BMW has always tried to appeal to a certain sect of people, such as your busy businessman who wants something to show off as well as drive every day. With the X2, however, BMW is trying to create something entirely different. It exudes youthfulness, with its loud metallic colors that seem to tell you that you should get out there and have fun. It’s a new addition to the BMW family that bridges the gap between SUV and Sedan perfectly. This is a sleeker, more compact version of the X1. We would call it a crossover, but it seems to be in a category of its own. We feel that the X2 is to BMW what the Evoque is to Range Rover.
What grabs your eye as soon as you first lay eyes on this vehicle is its beautiful Gold exterior. It is bright, not overly so but just enough to get your attention. The orange leather interiors add some zing to the already quirky aesthetic. The mood lighting in the vehicle makes it an absolute joy for nighttime driving and its color can be changed at the flick of a switch to green, white, orange, purple, or yellow. The display on the dashboard has a sensitive touchscreen offering immediate responses, something a lot of other manufacturers seem to ignore. It also features an excellent audio system with powerful inbuilt Harmon Kardon speakers. We might have spent a little too much time just sitting in the car and listening to music rather than driving. That’s how good the speakers are.
The X2 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0L V4 engine. Don’t let the 4 cylinder spec fool you, the X2 is very powerful for a crossover and puts out between 230 and 350 Nm of torque. It hosts 3 driving modes – Eco, Comfort, and Sport. The vehicle performs rather well in Eco and Comfort mode as expected. The sport mode, however, is where the fun lies. A flick of a gear and you’re roaring along the road, suddenly aware of all the power at your feet. The steering response is magnificent, as it should be when you are handling something with this much power. The acceleration is pretty impressive, allowing you to go from 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds.
It also offers a number of safety features such as a lane warning system and a collision mitigation system that automatically reduces speed/stops if another vehicle cuts right in front of you.
That being said, we did feel that the suspensions could have been a little better. You can almost feel every contour of the road, and perhaps that is what the designers were going for. It’s not meant to be an SUV. It is quite spacious in the front seats, but lacks legroom in the rear. The same could be said for any compact crossover.
All in all, the X2 is a joy to drive. It makes you feel young again. It’ll make you want to call your friends and go out for a late night coffee at your usual hangout spot or maybe even on a long road trip playing music from your college days. Perhaps the older crowd would not like it as much, but we loved it. It reminds you that life is bright and colorful and zesty and that the future is filled with adventures. As far as we’re concerned, that’s a feeling you cannot put a price on.
Editor : Rohit, Driveaholic
Photography/Videography: Chris Johnson, Driveaholic
