Totally ungovernable: the new BMW X2
THE BMW X2 is more than just a new BMW X model. With its unmistakable design and sporty, urban genes, it makes a confident impression both in its class and within the BMW X model family.
The Sports Activity Coupé goes above and beyond any rival past or present in bringing joy and driving pleasure to the segment. Its inimitable character appeals most strongly to young, extrovert and active people who attach great value to individuality, genuine fun at the wheel and lifestyle matters, without wanting to leave themselves short on functionality.
The car’s chassis and xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system promises undiluted driving fun, and its cutting-edge engines strike the ideal balance between sporting dynamics and exceptional efficiency.
The bold, uncompromising nature of the new BMW X2 is evident at first sight. This vehicle stands out from the crowd in any setting.
Even next to its bigger brothers, the BMW X4 and X6, the BMW X2 makes a wholly distinctive impression.
The main contributing factor here is the car’s exterior design, which essentially combines the fast-moving body language and low-slung proportions of a coupé with the robust construction of a BMW X model.
On the road, the BMW X2 has the poise of an athlete in peak condition and road-handling is superb.
This is true for the standard M Sport and optional M Sport X model. The BMW X2 M Sport X combines design elements from BMW M and the BMW X family.
Above all, it is the BMW X2’s proportions which create its expressive, dynamic demeanour. It is shorter and more than 7cm lower than the BMW X1, yet it has the same wheelbase.
Many of the design details emphasise the BMW X2’s standalone nature while simultaneously and unequivocally signalling its membership of the X family. The time-honoured BMW kidney grille is just one example, turning the familiar trapezoidal shape on its head and instead widening from top to bottom.
This is the first time this design detail has seen the light of day on a modern BMW.
Another striking detail more typical of a BMW coupé is the placement of the brand logo on the C-pillars. Reminiscent of legendary BMW models such as the 2000 CS and 3.0 CSL, this is another element that underscores the sporting aspirations of the BMW X2.
The kidney grille has always been an identifying feature of a BMW. On the BMW X2, however, its outline is wider at its base than at its top.
The X2 is the first modern BMW to feature this design cue, and it gives the new car a broader, even more distinctive and even sportier appearance. Below the grille, the hexagonal surface treatment in the bumper further reinforces this impression.
The kidney grille provides a visual expression of the BMW X2’s classy appeal. The fronts to the grille bars in High-Gloss Black contrast with the grille’s chrome surround.
One of the ways the BMW X2 expresses the inherent power of its BMW TwinPower Turbo engines is through the design of the tailpipes.
Depending on the engine specified, the X2 may come with a single or twin arrangement. The tailpipes are 90mm in diameter.
Testing this new addition to the BMW family in Cape Town recently was a “sheer driving pleasure”. The X2 handled extremely well on dirt roads as well as on tar. Exceptional and totally ungovernable.