BMW X2: full details announced

The new BMW X2 – dubbed a ‘sports activity coupe’ by its maker – has been officially revealed ahead of its 2018 launch date.

According to BMW it will be the best car to drive in its class, with a chassis and xDrive four-wheel drive system that “promise undiluted driving fun”. It will also introduce a new M Sport X trim level, “inspired the by the world of rally racing”.

Previous teasers, spy shots, concepts and leaked patent applications have already given us a fair indication of what this new model will offer. Sitting between the traditional X1 and X3 SUVs, the X2 will appeal to high-riding car fans after a more affordable model than the BMW X4 coupe SUV. Its main rival will be the Mercedes GLA, but it will also be an alternative to models like the Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque.

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BMW’s latest design language, with the company’s trademark twin kidney grill present and correct – although the double-layer head and foglights should give it a unique identity.

Another design aspect that may well set the X2 apart from other BMWs is the placement of BMW roundels on the ‘C’ window pillar. These rekindle a design cue seen on classic BMW coupes like the 2000 CS and 3.0 CSL.

Such details may seem relatively minor, but in the increasingly homogenised and populous SUV class – not to mention the burgeoning SUV-coupe market – carving out a fresh character for a new model gets trickier by the day.

When it arrives, the BMW X2 will follow other even-numbered BMW ‘X’ cars by offering a blend of SUV and coupe styling, just as the X4 and X6 currently do.

We’ve previously spotted pre-production prototype X2 on the famous Nürburgring circuit in Germany – where the brand’s famous M performance division has a test centre. The presence of the BMW M facility fuels speculation that a high-performance version of the X2 is already in the works.

BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system will underpin most X2 models, although entry-level petrol and diesel models will be offered with front-wheel-drive, allowing the new car appeal to a wider audience. Prices are expected to be a little higher than for the X1, but will likely undercut 2017’s all-new BMW X3.

2018 BMW X2 design

The BMW X2 is the first production BMW to feature a taller version of the kidney grille, which is wider at its base than at the top. It’s also the first ‘X’ model to gain BMW roundels on its C-pillars, in a throwback to classic models.

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Its headlights are familiar, with twin circular elements surrounded by LED daytime running lights, but the fog lights are positioned higher than normal for a twist on the usual BMW nose. Full-LED headlights will be available as an option. Horizontal rear light clusters have been fitted to emphasise the X2’s width, while LED ‘signature’ light strips mark it out as a BMW model.

Alloy wheels will be standard on the X2, but there are 10 optional wheel designs if you don’t want the 17-inch items. Both the M Sport and M Sport X trims will be shod with 19-inch rims, with 20-inch versions available as an option.

Meanwhile, the rear bumper and side skirts also vary depending on the trim, with basic versions getting black cladding to accentuate its SUV pretensions. M Sport trim sees them in body colour paint, and the addition of a diffuser-style bumper. The M Sport X gets a rear bumper insert painted Frozen Grey, along with side skirts finished in the same colour, designed to make the X2 appear higher off the ground.

Interior

The interior features a driver-focused dashboard angled towards the driver, with an instrument binnacle trimmed with soft-touch materials and contrasting stitching. The seating position is raised in relation to the centre console, giving occupants more of an SUV feel, while a panoramic sunroof should make the X2 light and airy inside.

Black panel technology has been used for the instrument cluster to improve contrast and give the gauges a “high level of technical sophistication”. Ambient interior lighting will allow passengers to choose from an orange, lilac, mint, bronze, blue or white glow at night, created by a continuous band of light travelling around the front and sides of the X2.

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Large door pockets and stowage bins should add to its practicality, while the X2’s boot measures 470 litres, making it 11 litres smaller than the Mercedes GLA’s luggage compartment.

Trim levels

The standard BMW X2 has a non-metallic black paint finish, with nine more optional colours available, including a new Galvanic Gold metallic. Also standard are 17-inch wheels, with 18- and 19-inch rims on the options list, while the kidney grille has a chrome surround and gloss-black fins. The interior is decked out in Anthracite cloth upholstery, but if that’s a little plain for your tastes, contrasting stitching and four shades of Dakota leather are available.

Upgrading to the X2 M Sport trim adds five more paint colours to the palette, including a new Misano Blue metallic finish, while non-metallic Alpine White becomes the standard no-cost option. Larger, 19-inch alloy wheels are standard, and inside there’s cloth and Alcantara upholstery with contrasting blue piping and stitching.

The new X2 M Sport X grade is said to be inspired by rally cars, and its new exterior trim comes finished in Frozen Grey matte paint, with different bumpers and side skirts to give it a more rugged look. Like the M Sport, 19-inch wheels are standard, but here the interior piping and stitching is yellow instead of blue. There’s also special ‘pearl-effect’ chrome trim inserts and ambient lighting to lift the interior.

Engines

When it first arrives, the BMW X2 will be offered with just three engines, with the first the sDrive20i petrol with a seven-speed automatic gearbox, two-wheel drive and a 189bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. It can sprint from 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds and has a 141mph top speed. In the entry-level trim it’ll return up to 51.4mpg, with emissions of 126g/km of CO2, but these figures will be slightly worse for M Sport trims due to larger wheels.

Two diesels will also be available, badged xDrive20d and xDrive25d, with four-wheel drive as standard and 187bhp or 228bhp respectively. The entry-version will return up to 61.4mpg and emit as little as 121g/km of CO2 with 17-inch wheels fitted, while the xDrive25d can manage 55.4mpg and 133g/km.

As the line-up becomes more established, petrol sDrive18i and xDrive20i versions will arrive, along with sDrive18d and xDrive18d models with front- and four-wheel drive.

With rivals already offering fast compact SUVs like the Mercedes GLA 45 AMG and Audi RS Q3, a high-performance X2 seems highly likely. A sporty M25i would appear first, while BMW’s M division could apply its name to an even faster version to compete with Audi and Mercedes for the compact SUV performance crown.

BMW X2 price & release date

UK order books are likely to open at the end of 2017 or in the early months of 2018. It’s closely related to the taller BMW X1, so a starting price of just under £30,000 is likely for entry-level petrol models, while the BMW X2 xDrive25d M Sport X is likely to cost closer to £40,000.