hello everyone and welcome to the bmw 2 series active tourer not to be confused with the 2
series coupe this super practical family car is one of the hidden gems in bmw's lineup
no it's not particularly sporty and there's unlikely to be an m division performance
version but one thing you can say about this car is that it is extremely fit for purpose
it's also quite unique with the only true rival to this premium mpv being the mercedes-benz b-class
question is would this car suit you more than a regular hatchback or small suv
i'm hope ellen and this is another parker's cars review
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at the time of filming the 2-series active tourer is available with a regular diesel engine
as well as petrol mild hybrid and two petrol plug-in hybrid variants
now there's plenty of controversy about the exterior styling of bmws at the moment
but their cabins are some of the best around i'm sitting in a mid-spec luxury model at the moment
and i definitely like what i see ingress and egress is super easy thanks to the raised
driving position and once you're in the design is clean and spacious what's more i've got loads of
adjustment in the driving position so it's super easy to get comfortable disappointingly though
lumber adjustment is optional on all models and i am a little tight on visibility thanks to the
sharp angle of these windscreen pillars also attracting my attention is the absence of physical
buttons i'm trying to look for them but i can't see them great for design less good for usability
especially as you have to use the touch screen to adjust the temperature however the good news
is that the screens in this car are superb which is useful since they dominate the cabin so heavily
the main infotainment display is 10.7 inches across while the digital dash is 10.25 inches
on both the graphics are bright and absolutely pin sharp while there's plenty of functionality
available through the main infotainment screen that does mean it takes you a while to work
out all the menus but once you're familiar everything is a doddle to use note however
that the 2 series active tourer doesn't have a rotary control dial on the center console
so you need to control the infotainment via voice control or the touchscreen
a nifty little head-up display is also available but note that it's one of the cheaper versions
where it displays on a piece of clear plastic rather than the windscreen itself finally i've
got to give a nod to the quality in here as while it is possible to find some cheaper materials if
you look really close the overall fill is very impressive what's more storage is everything
you'd want from a family car as in addition to the usual cubby holes and pockets you've also
got this massive space under the floating central armrest and ahead of the cup holders super handy
the two series active tourer is available with a simple range of three trim levels going from
sport to luxury to top spec m sport all models come with an automatic rear tailgate parking
assistant the two large display screens and bmw connected package pro comprising of android auto
and apple carplay functionality bmw maps connected parking and real-time traffic information
just like with the front it's super easy climbing into the back of the 2 series active tourer thanks
to the wide opening doors and raised heights handy for those with restricted mobility or installing
child seats onto the two outer rear seats where there's standard fit isofix points you can also
do that in the front too once you're in you'll find it's nice and spacious in
here with enough room for two or three adults the latter best kept for short journeys only
thanks to the essential tunnel robbing a little bit of foot space what i also like is you can
slide the rear seats forwards and backwards in a 60 40 split allowing you to prioritize
leg room or boot space okay so this car's luggage capacity depends a lot on which model you go for
the diesel version gets the biggest boot at 470 liters while mild hybrid and plug-in
hybrid variants see this reduces to 415 liters and 406 liters respectively either way you're
getting a nice flat load bay with 40 20 40 split folding rear seats as standard what's more an
electronic tailgate is fitted as standard and really helps out when you have your hands full
in a moment we're going to take the bmw 2 series active tourer out on the road but first
let's see how family friendly it really is with a usability test in the form of hope's car olympics
now against the time i've got to fold down the rear seats so they're flat tuning the radio to
absolute fm and set the sat-nav to take me to buckingham palace i'm ready but are you ready
okay so we're gonna start in the back i know how to i don't know how to slide
the seats but do i know how to fold them oh there's a little catch here okay that's one
oh this is not good this is not good right fold whoa
right going to the front that was not the easiest folding down in the world
going into the front we're going to go on this fancy infotainment system uh media i
love an alphabetical list scrolly scrolly scrolly absolute radio why is it turning up
oh that's quite clever they've made it so if you touch it quickly it doesn't work which i suppose
if you knock into it would be a really good thing so do that slowly now there's a shortcut there
destination input search come on buckingham oh i like the haptic feedback uh palace okay
would take some getting used to i suppose searching buckingham palace 73 miles away
go please follow the directional info on the display thank you lady immediately turn right one
okay great two hours 13 minutes to get to buckingham palace and that is it
i am expecting drive time okay two hours and 40 minutes okay she's keep following
the directional info on the display when leaving please immediately turn right
right let's just turn her off there we go there we go now i can talk i'm feeling quite stressed
after that but i think a bit of it may have been error on my part folding down the rear seats i
can tell why bmw have done the kind of the 40 40 20 split because of flexibility but actually
it made falling down the seats really difficult so i would have rathered a 40 60 split
this is a nice little touch but not so good when you're panicking and trying to move it quickly
overall i thought that wasn't too bad what do you think let's now go and take this car for a drive
now as you may know bmws have a great reputation for the way they drive and despite this not being
the sportiest model on the market it still doesn't disappoint steering is direct and precise while
there's very little body roll going into corners for a car of this size and height in fact things
are even better if you go for an m sport model that comes with m adaptive suspension as standard
as it allows you to firm up the dampers at the flick of a switch and enjoy what really is a
surprisingly fun car to drive as for comfort the m sport model comes with larger wheels but this
is handily offset by the aforementioned m adaptive suspension that delivers the best all-round ride
quality in its comfort setting cars with standard suspension meanwhile such as the one we have here
are smooth on a-roads and motorways but can feel jiggly and unsettled at lower speeds as well as
emitting more tyre noise than you might expect the engine in this particular 2-series active tourer
is the entry-level 220i petrol it's a 1.5 liter three-cylinder turbocharged unit that delivers 170
horsepower and a zero to 62 miles per hour time of just over eight seconds which is pretty good
also the mild hybrid element means it's nice and responsive especially when driving around town
honestly if you're worried about how a three-cylinder engine will behave in a
car this size then don't because it feels plenty powerful enough i'm also a fan of this automatic
gearbox it's a cut above what most rivals can offer and behaves exactly as you want it to
delivering super smooth well-timed changes a brace of plug-in hybrid models are available
both with all-wheel drive and can deliver up to 55 miles on electric power alone
just make sure that you've got somewhere to charge the batteries otherwise you could end
up with a car that's less efficient than the diesel and mild hybrid equivalents
now you've had a feel of what the bmw 2 series active tourer can offer you maybe you're
considering buying yourself one well there are a few different versions so let me talk you through
my top recommendations for the cheapest model you want the 220i sport if you are a company car user
then go for the luxury spec 225e or 230e and if you want the performance model go for the m
sport 230e with a combined power output of 326 horsepower it may not be the most obvious port
of call for an mpv family car but bmw has made an excellent showing with the 2 series active tourer
not only does it carry over that premium car feel from other models in the range
but there's also plenty of practicality and technology on offer do you know i think the
2 series active tourer has probably suffered from the fact that it's the most unbmw bmw in the range
but for a company that's made its name with sports coupes and saloons this car is really rather good
especially if you want an mpv family bus that just feels that bit more plush than the rest
you