2018 BMW X2 Spied Overtaking Porsche Panamera On The Nurburgring

Codenamed F39 and classified by its creator as a sports activity vehicle, the 2018 BMW X2 is nearing its world debut. Till the moment finally comes, the compact-sized crossover still has some fine-tuning to do on the world’s most difficult racing circuit: the 20.8-kilometer long Nurburgring.

Caught on film by carparazzi, the pictured prototype can be seen overtaking a red-painted Porsche Panamera. It’s not as if the X2 packs more performance than the Zuffenhausen machine, but the Panamera driver let the crossover pass. Sound-wise, the prototype is propelled by a gas-fed turbocharged four-cylinder engine connected to an automatic box.

According to a BMW model codes list we’ve talked about on a different occasion, the compact SAV will be sold both in the United States and Europe. Variants and powertrains are plentiful, with the U.S. getting two derivatives: sDrive28i and xDrive28i, with manual and automatic trannies.

Over in Europe, the range will start with the three-cylinder sDrive18i. On the turbo diesel-powered front, the 2018 BMW X2 will be topped by the xDrive25d. In the case of the X1, that translates to a 2.0-liter engine with 231 PS (170 kW) and 450 Nm (332 pound-feet) of torque at its disposal.

Based on the UKL platform that underpins pretty much the entire MINI lineup, the X2 will be front-wheel-drive by nature. Word has it the veil will be off in September at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, with first deliveries for the European continent slated for the earliest part of 2018.

A more toned-down take on the Concept X2 presented last year, the 2018 BMW X2 will share its wheelbase with the X1 (2,760 millimeters or 108.6 inches). The niche-filling Bavarian crossover, however, won’t be as practical as the X1 because of the sloping roofline and smaller rear side windows.