The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer was a revolution when it was launched: a van from BMW, and with front-wheel drive at that! The sales figures proved the Munich company so right that they have now brought the second generation onto the market. Also included: another revolution. In all seriousness, they omit the legendary twist-and-push actuator called the iDrive Controller. “Krone” engine editor Stephan Schätzl drove the Active Tourer as a 220i and also encountered a serious problem with the lane guidance assistant. His impressions and experiences here in the video!
The vehicle type has a lot of what many car buyers want right now: the car is higher, you sit higher and can therefore get in very easily – all characteristics that SUVs generally bring with them. But as is well known, their image is not that good, although they dominate the registration statistics. In the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer you get the utility without having to be looked at crookedly because of an SUV. He doesn’t just have typical off-road insignia. But it’s also available as an all-wheel drive vehicle. By the way: There are basically four engines, all of which are equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (from Magna). The basis is the 136 hp 1.5-liter three-cylinder in the 218i. The same motor produces 156 hp in the 220i and is supported by a 19 hp electric motor that increases the system output to 170 hp. The same electric machine also supports the four-cylinder in the 223i, which gets 204 hp from the fuel. The 223i is the only one that can be ordered with all-wheel drive as an option, otherwise front-wheel drive is mandatory. The only diesel is the 218d with 150 hp four-cylinder, which has to do without electric support buys because of its properties in everyday life, first to the interior. It looks like something is missing in the center console. There is a very upright plastic wall to which you can clamp a giant smartphone in order to charge it inductively. It’s not nice. The “floating” center armrest merges into a control panel that used to be positioned on a classic center console. Top: There is also an analog volume control here. Flop: no more iDrive controller. The driving mode buttons also had to give way. Instead, there’s just a single My Modes button. You then have to grab the mode itself on the display. Eco, Sport and Personal. You can only configure staff if you have registered with the car with a special ID. Without an ID, you have to do without even more, such as the memory of the last navigation destinations. Basically, there are hardly any buttons, we already know the BMW OS 8 operating system from the BMWs i4 and iX. BMW is giving up the benchmark in terms of operating system. The cockpit is visually appealing. The large “curved display”, which seamlessly combines two screens into one, has a higher quality than in the expensive iX, because it does not hang on a plastic stand on the right, but stands freely and leans against the console overall. The space is good, especially has there is also plenty of space in the back seats. The rear seat can be moved as an option, but folding it down is tedious (more in the video). 415 to 1405 liters fit in the trunk, slightly more in the versions without mild hybrid. Driving and braking The three-cylinder engine is unmistakably recognizable as such, but not badly insulated. If you give it the spurs, the standard sprint ends in 8.1 seconds, but the acoustic composure is then over. On the Autobahn, the engine noise is drowned out by the wind noise. When you’re moving, everything is smooth. The dual-clutch transmission then gives no cause for complaint either. But alas, you want to start driving. Or, even worse: you stop briefly at a junction and drive on immediately because you can see that the crossing traffic is far enough away. In this case, the automatic start-stop system switches off the engine even before you are completely stationary, and it then takes too long to realize that you want to drive on again. Dangerous commemorative seconds arise, in which you are on the gas, but roll into the junction without drive. Far too much time passes before the engine starts again and accelerates. Starting off is always slightly delayed and usually jerky. It is incomprehensible why this has to be the case, because it would actually be the task of the electric motor in this mild hybrid constellation to compensate for such imperfections. Sailing with the combustion engine switched off is not on the agenda either. In this respect, the sense of the system is not revealed. The creative brake fits quite “well” to this. When you step on it, the vehicle is first recuperated and the vehicle is braked using the electric motor as a generator. Only then is the brake actually applied. The pedal feel, however, is an uncomfortable one. You don’t notice when the disc brakes are activated, but you can feel that the pedal feel and brake pressure are always different and difficult to dose. The test car is equipped with the adaptive M suspension. The shock absorbers are therefore adaptive, but different modes cannot be specified. Something else that doesn’t make sense, because the chassis is basically too hard. A more comfortable mode, aptly named Comfort Mode, would be more than desirable. In addition, the associated progressive steering tends to be very nervous, which also does not contribute to a harmonious overall feeling. That smells a lot like missing the point, after all, this vehicle segment is in particularly high demand from older customers (see Mercedes B-Class, VW Golf Sportsvan). traveled distances of up to 50 meters can reverse independently. And the practical BMW can drive semi-automated. You have the choice between classic cruise control and adaptive cruise control (switchable via the display) as well as what you might commonly call autopilot, i.e. adaptive cruise control with automatic lane guidance. And it is precisely this function that can be dangerous. The problem: the car does not simply follow the lane parallel to the lines, as any driver would imagine, but always very easily winds its way even when driving straight ahead. What is either not noticeable at Austrian autobahn speeds or only noticeable to passengers with sensitive stomach nerves becomes dangerous if you let it run on a German autobahn. Mind you: The assistant works at up to 210 km/h. Dangerous steering assistant At a speed of 200 km/h the car rocks so quickly because of the wavy lines that it is frightening. Recapturing it is actually a hassle because you have to work against the steering, which tends to increase the sway. It’s easier to deactivate the assistant by pressing a button on the steering wheel or by braking, then the car catches itself. If you don’t do anything, it leaves the lane with unforeseeable consequences.PricesThe basic price for the BMW 218i Active Tourer is at 36,400 euros. Two-zone climate, navigation system, parking assistant and front collision warning are always there. The 220i comes to at least 38,000 euros, the four-cylinder to 42,200/45,050 euros (front-wheel drive/all-wheel drive). The diesel is listed at 39,900 euros. The test car comes to just under 60,000 euros. The bottom line The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer does not reach the level that we are used to from BMW. Nervous steering, vague brakes, inappropriately hard chassis (sports chassis), poor drive tuning and a driving assistant that steers worse than any novice driver and can cause dangerous situations – not to mention the iDrive controller-less operating system. There remains a stale aftertaste. Why? SUV properties, but not an SUV Sleek design for a van Why not?
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