Endurance test 17-01-2024 BMW 225e xDrive Active Tourer – Farewell endurance test The BMW 2-series Active Tourer is one of the few remaining MPVs. We rode for six months… 19

To prove this numerically, we brought in a BMW X1. That SUV is on the same platform, is much more popular and that is mainly because its appearance better suits current tastes. The 2 Series Active Tourer has a shorter, lower nose, which gives it an old-fashioned space car look. You would therefore think that the MPV would score points for space there, but it did not. The X1 is slightly more spacious. You will notice that the 2-series Active Tourer is 30 kilos lighter and has a lower center of gravity than the SUV. When we drove the X1 and the 2 Series with the 245 hp plug-in hybrid powertrain side by side, it was late summer and on a dry road surface the 225e drove slightly better. However, the Active Tourer disappointed on wet surfaces, because the car understeered very quickly. That was disappointing with the Goodyear Eagle F1 tires in width 225 that were wrapped around the beautiful 19-inch wheels. Those wheels were replaced in November, because we made a road trip to the factory in Leipzig and the Active Tourer also had to plow through the snow. The 17-inch wheels with Continental WinterContact tires make the car look and feel very different. Thresholds were taken a lot more kindly.

80 kilometers

But how far did we get on one charge? When we started the summer in June, we made it 50 miles without the gas engine starting. In winter it dropped to about 60 kilometers and even up to 55 kilometers at temperatures just below freezing. That is still much further than the previous generation 225xe Active Tourer, which comes in the summer, we learned from the owner of such a plug-in hybrid who we introduced to the current generation. In summer practice, he has to make do with 28 kilometers of electric range with his eight-year-old BMW, while in winter his PHEV can barely reach 18 kilometers on a charge. The larger battery pack and the much more powerful electric motor, which, like the previous 2-series Active Tourer, is coupled to a 1.5 three-cylinder with turbo, are paying off. The 2-series driver in question thought the new one felt more powerful and light-footed. So yes, the 225e Active Tourer has certainly taken a step compared to the previous generation, and you can clearly see that BMW has taken the plug-in hybrid to a high level. However, the owner of the previous generation was not satisfied with the ease of use of the new generation. A lot of things are in a touchscreen and it takes us as editors who keep switching to different cars a long time before we get to grips with BMW Operating System 8. When we switched to the old Active Tourer, we completely agreed with the criticism of the service of the new generation.

No need for 230e xDrive Active Tourer

There is also a more powerful version of the plug-in hybrid. It is called 230e and has a system power of more than 300 hp. As far as we are concerned, you should leave it for what it is, because the 225e is really smooth, even if you only drive on the electric motor. That’s great if you want to cover as many kilometers as possible electrically. If you let it drive as a hybrid with a charged battery, then it is really wonderfully fast. You really don’t need more for this type of car. As an MPV the car did not impress and thus its right to exist has actually been demonstrated, but as a plug-in hybrid the car was convincing. And fortunately that technology is also available in the BMW X1.

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer in numbers

Initial position 317
Final score 17,408
Driven kilometers 17,091
Liters refueled (including loading) 645.86
Fuel costs* €1,241.67
Average consumption including charging 3.8 l/100 km (1 in 26.5)
Consumption without charging in summer (1:17.0)
Consumption without charging in winter (1:13.5)
Electric range in summer 80-85 kilometers
Electric winter range 55-60 kilometers

* Excluding electricity costs