This, ladies and gentlemen, is the future: BMW insiders tell us that
half of the company’s lineup eventually will consist of
front-wheel-drive vehicles. The 2-series Active Tourer
is the first such vehicle, and it has so little in common with any
other BMW that it could send shockwaves throughout the enthusiast
community. It is called 2-series because it is bigger than a 1-series, not because it has anything in common with the 2-series coupe.
It is a tall-roofed minivan. It comes with three- and four-cylinder
engines. It is front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is coming later). And
it shares its platform with a Mini.
Why this departure? BMW figures there are a lot of young, active folks
who need space for their healthy and exciting outdoor activities. Then
there are those who need a spacious but compact second car. Also there
are mobility-challenged people who simply like the easy ingress and
egress of a vehicle with a high roof. Many have little interest in the
finer points of sports and performance cars as discussed among
enthusiasts. The merits of rear-wheel drive? Turbo four or naturally
aspirated inline-six? Should an "M" have an automatic? They couldn't
care less. Yet they want a BMW, and the company has listened.
Styling-wise, BMW has kept the shock factor to a minimum—perhaps too
much so. The exterior of the 2-series Active Tourer is as pleasant to
look at as it can be given its shape, but there isn't a single character
line that we haven't seen somewhere else. A Mercedes B-class has more pizzazz; a VW Golf Sportsvan
is better resolved. Inside, it's a different story. Here, the 2-series
Active Tourer serves up a sophisticated and contemporary interpretation
of BMW's layered interior design language. It is practical, too,
although a lot of functions would be easier to access if they had their
own control buttons instead of hiding several menus down in the iDrive
system.
The driver gets a thick, grippy steering wheel and a slightly elevated
seating position. Two elements, however, hint at cost-cutting pressures:
The head-up display, which is linked to the optional navigation system,
is projected onto a separate panel (think Mazda 3),
not the windshield. And the gear selector for the automatic
transmission operates a conventional linkage and is thus much better to
use than the finicky electronic gear selector in the brand's larger
cars. There’s a crossover’s worth of cargo space inside—53 cubic feet of
it with the rear seats folded.
Even though the Active Tourer’s lineup will include a range of models
with both diesel and gasoline engines, BMW is sending just the
top-of-the-line 225i to the U.S. It comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder
turbo and eight-speed automatic. Rated at 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft
of torque, it is the most powerful car in the segment, such as it is. It
just doesn't feel that way. The power rush is strong, but the engine
tone is subdued; the overall noise level is so low that we constantly
underestimated the speeds driven, especially those driven in a straight
line. The Aisin-supplied automatic is unobtrusive, but when using manual
mode, less gears would be more. Here's a typical situation: You want to
get to a lower gear for a passing maneuver or an upcoming corner. But
the transmission has put you in seventh or eighth. It takes way too many
downshifts with marginal rev changes to actually get the engine where
you want it to be.
The electromechanical power steering is precise, but effort is a bit on
the heavy side. About all we can say about the handling is that it’s
fine—like a tall Mini, in fact—although enthusiasts will call for a
firmer ride. Indeed, this car’s ride/handling balance is skewed to the
comfort side, and we found the car easier to unsettle than one of BMW's
rear-drivers. The Active Tourer’s higher center of gravity doesn’t help
here.
The 2-series Active Tourer competes in the compact-tall-wagon segment along with the odd minivan with sliding doors, such as the Mazda 5.
As such, it’s new ground for the Bavarian automaker. While it may very
well be one of the best offerings among competitors in Europe, it’s not
one that will warm the hearts of the many enthusiasts who have been the
core of the BMW brand for decades.
But hey, it's the future. Better get used to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment