AT A GLANCE

competitors for theBMWand it is well capable of taking sales from them, but such direct competitors are small beer compared to who really could be future punters for this car.

You don’t get much of a Falcon, Commodore or even Camry for similar outlay, while those moving up from posher Japanese cars won’t find it to difficult to adjust their lease or loan to suit the Active Tourers, and while the full glass roof ($3000) and high grade trim or leather will cost you extra (from $1750 to $3750), they’d be ticked on my checklist.

Seriously, the Active-Tourer is a remarkable achievement. It turns up with the most useful cabin in its own class and several above it, and a chassis that betrays nothing of BMW’s relative lack of experience in front-drive, while its refinement, fuel economy and general talent are irrefutable.

At its launch in Austria last year, you could tell the car was a change of direction forBMW when the main presentation for the product at featured the spouse, children and family dog, long before there was any mention of its performance or the engines it

Drivetrain:

Transverse frontmounted BMW Twin Power turbo-charged, DOH, 4-valve per cylinder petrol and diesel engines with manual or steptronic options.

218i – 1499cc turbo petrol, 8-spd steptronic: 100kW at 4400rpm, 220Nm at 1250-4300rpm, 120-115 g/km CO2. 218d – 1995cc turbo diesel, 8-spd steptronic: 110kW at 4000rpm, 330Nm at 1750-2750rpm, 114-109 g/km CO2.

Outputs:

Performance:

218i-Max 205kmh, 0-100kmh 9.2 seconds. 5.2 – 4.9L/100km. 218d – Max 208 kmh, 0-100kmh 8.9 seconds, 4.3-4.1L/100km,

Independent MacPherson struts at front, multi-arm axle at rear. Electric power steering (EPS); Servotronic optional. Alloy wheels from 16 to 17 inch diameter.

Front, front-side and curtain airbags. Vented front solid rear discs, standard dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control, cornering brake control, dynamic brake control and ABS.

BMW ConnectedDrive: Full Bluetooth streaming for phone and music, MP3, and aux-in compatibility, CD, AM/FM radio, USB input, satellite navigation.

L 4342mm, H 1586mm, W 2038mm, W/base 2670mm, F/track 1557-1561mm, R/track 1558-1562m, Weight 1302-1505kg, Fuel 51L.

BMW 218i from $51,900, 218d from $62,900.

Wedge-like styling beats the usual single box shapes; diesel and petrol engines superb, clean, clear well-organised interior treatment; brilliant refinement levels.

No hybrid, plug-in or EV versions. Seven-seater version isn’t coming here.

First-time front-driver covers most family bases with real BMW style. Mission accomplished.

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Verdict:

uses. As it happens it’s better than I thought evenBMWcould manage. NowBMWNew Zealand, bring in the Grand Tourer too and let seven people have the fun instead of just five – we can’t all afford X5s you know!