The Dual Souls of the BMW X2: Electric and Gasoline (Awaiting Diesel)

Munich’s compact SUV focuses on a comprehensive range of powertrains. With increased dimensions, it offers the best level of market digitalization: the smartphone-like display even includes video and music apps. Our test in Portugal

Estoril, Portugal – They have equal power, but one is fully electric, while the other sports a gasoline engine. The two distinct souls of the new BMW X2 coexist perfectly in a market that, according to BMW, has yet to find its definitive path. As Frank Weber, a member of the Munich board, explained during the launch of the second generation of the German coupe SUV: “We want to offer the best solution for everyone in this transition phase. Electric is the future, but it’s not exactly clear when it will arrive because there are many things that influence its path.”

The compact BMW will also be offered in two diesel variants. To each their own, precisely. The two versions tested in Portugal – the M35i with 300 hp and the iX2 xDrive30 with 313 hp – had the merit of highlighting the model’s sportiness, with its sleek lines, generous wheel arches capable of housing 21-inch rims (a first), balanced proportions, aggressive front, and the large, almost hexagonal double kidney grille. An appearance that cleverly conceals the increased dimensions: 194 mm longer (now the X2 measures 455 cm with a wheelbase that has also increased), 64 mm taller, and 21 mm wider.

But as is increasingly the case with new offerings from the German brand, the biggest surprises concern the features. The advanced System 9 operating system controls almost all of the car’s functions, including a wide array of assistance and driving modes, from the sportiest to the most comfortable (the most curious is the relax mode, which opens the panoramic roof and starts the front seat massage). The long horizontal display is designed like a smartphone screen: icons move with a finger, but there are really many, and unlike modern phones, they cannot be grouped into folders. After all, the latest generation of infotainment has reached home TV levels and even includes television channels, allowing for streaming of music videos and sports events (perhaps during electric charging stops). Physical buttons have disappeared, leaving the gear shift control moved along with the driving mode selector to the floating armrest, in a somewhat unnatural position.

The driving pleasure is immediate: on the roads that face the scenic inlets of Guincho and Cabo da Roca, before winding through a tortuous network up to Sintra, the X2 exhibits excellent maneuverability. In sport mode, the iX2 xDrive30 accelerates like lightning (though the gasoline version is no slouch), the boost paddle on the steering wheel provides an extra push in overtaking, the regenerative brake is truly effective, the steering is precise, and the comfort is adequate in all conditions. Autonomy obviously varies (up to 449 km for the electric version), as does the price: from 60,900 euros for the iX2 xDrive30 to 63,200 euros for the M35i.