Photo: SB-Medien
Back in 2014, the 2 Series Active Tourer became a car of two firsts. It was the first BMW to be powered by its front wheels, a trick now learned by the X1, X2 and 1er, and also their first compact tourer.
A tourer is a bit like the MPV made by French automakers. The difference is not being premium, but having the driving characteristics of a regular car.
The benchmark for the 2 Series AT was the Mercedes B-Class, which at one point was the most popular car in Germany. We know you RWD purists hate this segment, but it's really not that bad, especially compared to the dishonest crossovers.
Anyway, BMW almost announced publically that it would stop selling the Active Tourer. However, a few months ago, it began developing an all-new generation.
Now, since the tourer is not that profitable, we suspect that this 2021 model year is actually a heavily revised version of the old one. But there's no downside, and that's also how Mercedes made the "new" B-Class this year.
Even though the camouflage, the styling influences of the 3rd-generation 1 Series are obvious. You have a much taller grille that pushes the number plate down, for example. But the size and shape of the model are about the same. In fact, most of the windows will probably carry over.
The area where this new model will feel different is the interior - new iDrive screen and operating system, new digital dash, new wheel, shifter and so on.
The engines? Well, most of them are already available on the 1 Series hatchback or the new 2 Series Gran Coupe. You've got 1.5 and 2-liter units with outputs from about 116 to 231 hp, maybe more with the plug-in hybrid.
The ones that have lower torque will get a 7-speed DCT while the rest will just use an 8-speed auto, just like right now.
The benchmark for the 2 Series AT was the Mercedes B-Class, which at one point was the most popular car in Germany. We know you RWD purists hate this segment, but it's really not that bad, especially compared to the dishonest crossovers.
Anyway, BMW almost announced publically that it would stop selling the Active Tourer. However, a few months ago, it began developing an all-new generation.
Now, since the tourer is not that profitable, we suspect that this 2021 model year is actually a heavily revised version of the old one. But there's no downside, and that's also how Mercedes made the "new" B-Class this year.
Even though the camouflage, the styling influences of the 3rd-generation 1 Series are obvious. You have a much taller grille that pushes the number plate down, for example. But the size and shape of the model are about the same. In fact, most of the windows will probably carry over.
The area where this new model will feel different is the interior - new iDrive screen and operating system, new digital dash, new wheel, shifter and so on.
The engines? Well, most of them are already available on the 1 Series hatchback or the new 2 Series Gran Coupe. You've got 1.5 and 2-liter units with outputs from about 116 to 231 hp, maybe more with the plug-in hybrid.
The ones that have lower torque will get a 7-speed DCT while the rest will just use an 8-speed auto, just like right now.
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