As much as people hated the launch of the 2 Series Active Tourer, BMW’s first front-wheel drive car, they’re about to hate the brand even more for their second FWD vehicle, the 2 Series Gran Tourer that was just unveiled.
Admittedly, one could say that they are basically one and the same, the only difference being that the latter has room for seven people but we all know that’s just the half of it. The thing is, BMW is treating this car like any other and they even released a launch film for it, one that explains the car’s purpose in just over 2 minutes.
Still don’t get the picture? Well, to me it seems like BMW is trying to break off some of the customers that would typically be looking at Honda MPVs in the US and cars like the Renault Espace in Europe. The only problem is, unlike in other cases, where the Germans are trailblazers, over here, they have to follow instead of lead.
That means their cars won’t be nearly as good as those that have been doing it for some 20 years now, like the Renault for example. Having to play catch-up, not even the premium brand status won’t help the Bavarians if the price tag isn’t right from the beginning.
On the other hand, enthusiasts that love the blue and white roundel will never look at the Gran Tourer and find it acceptable because it focuses on other things instead of the driving feel. That’s what defined BMW and that’s what got them where they are today.
Even so, if we’re to look at it as this MPV is offering, maybe some soccer moms will consider it. There’s nearly 2,000 liters of space in the back when folding the rear seats and you get a third row that can accommodate 2 children for shorter trips.
The storage spaces are aplenty and you also get decent power from the mills under the bonnet. The pick of the range will definitely be the 190 HP 220d xDrive model, that has a 2-liter diesel mill doing all the work, sending its power to the four corners of the car. It’s supposed to be very frugal and with 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque it won’t turn the car into a complete slouch.
The same can’t be said about the 218i model though, that has a 3-cylinder 1.5-liter petrol engine under the bonnet making just 136 HP. When this thing is loaded to the brim, we can’t imagine it will still be lively and agile on its feet.
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