Review by Tim Suddard
Motor Trend kicked off their review of the X2 on a rather high note: "The BMW X2 hits the mark perfectly for a Dual-Income No-Kids household. For everyone else, though, it's long on sport and short on utility."
Publisher Tim Suddard recently spent some time with an X2. He was less enthralled:
Ever since it came out 15 years ago, we have loved the BMW X3. It drove well, was built well, looked sharp, and seemed like a truly practical, yet somewhat upscale vehicle that met the needs of nearly anyone who didn’t need seven passenger or serious towing capacity.
And despite pundits lamenting the fact that the X1, introduced in 2013 was Mini-, and not BMW-based, we loved it as well. It had usable carrying capacity, stately BMW looks, all-wheel-drive and best of all, it drove like a MINI.
So, with this set up, we were pretty psyched to drive the new X2. Certainly, this newest offering from BMW would combined what we love about the X1 and X3 right?
Not so much. You see, the X2 is not halfway between and X1 and an X3. It is a more expensive, lower, and sportier version of the X1.
BMW doesn’t miss many, but in our opinion, they have missed it badly with the X2. They obviously feel that there is a market for an overpriced X1 that offers less space and a punishing ride.
We do not.
On the plus side, we liked the Galvanic Gold Metallic paint scheme on our test vehicle. We liked the typically upscale looking and feeling interior as well. We also applaud the efficiency, feel and power delivery of the twin-turbo, 228-horsepower, 2.0-liter engine. We also can appreciate the published zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds for this model and can attest that out on the road the X2 is plenty quick enough for a small SUV.
What we don’t like is the base price of $38,400 and as tested price of approximately $50,000 for what is essentially a gussied-up Mini. That seems a bit egregious in our minds.
At $36,950, the base price on the X1 may only be about $1500 less than the X2, but we don’t really care for the looks and the lack of space, the lower roofline provides. Perhaps more importantly, in a competitive market place, every $1500 counts, or at least should count, in consumer’s minds.
At this point, $1500 might not be the end of the world for many and styling is subjective. Our real complaint with the X2 is the punishing ride quality. We have race cars that ride nicer than the new X2.
And yes, we were in the Northeast and the roads are bad there, but we have read other reviews on this model, and this complaint was often seen. A new BMW should have a firm ride and great handling, but no one wants to be punished. After a week in the X2, we were ready to be done.
So, as a review of the X1 or the X3, call this one five stars or two thumbs up. As for the X2, in our opinion BMW missed it by a mile.