Photo: Newspress.co.uk
Time has come to look at the first ever front-wheel-drive BMW in the flesh. After introducing the ‘controversial’ car online, the Bavarians also brought it to the Geneva Motor Show 2014 to allow people to gaze upon its curves in the flesh.
Needless to say that the new MPV looks a bit... different from what you’d expect from the photos. After all, the photographers took their time to bring forth the best features of the new automobile, for the audience to see it at its best. It’s not the best looking BMW out there.
And still, the 2 Series Active Tourer never tried to claim any beauty pageants. Its purpose is to appeal to those that want premium quality and a BMW badge and don’t really care about this brand’s sportive DNA and the qualities that made it the icon it is today. The majority of people, that is.
A recent study showed that most of the drivers out there haven’t got the slightest clue what kind of traction their car has or what it’s capable of. Technical details don’t really appeal to everyone but just a select few.
Even so, there might still be some people interested in what the Active Tourer is capable of. At first, the car will be launched with 2 engine choices. The entry-level one will be dubbed 216i and will be using the same B38 engine from the new MINI (after sharing the UKL platform too) that has a displacement of 1.5 liters and 3-cylinders, making 136 HP and 220 Nm of torque. Both manual and automatic 6-speed gearboxes will be available.
The second model will be the 225i, using a 2-liter turbocharged, 4-cylinder B48 engine, making 231 HP and 350 Nm of torque, the engine that I’m guessing will make it on the John Cooper Works MINI model in the future. This one comes only with an automatic 8-speed ZF unit for now.
There will also be a diesel available, but only in Europe for now. The 218d uses a 2-liter turbodiesel engine that makes 150 HP and 330 Nm of torque and can be hooked up to a manual 6-speed gearbox or an 8-speed auto.
Probably the best thing about this car though, is its interior. It’s the first one that shows some palpable changes in over a decade. From practicality and storage space to the new shape of the climate control panel and the dash, everything is a bit fresher without going too far away from BMW trademark styling cues.
The 2 Series Active Tourer will go on sale this year, looking to steal some of Mercedes-Benz B-Class’ thunder. Will it succeed? I think so.
Update: the car on display at Geneva is a 218d model, fitted with the aforementioned 2-liter B48 turbodiesel engine making 150 HP and 330 Nm of torque connected to a manual 6-speed gearbox that allows the MPV to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.9 seconds and go up to a top speed of 205 km/h (128 mph) while averaging an estimated fuel consumption of 4.1 l/100 km (57 mpg).
And still, the 2 Series Active Tourer never tried to claim any beauty pageants. Its purpose is to appeal to those that want premium quality and a BMW badge and don’t really care about this brand’s sportive DNA and the qualities that made it the icon it is today. The majority of people, that is.
A recent study showed that most of the drivers out there haven’t got the slightest clue what kind of traction their car has or what it’s capable of. Technical details don’t really appeal to everyone but just a select few.
Even so, there might still be some people interested in what the Active Tourer is capable of. At first, the car will be launched with 2 engine choices. The entry-level one will be dubbed 216i and will be using the same B38 engine from the new MINI (after sharing the UKL platform too) that has a displacement of 1.5 liters and 3-cylinders, making 136 HP and 220 Nm of torque. Both manual and automatic 6-speed gearboxes will be available.
The second model will be the 225i, using a 2-liter turbocharged, 4-cylinder B48 engine, making 231 HP and 350 Nm of torque, the engine that I’m guessing will make it on the John Cooper Works MINI model in the future. This one comes only with an automatic 8-speed ZF unit for now.
There will also be a diesel available, but only in Europe for now. The 218d uses a 2-liter turbodiesel engine that makes 150 HP and 330 Nm of torque and can be hooked up to a manual 6-speed gearbox or an 8-speed auto.
Probably the best thing about this car though, is its interior. It’s the first one that shows some palpable changes in over a decade. From practicality and storage space to the new shape of the climate control panel and the dash, everything is a bit fresher without going too far away from BMW trademark styling cues.
The 2 Series Active Tourer will go on sale this year, looking to steal some of Mercedes-Benz B-Class’ thunder. Will it succeed? I think so.
Update: the car on display at Geneva is a 218d model, fitted with the aforementioned 2-liter B48 turbodiesel engine making 150 HP and 330 Nm of torque connected to a manual 6-speed gearbox that allows the MPV to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.9 seconds and go up to a top speed of 205 km/h (128 mph) while averaging an estimated fuel consumption of 4.1 l/100 km (57 mpg).
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