The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer.

Premium class people carrier with a touch of BMW sports pedigree

There are plenty of good, hard-working family MPVs out there, but they tend to lack a bit of pizzazz. That’s the niche the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer fills, offering family sized practicality together with BMW’s acclaimed handling and performance traits. Together with its 7-seat sibling Gran Tourer (which is some 202mm longer) the 2 Series Active Tourer keeps its occupants safe and comfortable while giving the driver a welcome taste of BMW dynamics.

BMW 2 Series Range

Design

A dynamic silhouette with horizontal crease and contoured side skirts gives the Active Tourer an extra touch of sportiness, though it’s still a practical, spacious people carrier. A recent styling refresh has given the Active Tourer new front and rear bumpers, a larger grille, new air intakes and new LED fog lights. BMW also offers a wider range of exterior finishes, with a choice of 13 colours, plus some new alloy wheel designs and new ways to personalise your car. With up to 1,510 litres of variable luggage space, the Active Tourer is perfect for family life and an active lifestyle.

Performance

There are two petrol engines to choose from, the three-cylinder 218i with 140hp and the four-cylinder 190hp 220i, while the diesel options include the three-cylinder 116hp 216d, and the four-cylinder 150hp 218d and 190hp 220d. There’s also a 225xe which is a Plug-In Hybrid, offering speeds of up to 78mph and distances of up to 25 miles on electric power alone. This model is also the fastest in the range to 62mph, with a time of 6.7 seconds. The official combined fuel consumption and CO₂ emission figures for the 225xe are an impressive 113mpg and 67g/km, though whether you’ll achieve these figures depends on how much of your journey is EV powered.

Of the conventional powertrains, the 216d diesel achieves 65.7mpg while the 220i is the most economical of the petrol engines with 50.4mpg as well as being the fastest with a 0-62mph time of just 7.4 seconds. All engines benefit from a friction-reducing machining technique, and diesel models get a selective catalytic reduction system that uses AdBlue to reduce NOx emissions.

Technology

Depending on the trim level chosen, you can enjoy a tech-fest of driver aids and infotainment. model comes with a 6.5in screen running the latest version of BMW's iDrive infotainment system. This is considered one of the best sat-nav set-ups around, and it's both clear and easy to use. The screen can also be upgraded in size to 8.8in, and can incorporate connected services including real-time traffic information, wireless charging for your mobile phone and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. Several of the more popular options are available bundled together as Packs, including the Comfort Pack, Tech Pack, Vision Pack and Driver Pack.

Safety

Standard safety equipment includes Cruise Control with braking function, which can be upgraded to Active Cruise Control with Stop and Go. A rain sensor with automatic headlamp activation ensures you’re seen in poor weather conditions, LED fog lights come as standard and the optional Driving Assistant includes City Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning and Preventive Pedestrian Protection.

Verdict

Like its larger cousin the Gran Tourer, the 2 Series Active Tourer is designed for a busy life, whether it’s on the school run, the commute to work or ferrying the kids to weekend sports. Its agile handling and relatively compact dimensions will prove a boon in urban environments, but when it’s time for the holidays and the open road you’ll be pleased you chose a BMW.

Dimensions (218i)
Vehicle length	4342 mm / 170.9 in
Vehicle Width	2038 mm / 80.2 in
Vehicle Height	(unladen) 1586 mm / 62.4 in
Wheelbase	2670 mm / 105.1 in
Weight
Unladen weight (DIN)	1395 kg / 3075 lb

Engine
Engine Cylinders	3
Engine Capacity	1499 cc
Max Torque	220 nm @ 1250 rpm
Max Power	100 kW @ 4400 rpm

Performance
Top Speed	127 mph
Acceleration	0-62 mph / 9.2 sec
Efficiency
Combined cycle	53.3 - 57.6 mpg
Urban cycle	43.5 - 46.3 mpg
CO2	115-124 g/km

Large air inlets with chrome frames
LED fog lights with matt black accent trim
Oxide Silver interior trim strips
Bluetooth hands-free facility with USB audio interface and Bluetooth audio streaming
BMW Navigation with Real Time Traffic Information
Cruise control with braking function

Sport

Kidney grille with ten extra-wide High-gloss Black fronted vertical slats
40:20:40 electrically split-folding rear seat with 60:40 manually sliding bench
Sport automatic transmission, eight-speed (220d / 220d xDrive)
17" Double-spoke style 549 alloy wheels
Sport seats, driver and front passenger
Exclusive Sport Cloth/Sensatec upholstery
Interior trim strips in high-gloss black

Luxury

Chrome details in the double kidney grille, front air inlets and rear accent trim
High-quality Dakota leather with perforation interior trim
Interior trim, Fineline Stream wood with Pearl Chrome finisher
Door sill finishers with the BMW logo
Optional Panoramic glass roof

M Sport

High-gloss black sporty accents
M Aerodynamics package and M Sport suspension
M Sport multi-function leather steering wheel with speed limiting function
18" Double-spoke style 486 M light alloy wheels
No-cost option black Dakota leather sport seats with perforations and refined blue accents
Optional Estoril Blue metallic paintwork