X2 marks the spot: BMW’s lithe SUV is an X1 in activewear

Under its trim and athletic shape, BMW’s coming X2 is virtually a copy of its larger X1 sibling — and though it’s smaller, the X2 won’t cost less.

The X2 is BMW’s new small SUV for those who wouldn’t be seen dead in the company’s X1. It’s been specially designed for people who see the X1 as too plain and too big.

“When we started the car we had clearly the idea to focus on younger customers,” says X2 project leader Julius Schluppkotten.

He reckons such buyers rate exterior style and ease of slipping into city parking spots above interior space. “We wanted a concept which is cool.”

But underneath the lower, shorter and more athletic shape, the X2 is all X1. Engines, transmissions, brakes, suspension and steering are shared and both models have exactly the same distance between their front and rear wheels.

BMW X2: It’s an X1 ... but not as we know it.

It’s smaller than the X1 but the X2 won’t cost less. The first variant to arrive in Australia will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbo. The front-drive X2 sDrive 20i will go on sale in March priced at $55,900, at least $2000 more than an X1 with identical engine and seven-speed double-clutch automatic.

This wasn’t the version BMW presented at the X2’s recent international media intro in Portugal. Instead the Bavarians brought along the all-wheel drive xDrive 20d with 2.0-litre turbo diesel and eight-speed automatic.

The xDrive 20d will reach our shores shortly after the sDrive 20i. BMW Australia hasn’t announced a price but its all-wheel-drive hardware is likely to push it close to $60,000.

X2 xDrive 20d: Arriving in Australia later in the year at about $60K.

Later still BMW Australia plans to add a less expensive sDrive 18i to the X2 line-up. This front-drive version will have a turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder working with the same seven-speed double-clutch auto as the sDrive 20i. Expect it to be priced a little below $50,000.

The X2 makes a good first impression. Especially wearing Galvanic Gold paint and with the M Sport X equipment package, as with all the cars BMW brought to Portugal.

That M Sport X package is being introduced with the X2 and will be standard on the first-to-arrive petrol front-driver. It adds grey body sills and bumper inserts that are intended to make it look a little rally-ready, big 19-inch wheels and a richer interior fit-out.

X2 cockpit: Ample space and shapely seats for driver and front passenger.

The X2 may be 7cm lower than the X1 and 8cm shorter but it’s still roomy enough inside. There’s ample space up front in a pair of high, firm and shapely seats. The three-place rear seat is roomy enough for a pair of full-size adults to get comfortable. Aft is a 470L cargo compartment, 37L less than in X1.

The interior features the latest generation of BMW’s infotainment interface, known as iDrive 6. It’s user-friendly and the central screen is bright and crisply detailed. Directly ahead of the driver, the instruments have a clean and uncluttered look. There’s no shortage of storage space but the X2 doesn’t feature as many 12V and USB charge points as some competitors.

BMW’s engineers made minor changes to the X1 suspension and steering for the X2. These, along with its naturally lower centre of gravity and shorter overhangs, make it quite agile for an SUV. It steers particularly well and handles bends with ease.

X2: Agile for an SUV — the M Sport X pack stiffens suspension.

Its relatively firm suspension affect ride comfort, however. The slightly lower M Sport X pack includes even stiffer springs and shock absorbers even, which is great for cornering but not so good for ironing out rumpled roads.

On smoother surfaces there’s noticeable wind noise from the X2’s rear-view mirrors and road noise rises markedly on coarse-chip surfaces.

Performance from the diesel is strong enough to satisfy. BMW’s diesel fours are among the best in class and the engine is impressively quiet once the X2 is moving. The eight-speed auto shifts smoothly, too. BMW claims identical 0-100km/h times — a nippy 7.7 seconds — for the diesel AWD and petrol front-driver.

Project chief Schluppkotten thinks there’s nothing else quite like the X2 on the market. But he can imagine the kind of customer it will attract also looking at the similar size Range Rover Evoque or the similar looking Mercedes-Benz GLA. But a BMW X1? Never …

REARWARD THINKING

The X2 doesn’t resemble anything else in the BMW line-up. To make sure it’s easily identified as a model from Munich, the designers revived a look last seen on BMW’s coupes in the ’60s and ’70s … a brand badge on the roof pillar.