BMW’s new-gen 2 Series Active Tourer MPV looks, feels, and drives in a more exciting way, and will break new ground for the brand’s small cars in Singapore

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Photos: BMW, Tom Kirkpatrick, Derryn Wong

Malaga, Spain – BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer breaks the mould of its staid past by learning big lessons from bigger, more expensive BMWs – and on a wider stage it breaks exciting new ground for small BMWs to come.

We have full details on the car in our in-depth news story, everything from how it looks, to tech improvements, engine variants, Singapore pricing and more. Be sure to read that to make sense of this review in full.

The 2 Series Active Tourer debuted in 2014 and immediately raised the hackles of BMW purists because it was the brand’s first ever multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and also its first front-wheel drive vehicle. That mattered nothing to normal buyers, who over the car’s lifetime bought 430,000 of them worldwide, making the car an unqualified success. In Singapore, the Cat A friendly 216i/216d and seven-geat GT model ensured it mirrored that success too. 

CarBuyer found the first-gen 2AT to be practical and useful, but not the prettiest looking car inside and out. Its saving grace was that it drove better than the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, which wasn’t a particularly high bar to cross. Which is why the new-gen car is a refreshing break from history.

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Design and Appearance: Crossing the i

We said the first 2AT/GT was never a looker and Ju-Len put it this way: “As for its being a BMW, I’d say owning a 216d is a bit like dating the ugliest Kardashian sister. It’s still fairly glam, and your pals will (probably) still envy you.”

While the new 2AT has a similar silhouette to before, in person it looks far more palatable than the photos suggest – ironically because it has a wider derriere.

BMW’s cribbed design cues from the iX flagship electric SUV – the thin lights, the tall hexagon grille, the cleaner aesthetic. A raked windscreen means the car looks less boxy/awkward and more purposeful, as well as the figure lines running down the side giving the car a ‘forward-aiming’ stance.

As mentioned in our news story, the car’s larger than before and it’s significantly wider, which gives it a less tall, oblong appearance, and married with the big griller and wider track, a crossover look rather than a van-like one. That’s important because in the ensuing years, SUVs have displaced the MPV as the choice for practical motorists.

Onto page 2: Why the 2AT’s interior reminds us of the iX flagship EV

1.Introduction, Design and Appearance
2.Interior and Features, Practicality and space  
3.Driving experience, Competition and Conclusion

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