By Ross Ballot
Automotive reviewers love to lament the coupe-ified CUV/SUV trend for taking something useful and deliberately making it less so, and the trajectory that started largely thanks to the BMW X6 back in 2007 has now manifested in the 2024 BMW X2, and in this case the X2 xDrive28i. So let’s ignore the practicality compromises inherent to making a triangle out of a rectangle (See: cargo hold side profile of “SAV” vs “SUV”) and discuss what the entry-level fashion-over-function BMW CUV-SUV-SAV-thing is like to live with for a week.
(While we did subject this vehicle to our regular routine, we didn’t drive it enough to warrant full-fledged, traditional review. What follows is a quick rundown of what can be deduced from our time with it.)
[Note: It rained every day I was slated to take photos of the X2, so many of the images herein are straight from BMW’s websites.]
The 2024 BMW X2 definitely has a presence, we can give it that. Even up front, it’s a striking design, and whether that’s in a good way or not depends entirely on personal preference. The X2 looks bigger than it is and a cabin with clever storage solutions helps emulate that up front, but the sloping roofline only embellishes the second row’s general sense of claustrophobia.
Around town, there isn’t much fanfare. This isn’t a vehicle designed to assume BMW’s long-departed famous motto, and it acts like it. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission don’t have face-to-face discussions as much as they play a game of telephone, and although the numbers reveal a decent 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, you’d never know it. The acceleration from a stop is decent thanks to solid all-wheel-drive, but because the X2 xDrive28i weighs about 3,800 pounds, and well over two tons with more than one extra occupant on board, around town it feels rather sluggish.
That weight manifests itself in a ride that’s a bit too stiff for its own good, hurt further by big wheels with needlessly aggressive tires. If it was softer all around, it would make for a more pleasurable time; it’s unlikely that anybody is hooning back roads or setting lap times in this thing, so why make it ride like it’s trying to achieve these results? And the steering is dead-dead-dead, too.
All-in-all, the X2 xDrive28i is going to sell in droves regardless of what us overly-critical reviewers think, because it’s an aggressively-styled entry-level crossover BMW that offers excellent technology and fuel efficiency.
Yay
- Decent acceleration (although BMW’s website calls it “blistering,” which might be the overstatement of the century)
- Nimble and easy to maneuver
- Clean cabin design with storage spaces aplenty
- Gas mileage is quite good: 24 MPG city and 31 MPG highway
Nay
- Jumpy, lurchy hybrid powertrain especially when coming to or accelerating from a stop
- Excessive road noise from overly-aggressive tires
- Deader-than-dead steering
- Long boot times for iDrive mean delayed ability to adjust HVAC controls
The Takeaway
You really have to love the styling and desire a certain brand cache to go for the 2024 BMW X2 xDrive28i over some of the competition, but we don’t doubt BMW will sell tons of these things regardless of if it’s good to drive or not.
Jeff Glucker