BMW unveils rakish X2 and iX2 spin-offs of the X1 and iX1, including a hot M35i version
No diesel option for UK buyers
This is the BMW X2, the expected spin-off of the third-generation X1 premium compact SUV from the German company — and, for the first time, the coupé-SUV will be available as an electric vehicle (EV) called the iX2.
BMW is going to begin the global launch programme for the X2 and iX2 family in March next year, with customers being offered some, but not all, of the powertrains found in the related X1/iX1 line.
While there have been three generations of the X1, the X2 only arrived during the second iteration of the more prosaic compact SUV from BMW.
And the predecessor X2, while being described as a coupé, always looked like a slightly squatter, hatchback version of the X1 with which it shared many features.
No such accusations could be levelled against this new X2, however. It takes full coupé-mimicking aesthetic inspiration from the larger X4 and X6 models in BMW’s own portfolio.
Indeed, the X2 doesn’t share any panels with the X1 — even the front-end design is different, with hexagonal kidney grilles and a bonnet sporting different contours for the new coupé model.
Bigger on the outside, more capacious within
Like many modern cars as they change from one generation to the next, the X2 has grown in every external dimension when compared to its forebear.
This physical increase in size should be to the benefit of interior space, and that certainly looks to be true when it comes to the boot capacity. The rear of the X2 and iX2 can accommodate between 515 and 560 litres of luggage with all seats in use.
For front-seat occupants, the high-tech infotainment system — running on BMW’s latest Operating System 9 software — will be the focal point. It is presented on the ‘Curved Display’, a large twin-screen arrangement that forms the instrument cluster and central touchscreen together into one unit.
Pure-electric for the first time
The first-ever electric X2 will be the iX2 xDrive30, featuring the more powerful 309bhp twin-motor drive set-up from the iX1, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 5.6 seconds when the boost function is used.
BMW quotes a driving range of between 259 and 266 miles for this pure-electric coupé-SUV, thanks to a battery with a 64.7kWh net capacity, and the car recording an efficiency rating of 3.5-3.8 miles/kWh.
Charging times are reasonably rapid, with 130kW DC connections providing a 10-80 per cent top-up of the battery in 29 minutes. Charging via an 11kW AC socket can be achieved in six-and-a-half hours, and BMW will offer the option to upgrade to 22kW AC charging for faster times.
Petrol and mild-hybrid options, but no diesel
For those who aren’t ready for the EV transition just yet, the regular X2 line-up has one mild-hybrid petrol engine and then a high-performance petrol model to consider, too. BMW will manufacture a diesel model, but it is not to be offered to UK buyers.
The entry-level sDrive20i employs a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine augmented by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system featuring an 14kW electric motor to help turn the engine.
Combined, these deliver 168bhp, and allow the X2 sDrive20i to achieve 47.1mpg, with as little as 136g/km of CO2 emissions. Performance is decent, with 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds, but this is the X2 with the smallest boot because the 48-volt system’s battery is housed in the rear of the BMW.
The final part of the launch line-up for the X2 is the M35i xDrive. This has a turbocharged 2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 296bhp. It’s limited to 155mph and does 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds, so it’s marginally quicker than the iX2 xDrive30.
All the X2 models use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, with the ‘sDrive’ versions powering the front wheels only. The M35i, meanwhile, has four-wheel drive.
M Sport as standard in the UK
Unlike the BMW X1, the new X2 will be offered exclusively in M Sport specifications. A starting retail price of £39,365 for the X2 sDrive20i M Sport is considerably higher than the £34,365 (an on-the-road price) BMW charges for the least-expensive X1 in a lower specification.
The X2 M35i is priced at £47,395, while the sole electric version detailed at launch — the iX2 xDrive30 M Sport — costs £56,540. It is expected that a lower-priced, single-motor iX2 will be introduced by the middle of 2024.
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