Photo: SB-Medien
The 2 Series Active Tourer was the first front-wheel-drive BMW model, and as some of you may remember, it wasn't received well. The car wouldn't powerslide, didn't have big engines and looked like a bad nose job.
Its sales numbers weren't actually that bad, which is to be expected when the formula was copied from the popular Mercedes-Benz B-Class. The Active Tourer and its "Gran" 7-seat sister make both good company and family cars, but throughout the past year, various reports came out suggesting they would be discontinued.
In fact, if we remember correctly, there was even a low-level official stating customers would be pushed towards crossovers once they walked into dealerships looking for a tourer model. So you can imagine our shock when our spyshots inbox was filled with photos of this thing, presumably another 2 Series Active Tourer.
But if you think about it, such a car makes more sense than ever. BMW needs variety to keep growing as a company, plus it's all-in on front-wheel-drive cars after launching the new 1 Series, soon to be followed by the 2 Series Gran Coupe. Mercedes sneakily wrapped the old B-Class chassis in new garments and called it a day; the Bavarians could have done the same here, which is why the prototypes are ready straight away.
Considering all the windows are about the same shape and size as before, a cosmetic refresh is very likely what's going on here. However, the designs did keep themselves busy making disproportionately large and pointless kidney grilles. Also, we'd like to point out that the mounting point for the mirrors has changed.
The engines don't require significant investments either, as most have been developed for the 1er project. You have the 1.5 turbo for the 118i, three or four diesels and a plug-in or two. The gearboxes are actually more varied than on most BMW models because you'd get a manual for the cheaper versions, a 7-speed DCT for low-powered ones and the 8-speed auto for the rest.
In fact, if we remember correctly, there was even a low-level official stating customers would be pushed towards crossovers once they walked into dealerships looking for a tourer model. So you can imagine our shock when our spyshots inbox was filled with photos of this thing, presumably another 2 Series Active Tourer.
But if you think about it, such a car makes more sense than ever. BMW needs variety to keep growing as a company, plus it's all-in on front-wheel-drive cars after launching the new 1 Series, soon to be followed by the 2 Series Gran Coupe. Mercedes sneakily wrapped the old B-Class chassis in new garments and called it a day; the Bavarians could have done the same here, which is why the prototypes are ready straight away.
Considering all the windows are about the same shape and size as before, a cosmetic refresh is very likely what's going on here. However, the designs did keep themselves busy making disproportionately large and pointless kidney grilles. Also, we'd like to point out that the mounting point for the mirrors has changed.
The engines don't require significant investments either, as most have been developed for the 1er project. You have the 1.5 turbo for the 118i, three or four diesels and a plug-in or two. The gearboxes are actually more varied than on most BMW models because you'd get a manual for the cheaper versions, a 7-speed DCT for low-powered ones and the 8-speed auto for the rest.
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