Munich hopes that this will conquer new mini-MPV territory: the BMW 2-series Active Tourer. It’s the production version of the BWW Concept Active Tourer we first saw back in 2011, and the undisguised version of the car we scooped earlier in 2013. The name will be ‘Active Tourer’-suffixed, not ‘2-series GT’ as previously thought.
A BMW MPV? Has hell frozen over?
The purists might shout loudly, but money talks, and there’s huge demand for a BMW-badged family car at more mainstream prices.
Smaller than a Mercedes B-class (to which the 2-series GT bears an uncanny resemblance), the 2AT maintains classic BMW styling cues like the double kidney grilles and Hofmeister kink in the windowline, but cracks into different niches that BMW’s myriad SUVs haven’t yet tapped.
What’s underneath this controversial new BMW?
Yet more fuel for the BMW fan club’s flames. The 2-series AT is, unlike the 2-series coupe, front-wheel drive. The more space-efficient ‘UKL1’ platform uses components from the new Mk3 Mini platform, and will also help underpin the new BMW 1-seres, which will ditch its rear-drive chassis.
The 2-series AT will use a range of turbocharged three- and four-cylinder engines, and will offer a plug-in hybrid version too, which does indeed drive the rear-wheels thanks to a rear-mounted electric motor teaming up with the front-driving 1.5-litre combustion engine. It’ll boast 190bhp for a claimed 113mpg, according to insider reports.
When can I start carting the family around in a BMW MPV?
The 2-series GT is expected to get its official moment in the limelight in late 2014, with the first UK sales beginning in early 2015. Of course there’s no word on prices yet, but we’d reckon on spending between £18,000 and £25,000 for BMW’s latest creation.