMW change too much on the inside. The usual discreet upgrades to the infotainment system and maybe a few new active safety features introduced as standard. Apart from that, the 2 Series Gran Tourer should remain mostly unchanged.
Seeing how it got away with murder, BMW decided to take things further and announced the 2 Series Gran Tourer. Essentially a longer and taller version of the Active Tourer with an extra row of seats, the GT (funny, heh?) laid any sporty claims aside and focused on moving as many people around in one go.
Needless to say, these weren't BMW's most successful models, but nobody expected that. Their purpose was to enter the Bavarians into a segment where Mercedes-Benz was enjoying its solitude and spread the brand's lineup to cover every possible niche.
The MPV (or minivans, if you like) are now getting ready to receive their first facelift, and after the Active Tourer was spotted way back in March, the Gran Tourer has now gotten its turn. This is actually the second time it's been caught testing, but what makes this scoop more valuable is the fact the vehicle was stationary.
We get a very good and detailed look at its front end, the only important bit wearing camouflage. Unfortunately, we're not able to see much apart from the hexagonal headlights. The wrap masking the rest suggests we should see changes to its grille as well, together with the front bumper.
The rear only has the bottom part covered in camouflage, but the bulges seem to suggest very little is changed. Unlike the first car caught earlier this month, this one has double exhausts, suggesting there's a two-liter engine under its hood, and not one of the 1.5-liter three-cylinder units.
We don't think there's going to be much to talk about in the powertrain department, nor should BMW change too much on the inside. The usual discreet upgrades to the infotainment system and maybe a few new active safety features introduced as standard. Apart from that, the 2 Series Gran Tourer should remain mostly unchanged.
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