BMW's New X2 Is Your Dose Of Compact Sporty SUV Luxury

BMW has released full details of the new X2, the sleeker, sportier-looking version of the X1 compact SUV and little brother to the X4.

Yours solely as a four-wheel drive xDrive20d model to begin with, the order books will open in a few weeks. It’s a couple of centimetres shorter than the X1 and 7cm lower, so it looks a little less like the traditional faux-4x4. The wheelbase, and hence the chassis, is the same, but the overhangs are a gnat’s kneecap shorter.

All the car’s engines are turbocharged, as per the BMW norm these days. Joining the 187bhp xDrive20d next year will be the two-wheel drive and petrol-sipping sDrive20i and sDrive18i, plus a cheaper diesel option; the xDrive18d. Like the 20d, the 18d will be four-wheel drive.

New bi-xenon headlights and wheels of up to 20 inches will give well-heeled urbanites the look they crave. New to the look, though, is the BMW roundel on the C-pillar, just behind the trademark Hofmeister kink.

It’s a slippery fish when it comes to aerodynamics. A drag coefficient of 0.28 puts it ahead of plenty of much lower, smaller hatchbacks of recent times. The graceful, dipping roof line and tailgate lip spoiler help with that.

Galvanic Gold is a new shade for the X2. On the inside it’s fairly standard BMW fare, with a few nice flourishes like contrast dashboard stitching as standard. M Sport models get leather upholstery and perforated leather is an option.

BMW says the interior design and controls are designed to help the driver keep focus on the road as much as possible. A full-colour head-up display is an option, while sat-nav is standard. The boot is a handy 470 litres – that’s 90 litres bigger than, say, a Volkswagen Golf but 35 litres smaller than you’ll find in the more practical X1.

Safety, always a priority these days, is decent as standard but is boosted by the optional Driving Assistant, part of the Drive Pack. It has lane-departure warnings, speed limit information, anti-dazzle main beam assist, collision warning and autonomous emergency low-speed braking.

The Traffic Jam Assistant will neatly operate both the throttle and steering at up to 37mph – as long as the driver has a hand on the wheel. The X2 is as advanced as almost any BMW, including the gargantuan X6.

Prices will start from £33,980, which is quite a lot higher than the basic X1. All three further X2s to be released will almost certainly be cheaper.