Item: BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
Rating: 4

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MPVs are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer proves they still have a place in today’s car market.

The 2 Series Active Tourer is essentially a taller, more family-friendly version of the BMW 1 Series. Confusingly, it sits on the same platform as the 1 Series but not the BMW 2 Series Coupé, which it actually shares very little with.

Some 80% of 2 Series Active Tourer buyers are new to BMW. No other model in the brand's line-up has such a high conquest rate.
Greg Kable
European editor

Practicality and adaptability are the name of the game for the Active Tourer. As such, it offers a variety of powertrains, although no diesel any more.

There are two petrol and two plug-in hybrids on offer, and the latter pair come with four-wheel drive.

Direct rivals are few and far between. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class is the most obvious in that it’s quite posh and quite tall. The Dacia Jogger offers more room and seats for less cash and clearly a lot less cache.

Buyers might also be attracted to small SUVs, of which there are many to choose from.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer

Useful, pragmatic and posh German MPV

Good

Fast, engaging engines

Feels much like a 1 Series to drive

Tech-heavy interior

Bad

Adaptive suspension is too performance-oriented

Some ergonomic flaws

MPV looks going out of fashion

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Easy to get in and out of

Cons

Looks a bit like a fat 1 Series

At 4386mm long, 1824mm wide and 1576mm high, the Active Tourer is just 25mm longer and 24mm wider but a good 117mm higher than the 1 Series.

The 1 Series isn’t a particularly svelte car, and the proportions of the Active Tourer tip it firmly out of hatchback territory and into MPV.

It's a bit like a posh Honda Jazz.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

There are numerous practical reasons why this is good. For starters, the generous height and wide-opening doors make for easy entry to both the front and the rear seats. But to look at it does definitely have a whiff of the garden centre about it.

M Sport models can be optioned with 19in wheels, which help make the car look a bit lower and meaner. But there’s no escaping its height.

INTERIOR

Pros

Easy to get in and out of

Modern, premium infotainment

Cons

PHEVs have smaller boot

The interior has a curved screen housing both 10.3in instrument and 10.7in infotainment displays. Notably, there’s no iDrive controller; instead, most functions are controlled via the touchscreen.

Its infotainment is slick and works well enough at a standstill, but it's a little frustrating on the move, because of the constant need to tap away at a screen for basic functions that are usually the preserve of traditional buttons.

The cabin is airy by traditional BMW standards.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

That said, the (optional) augmented-reality sat-nav that overlays directions on a real-time camera view of the road ahead does work brilliantly.

A pod between the front seats houses a gearbox controller and an electric handbrake. Ahead of it is a large stowage bin and there are fairly large bins in each door.

You sit a good 120mm higher than in the 1 Series, with a commanding view ahead and excellent all-round vision, making the Active Tourer well conceived for city driving.

The larger windows give you both a great view out and let more light into an interior that feels as bright and airy as its increased size would suggest.

A further draw is the clever use of space by ICE car standards. It has much greater head, elbow and shoulder room than a typical hatchback.

And the boot offers up 415 litres worth of space – more than the 1 Series but less than the B-Class. Space is further reduced in the PHEV, because the batteries are kept back there, but it’s still usable and of a similar kind of size to other PHEVs'.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Lots of options

PHEVs are smooth and effortlessly powerful

Cons

The performance figures are somewhat wasted on an MPV

When this car was first launched, there were six engine options. BMW has since seen fit to ditch diesel and the least powerful petrol, so now there are only four.

They consist of two petrols and two PHEVs.

The impressive thing is how little you would know about what it’s up to mechanically and when it’s doing its various things.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

The less powerful petrol is the 220i, with a 168bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit.

The more powerful petrol is the 223i, with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit that delivers 215bhp and a warm-hatch baiting 0-62mph time of 7.0sec. It's also claimed to be able to crack 150mph, which boggles the mind just a little.

It has quite an eager powertrain, accepting revs happily while remaining smooth and a lot less vocal than many rival engines when worked hard.

Then there are the PHEVs. The 225e has 242bhp and the 230e has 322bhp. They use the same 1.5-litre petrol engine but the 230e gets a more powerful electric motor.

Both are fast and four-wheel-drive, with the latter completing the 0-62mph sprint in 5.5sec.

The brakes of the PHEVs are a bit tricky, as they lack strong initial response that inspires confidence and suffer from a long pedal action that often results in you having to apply sudden inputs at the last moment, because the car isn’t slowing as you had expected. Still, there’s nothing wrong with the outright stopping power.

As before and as elsewhere in PHEV land, it’s the integration of the various drive systems that’s key to usability and here’s where the PHEVs score well.

In normal driving, the electric motor assists the petrol engine, filling a torque gap while the engine spools from low revs, assisting performance when you ask for full acceleration and pitching in to drive on electric power alone whenever it can, even once any initial battery charge is depleted.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Firm but comfortable damping

More responsive than you might expect of an MPV

Cons

Lack of steering feel

In a move that BMW says is driven by customer demand, the steering is very light. It's also quite synthetic in feel.

The system is however very direct and provides impressive response, even if it lacks any real communication.

There's decent enough control of the body movements for a tall car.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

Firm damping helps to keep body movement in check over winding roads. There is inevitable lean when lateral forces begin to build in corners but it's progressive and well controlled.

There is a good deal of grip, too: you can load up the front tyres and rely on the purchase. Overall agility is impressive.

It rides comfortably, with good noise isolation. It’s stable at speed, too.

But this is a sensible rather than exciting car, which, if you come at the Active Tourer expecting the kind of drive BMW would traditionally offer, could leave you a bit cold. It’s up to your lifestyle, rather than the model, to supply the dynamics.

Top-spec M Sport cars get standard adaptive dampers. Even in their softest setting, they deliver strong body control, which means the Active Tourer rarely feels as heavy and tall as the scales and tape measure suggest. They are somewhat overkill for an MPV, though, and are broadly too firm.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

All models should be economical in the real world

Cons

Official MPG for PHEVs are largely irrelevant

WLTP economy figures for the Active Tourer range from good to slightly unbelievable.

The 220i is capable of 49.6mpg on the WLTP cycle and the more powerful 223i drops down only to 47.9mpg. Both of these figures should be almost achievable, but in the real-world, the gap between the pair will likely be larger.

When the batteries in the PHEVs have no energy left, they still return an MPG deep into the 50s without too much effort on the driver’s part.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

The 225e PHEV has a quite ambitious consumption rating of 313.9mpg with an electric-only range of 53 miles. The 230e is theoretically capable of the same MPG and 52 miles of EV running.

They can both charge their batteries at 7.4kW so will take around 2.5 hours to go from 0-100% on a wallbox.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer

Useful, pragmatic and posh German MPV

Good

Fast, engaging engines

Feels much like a 1 Series to drive

Tech-heavy interior

Bad

Adaptive suspension is too performance-oriented

Some ergonomic flaws

MPV looks going out of fashion

The Active Tourer isn’t an obvious choice for family car buyers, but maybe it should be.

It’s more practical than a family hatchback and offers the BMW driving experience people love. If you’re really after a practical BMW that’s good to drive, this is your only MPV option.

After a practical BMW that isn't an SUV? Here it is.
Murray Scullion
Digital editor

The BMW will no doubt find a loyal band of buyers who will revel in this car's combination of hatchback handiness on the road and an interior that’s flexible and offers the space to rival an executive saloon.

And when you’re constantly carting about a family and their things, there’s a lot to like in that approach. Moreover, it’s a more dynamic, better-equipped and versatile choice than its only real remaining rival, the B-Class.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested:

2 Series Active Tourer 223i

Price:

£32,715

Engine:

4 cyls, 1998cc, turbocharged petrol with electric assist

Transmission:

7-speed automatic

Driveline layout:

Front-engine, front-wheel drive

Model tested

2 Series Active Tourer 223i

Price

£32,715

Engine

4 cyls, 1998cc, turbocharged petrol with electric assist

View all specs and rivals

Transmission

7-speed automatic

Driveline layout

Front-engine, front-wheel drive

Power

215bhp

Torque

265lb ft

0-62mph

7.0sec

Top speed

150mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

1545kg

Fuel economy

42.8-47.1mpg

CO2

137-149g

BIK tax band

32-34%

Rivals Mercedes-Benz B-Class Volkswagen Touran Dacia Jogger

Power

215bhp

Torque

265lb ft

0-62mph

7.0sec

Top speed

150mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

1545kg

Fuel economy

42.8-47.1mpg

CO2

137-149g

BIK tax band

32-34%

Rivals Mercedes-Benz B-Class Volkswagen Touran Dacia Jogger

Murray Scullion

Title: Digital editor

Murray has been a journalist for more than a decade. During that time he’s written for magazines, newspapers and websites, but he now finds himself as Autocar’s digital editor.

He leads the output of the website and contributes to all other digital aspects, including the social media channels, podcasts and videos. During his time he has reviewed cars ranging from £50 - £500,000, including Austin Allegros and Ferrari 812 Superfasts. He has also interviewed F1 megastars, knows his PCPs from his HPs and has written, researched and experimented with behavioural surplus and driverless technology.

Murray graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in Journalism in 2014 and has previously written for Classic Car Weekly, Modern Classics Magazine, buyacar.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and CAR Magazine, as well as carmagazine.co.uk.