2018 BMW X2 vs. 2019 VOLVO XC40

Dude Said, Punk Said: Pros and cons of new kids on the subcompact luxury crossover block

Welcome to Dude Said, Punk Said, a special series devoted to skewering the automotive ramblings of young punk Nick Tragianis with the infinite wisdom of old dude Brian Harper. This week, the duo do battle over two new players in the luxury crossover world: BMW’s coupe-like X2 and Volvo’s stylish XC40.

Nick Tragianis: If you build it, they will come. Apparently, that’s BMW’s mindset regarding the X2. New for 2018, this is yet another one of those fourdoor “coupe” SUVs BMW seems to love so much. With the soon to arrive X7, BMW will have an SUV (or crossover) from one through seven.

I suppose it’s warranted. Crossovers and sport-utes are big money for BMW, but there’s no good reason for the X2 to exist. There, I said it. The X2 is little more than a restyled and somewhat less practical X1. Yet, here we are. BMW is building it and the buyers are coming. I don’t get it. If you want a small luxury crossover with a BMW badge, is the X1 not enough?

The X2 isn’t the only new kid on the block, though. Also new this year is Volvo’s XC40 and, unlike the X2, this thing makes sense. Volvo needs a player in the segment to take on the likes of the Audi Q3, the Infiniti QX30 and Mercedes-Benz’s GLA twins — and apparently BMW’s X1 and X2 — with some good old-fashioned Swedish minimalism. Brian Harper: Yes, BMW’s product direction seems to be looking less like fast sedans and coupes and more about crossovers or, using BMW’s preferred term, sports activity vehicles. No less than seven distinct, all-wheel-drive soft-roaders for 2018. Wow! Talk about jumping into a market with both feet — one that’s hugely profitable and insanely competitive, I might add. So, young Nick, if BMW sees an opportunity to make money by building impractical coupe-style crossovers that stress style over utility (X2, X4 and X6), let it sink or swim on that decision. Besides, we’ve had the impracticality of coupe and coupe-styled cars for decades. You got a beef with them?

Volvo, too, has succumbed to the lure of the crossover segment, first with the fullsized XC90, then the midsized XC60, and now the compact XC40. And while the X2 focuses on BMW’s traditional precept of sportiness, the XC40 plays to Volvo’s strengths of safety and practical utility, while adding welcomed style to the equation. Yet, while both companies take a slightly different tack in their approach to the compact luxury crossover niche, there are a lot of similarities with engine size, drivetrain, dimensions and pricing being primary among them. So which one is turning your crank?

NT: Well, it’s tough to tell these two apart based on their spec sheets. Both cute-utes are powered by 2.0-litre turbo fours — because of course they are — and both have eight-speed automatic transmissions. Oh, and both are all-wheel drive. The Volvo packs a bit more kick, though. It’s good for 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which is available nice and early at 1,500 rpm. It’s a sprightly, smooth and composed little thing, hardly breaking a sweat on the highway and keeping the ride hushed, while soaking up bumps, potholes and rough pavement in the city like nobody’s business. Seriously, for something with 21-inch wheels, the XC40 rides incredibly well. Wish I could say the same for the X2, though.

BH: Ah, yes, the optional P225/45R20 performance run-flats. They do compromise ride quality, don’t they? Run over a set of railway tracks or a piece of patched tarmac and you will feel it. Sure, the X2 has a short wheelbase and its optional M Sport suspension lowers the crossover by 10 millimetres and features much firmer spring and damper tuning than the XC40, but there ain’t a lot of give in those side walls.

If you can live with a stiff ride, though, the X2 does a very good job of impersonating the light and lively cars that BMW used to build. I know the purists will sniff, but truly, the X2 hangs on when the tarmac gets twisty, wet or dry. Giving credit where it’s due, the xDrive all-wheeldrive system as well as the dynamic stability control setup keep the crossover pointed in the right direction. For me, this is an acceptable compromise. But I’m a sporty kind of guy.