The compact SUV from Munich is betting on a comprehensive range of engine options. Having grown in size, it offers the highest level of market digitalization: including video and music apps on a smartphone-like display. Our test in Portugal
Both versions have equal power, but one is fully electric while the other is equipped with a petrol engine. The two distinct souls of the new BMW X2 coexist harmoniously in a market that, according to BMW, has yet to find its definitive path. As Frank Weber, a board member from Munich, explained at the launch of the second generation of the German SUV coupé: “We want to offer the best solution to everyone in this transition phase. Electric is the future, but it’s not exactly clear when it will arrive because there are many factors influencing its path.”
Thus, the compact BMW will also be offered in two diesel variants. To each their own, so to speak. The two versions tested in Portugal – the M35i with 300 horsepower, and the iX2 xDrive30 with 313 horsepower – had the merit of enhancing the model’s sportiness, with its sleek line, generous wheel arches capable of accommodating 21-inch rims (a first), balanced proportions, aggressive front, and the broad, almost hexagonal kidney grille. An aspect that cleverly conceals the increased dimensions: 194 mm longer (now the X2 measures 455 cm with a likewise increased wheelbase), 64 mm taller, and 21 mm wider.
As is increasingly the case with the German brand’s new offerings, the biggest surprises concern the features. The advanced operating system, System 9, controls almost all of the car’s functions, including a wide array of assists and driving modes, from the sportiest to the most comfortable (the most curious is the relax mode, selecting which opens the panoramic sunroof and starts the massage of the front seats). The long horizontal display is designed like a smartphone screen: icons are moved with a finger, but there are really many and unlike modern mobile phones, they cannot be grouped into folders. Furthermore, the latest generation infotainment has reached home TV levels and even includes television channels, allowing for streaming of music videos and sporting events (perhaps during electric charging stops). The physical buttons have disappeared, leaving only the gear shift command moved along with the driving mode selector on the floating armrest, in a somewhat unnatural position.
The driving pleasure is immediate: on the roads facing the picturesque inlets of Guincho and Cabo da Roca, then winding through a tortuous network up to Sintra, the X2 demonstrates excellent maneuverability. In sport mode, the iX2 xDrive30 accelerates like lightning (but the petrol version is no less impressive), the boost paddle on the steering wheel provides an additional boost for overtaking, the regenerative braking is really effective, the steering precise, and the comfort adequate in all conditions. The range obviously varies (up to 449 km for the electric), as does the price: from 60,900 euros for the iX2 xDrive30 to 63,200 euros for the M35i.
