Perhaps the last MPV ever in endurance test
This BMW 2-series Active Tourer may be the last MPV ever in our endurance test garage. The concept has almost died out and has been replaced by the crossover. In the coming months we will investigate whether he has indeed matured. We have a 225e.
It is not the case that the MPV and the crossover are miles apart. That becomes immediately clear when we park this gray BMW in the AutoWeek garage next to the Toyota Corolla Cross. The BMW falls in the ‘MPV’ category, the Corolla in the ‘crossover’ category. If you look at their profiles, there is another form of similarity. The BMW MPV is certainly not a van, and such a Corolla Cross is certainly not a mini-Land Cruiser. For this endurance test we drive with a plug-in hybrid. The Active Tourer is available with all kinds of powertrains. Petrol and diesel engines with three or four cylinders and two plug-in hybrids: 225e and 230e. BMW uses the fifth generation eDrive technology for this, which is not only more compact than previous generations, but also includes improved charging and battery technology. We have the 225e and it has a 1.5-liter three-cylinder petrol engine with a turbo as a base. BMW uses this power source generously, from 1 series to 3 series, and sister brand Mini also uses it. This 136 hp engine drives the front wheels and an electric motor with 109 hp is mounted on the rear axle. The battery has a net capacity of 14.2 kWh. The charging speed is a maximum of 7.4 kW, which ideally means that it can be fully charged in two and a half hours. According to the WLTP measurement method, the car can travel 90 kilometers on the electric motor. We will keep a close eye on this in the coming months. Would he really reach that range?
Active Tourer is not traditional type of MPV
The multifunctionality of the Active Tourer is not really over. While the segment once made waves with models where the interior could be disassembled or rearranged in an instant, the flexibility of MPVs has now become somewhat austere. In the case of a PHEV all the way. Because in the conventional Active Tourers you could order a sliding rear seat, but that is not possible with the plug version. The backrest of the sofa can be fixed in different positions, which gives some flexibility. The luggage compartment of the PHEV is also somewhat smaller to accommodate the electric motor. The battery pack is concealed in the bottom. Whether there will be a larger Grand Tourer from this generation is unclear. The interior space is fine and four adults are comfortable. A fifth can possibly be added, but you will understand that the passengers in the back have to compromise a bit in that case. The seats are comfortable, with the note that our endurance tester is equipped with almost every conceivable option. This includes seats with many adjustment options. Since just about the entire booklet of options is on it, this 2-series with its equipment is hardly inferior to a 7-series. From adjustable sound for the electric motor to Connected Parking, which predicts whether parking spaces are available. In the coming period we will discover whether and how often we use such functions in daily practice. The base price of a 225e xDrive Active Tourer is €47,606, but this car has become no less than €20,000 more expensive from all those extras. Our BMW has, among other things, an M Sport package, which means that, in addition to countless visual changes, adjustable dampers have also been installed. This allows you to switch between a sporty and a more comfortable tuning. In addition, 19-inch wheels are mounted underneath, which certainly affects the driving characteristics. The first impression is positive: the chassis is wonderfully sharp and refined. There is no excessive leaning, you feel that its center of gravity is low. At speed the steering is pleasantly heavy and that is why the Active Tourer is a very nice car to drive.
With iDrive we miss the rotary knob
Not all first impressions are positive, because our Active Tourer has the new iDrive multimedia system. We are even talking about the most extensive system. It will take weeks to get to the bottom of that and we really miss the former dial on the center console. Now there is a touch screen and that is a step back for some operations. Unfortunately, some functions have ended up in the system, while in our opinion they deserved a button on the dashboard or on the steering wheel. The distance setting of the adaptive cruise control floats somewhere in a menu, while most other cars have a button that makes setting an action of nothing. You can select various driving modes via a MyModes button, but the function to drive only electrically is in a different menu structure. However, we readily give ten points to the first wireless phone charger ever where the phone actually stays in place. You just put it in a clip and that is a lot better than all those compartments and gutters that we encounter with other manufacturers. In the coming months we will, among other things, make a nice travel report in England and we are looking for a good candidate for a double test. Finally, we put our endurance tester against an Active Tourer with a different powertrain
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl