BMW’s first foray into front-wheel drive production is upon us with official details for the 2 Series Active Tourer being released today.
First shown in concept form around 18 months or so it’s a bit of a surprise (to us) to see the car has been handed a 2 Series badge, instead of the adopting 1 Series nomenclature.
For 2 Series Active Tourer, read Mercedes-Benz B Class. This is no surprise because until now BMW had no model to compete with the mid-size Benz for people who buy on badge and not much else.
In the back of the F45 you’ve got 468 litres of luggage space to play with, expandable to 1510 litres with the rear seats folded down. BMW has grabbed a range of three and four cylinder engines from its rack to power the Active Tourer and all are turbocharged, fuel efficient and meet EU6 standards.
And for the BMW customers who understand what front-wheel drive means the brainwashing has commenced:
The front drive axle in the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer has undergone extensive fine-tuning, ensuring that it endows the car with optimum driving dynamics and wonderfully precise steering feedback. The electromechanical steering and the system’s functional arrangement combine to produce a driving sensation that is devoid of interfering torque steer.
Come to think of it, will any buyers who know what the acronym FWD means want this model anyway? We suggest those most likely to buy the 2 Series Active Tourer have made their decision by the time they get to the BMW acronym.
That said, it’s a smart looking car, it will drive well and should be pretty well built. And for a lot of people that’s all they want in a car.
