New BMW 2 Series Active Tourer: More Tech, More Room and PHEV on the way too

The new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer on sale from £30,256

The new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is revealed with a slick new look, big grille, lots more technology and plug-in hybrid options soon.

The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer arrived in 2014 to the consternation of BMW anoraks everywhere who decried the stubby-nosed, high roof, front-wheel-drive 2 Series Active Tourer as sacrilege, despite which is gone on to sell well and put a dent in Mercedes B-Class sales. And now there’s a new one.

The new 2 Series AT comes with the requisite big grille BMW insist on bolting to the front of every car, with new headlight design, reprofiled flanks and new lights at the back, and it grows too – by around an inch in width, height and length – promising more room inside. And it does look slicker as a result.

The bigger changes come on the inside where BMW has taken inspiration from the interior of the new iX, with a one-piece curved display housing a 10.25″ digital instrument display and 10.7″ infotainment, running BMW latest i-Drive (the first time in an ICE BMW) and replacing almost all the buttons with its Smartphone-like display.

The interior of the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, inspired by the BMW iX.

Under the new skin the 2 Series Active Tourer comes with chassis revisions including a re-worked setup at the front said to improve steering response and a new three-link rear suspension delivering more interior space in the process.

Engine options initially are a 168bhp 1.5-litre three-pot petrol, a 215bhp 2.0-litre four-pot petrol – both with 48v mild-hybrid tech – and a 2.0 litre diesel with 148bhp. All come with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto ‘box.

But the ICE engines are just the opening gambit, with BMW launching a couple of PHEV options in summer 2022, with either 242bhp or 322bhp and both promising an EV-only range of around 50 miles.

Order books are now open for the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, with prices starting at £30,265 for the 220i, £32,715 for the 223i and £31,820 for the 218d. First deliveries are expected next spring.