[Auto] Behold the new, embiggened BMW X2 and all-electric iX2

[El Máster Edwin]

And of course, that includes the kidney grille… yours from £39k and up

 

This is the all-new, second-generation X2, and like most BMWs these days it wants your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle. Yup, the kidney grille is bigger and bolder than before.

Much like the rest of the car: the X2 has grown in every direction, now longer (by 194mm), wider (by 21mm) and taller (up 64mm despite the more coupe-like sloping roofline) than the Mk1. Meanwhile the wheelbase has grown by 22mm, and BMW promises more shoulder and elbow room for all five passengers.

You have three powertrain options; two petrol, one electric. The entry car is the sDrive20i powered by a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine producing 168bhp. That’s enough for 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds and fuel economy of 47.1mpg, claims BMW.

Then there’s the much fruitier M35i xDrive, which gets a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder (and quad exhausts?) capable of 296bhp and 295lb ft. Oh, now the pipes make sense. 0-62mph takes just 5.4 seconds and the top speed is limited to 155mph. M Compound brakes - 385mm up front and 330mm at the rear, with grey callipers - are optional. Both combustion cars get a seven-speed auto.

 

Finally you’ve got the fully electric iX2, which will be built on the same production line in Regensburg. It’s the most powerful (just) at 309bhp on boost and the torquiest at 364lb ft. It’s two tenths slower to 62mph (because of the weight, we speculate) while a 64.8kWh battery returns 266 miles of range.

Charging capacity amounts to 11kW AC (22kW is optional) or 130kW DC: the latter will replenish the cells from 10 to 80 per cent in 29 minutes.

M Sport spec is standard, and so you get 19-inch wheels, adaptive suspension and a mechanical limited-slip diff, and inside the 10.25-inch instrument cluster and 10.7-inch touchscreen merge to form one big display. It runs BMW’s iDrive and its latest operating system, as well as - you guessed it - Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the 95 per cent of us who’ll just stick to what we know.

 

Heated sports seats, splashings of Alcantara, a leather steering wheel, sat nav, two-zone automatic climate control, a reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights are thrown in too. As is the way these days, there are many, many active safety systems.

The new BMW X2 will make its global debut at the Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show) on 26 October, and the first cars will be delivered in March 2024.

Prices start from a not-insignificant £39,365 (almost £6k more than the old car) while the M35i costs an even more not-insignificant £47,395. The iX2 on the other hand is priced from… £56,540. Big money indeed.

 

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