FIRST DRIVE Is performance X2 a winner?
John McIlroy John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk@johnmcilroy
BMW hasn’t forgotten about petrol power with its reborn, rethought X2. There’s understandable focus on the electric versions, but you can also get the car with three-cylinder power and, if you want a lot more performance, as this X2 M35i xDrive.
This variant packs four-wheel drive and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder motor pumping out 296bhp and 400Nm of torque. It’s good for 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, but comes in just under £50,000 – slightly less than where the iX2 starts, in fact.
The M35i gets a bespoke chassis tune, complete with adaptive (frequency-selective) dampers and a 15mm lower ride height. But we should probably cut to the chase at this point and say that these modifications are not enough to deliver an entertaining drive.
The powertrain plays a big part in this feeling of mild anticlimax; the four-cylinder motor is a solid performer rather than a spectacular one. It doesn’t sound particularly characterful and the dual-clutch gearbox isn’t as slick as the eight-speed torque-converter auto that you’ll find in beefier, full-blown M cars.
But it’s the handling that disappoints most. While the X2 M35i is keen enough to hang on through long, faster corners, it’s reluctant to be thrown about on twisty roads, where it responds with either understeer or a generally unsettled feel as it shifts its taller body around. The ride is, for the most part, pretty compliant, but there’s an underlying stiffness evident when dealing with sharper, larger inputs.
In summary, most cars breathed on by BMW’s M division feel like they’d be perfectly at home thrashing along the autobahn at 100mph-plus. And in a few cases, a happy side effect of this ability has been prodigious cross-country pace and involvement on British roads. The X2 M35i sits nicely in the first of those categories, but falls short of the second; dare we say that a Cupra Formentor has far more of a proper ‘hot hatch’ vibe to it.
Inside, we have few complaints on cabin materials and finish, even at this price point. There’s a pleasing mix of metal surfaces, double stitching, Alcantara and padded plastics – although the M steering wheel rim continues to be too thick for mere mortals to wrap their fingers around.
Rear accommodation isn’t as cramped as you might expect, although what taller occupants have gained in
