Misfit, unmistakably clever

There’s nothing else quite like the BMW 225e PHEV in the German maker’s line-up

The BMW 2-Series Active Tourer has always been a bit of an orphan in the BMW lineup, but it’s also something of a pioneer. The 225xe model introduced clever plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology to the German brand almost a decade ago, and in a clever way: petrol engine driving the front wheels, electric motor at the back.

It was based on the Mini Countryman platform of course, which shares that same powertrain set-up.

Now there’s an all-new 2-Series Active Tourer, the 225e, and all of the above still applies. Now, as then, it’s the cheapest EV in the current BMW line-up. Now, as then, it’s still tricky to figure out where it fits in.

But let’s have a go. It’s no relation to the 2-Series coupe, which is a completely different thing. No, we don’t know why they insist on calling it a “2” either. It’s closer to the 1-Series, as both are built upon the Mini platform.

BMW calls it an Active Tourer, but that’s just code for something that was popular years ago, but isn’t now: a compact people mover. Sure, there are styling cues in the new car that align it more with BMW’s SUVs, but the fact of the matter is the 225e has low ground clearance and a tall roofline to make it more spacious for passengers and cargo. It’s an MPV.

And it’s quite small, fitting underneath the new X1 SUV in terms of size, although it’s actually $6k more expensive at $78,500 — which you can put down to that PHEV powertrain.

The 225e does owe the X1 quite a lot, though. Not just the styling vibe but also its interior architecture: the dashboard is virtually identical, save the head-up display which goes from a proper wind-screen-reflected set-up in the X1 to a flimsy bit of pop-up Perspex in the Active

Tourer. Something to do with the extreme angle of the windscreen?

The interior sports the latest BMW widescreen curved instrument panel, full of lovely graphics and bright colours.

It’s probably not the kind of PHEV you’ll buy if you enjoy fiddling around with drive modes and power delivery. The electric stuff mostly just happens in the background, although there is a shortcut button that brings up a menu to “Activate Electric” (or deactivate for that matter).

Nor does the instrument panel trumpet the powertrain’s workings. The tiny battery-charge indicator simply glows blue if the car is in EV mode, or white if the petrol engine is running.

Adaptive mode lets the car decide everything, Efficient makes greater use of EV running and Sport fires up the thrummy three-cylinder engine straight away.

There’s plenty of battery power to play with. The claimed EV range is an excellent 87km and in daily wallbox charges, our car was showing 75-80km consistently. It’s AC-only, but it can charge at 7kW-plus, so you can take it from flat to full in under three hours.

When it’s in electric mode, it’s reardrive of course; but it can also be FWD or AWD depending on what’s happening with the PHEV tech. That’s kind of cool.

It’s a great eco city car, running silently on electric power and riding beautifully on sensible (if modestlooking) 18-inch wheels. No massive BMW rims for this baby. But it’s also decently quick if you want it to be, with 180kW combined on tap.

The 225e also has BMW’s IconicSounds EV noise generator in the cabin, just like its full battery electric vehicles (BEVs). It runs in EV mode, but also when you’re accelerating hard with the petrol engine running. So you get the thrummy three- cylinder soundtrack and the spaceship EV noise singing along together, which is weird. But good-weird.

It’s comfortable transport for four adults, and while the 406-litre boot is only average on paper, the rear seats can slide or have their backrests locked in different positions to make the most of the available space: an extra 90l if you want it.

BMW NZ has obviously worked hard to get this car at the right price. It’s a shame it looks so low-key (there are styling packages available in Europe that give it a real visual lift), because at heart it’s a quick, clever and eco-aware little hatch/MPV/SUV thingy. It might be confusing, but it’s also a pleasing little PHEV package.