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The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer proves that a premium badge and proper family practicality can share the same driveway. With the Mercedes B-Class and Volkswagen Touran now retired, this compact people carrier has a shrinking segment almost to itself. It was never built to chase apexes. It was built to swallow buggies, shopping and squabbling passengers with quiet composure. On that brief, it delivers.
The engine line-up leans sensible rather than sporting. The entry 220i uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre triple with mild-hybrid assistance and 168bhp, and it remains the pick of the range. Above it sits the 223i, a 2.0-litre four-pot with 215bhp. Two plug-in hybrids follow, the 225e with 241bhp and the range-topping 230e with 322bhp, both driving all four wheels through a rear-mounted motor. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox handles shifts cleanly. The 220i clears 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds, while the 230e slashes that to a brisk 5.5.
Point it down a country road and the Active Tourer feels tidier than its tall shape suggests. Body control stays composed, grip is plentiful, and it turns in keenly. The light steering, though, strips out the involvement that usually defines the marque. If you crave that spark, the X1 is the sharper tool. Ride comfort holds up well on Sport and Luxury trims riding 17-inch wheels, but the M Sport and its firmer suspension on 19s can fidget over rough tarmac. As a refined motorway cruiser, it is hushed and settled.
Inside, BMW’s familiar curved panel houses a 10.25-inch driver display and a 10.7-inch touchscreen running the slick iDrive system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto fitted as standard. Build quality is rock solid. Rear passengers sit high with generous leg, knee and foot room, and the reclining bench makes long trips easier, while petrol cars can be specified with sliding rear seats. The boot holds 415 litres in petrol form and 406 in the PHEV, expanding to 1,455 litres with the 40:20:40 bench folded, though that still trails the roomier X1. A five-star Euro NCAP result from 2022, plus standard autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assist, rounds off a reassuring package.
Rivals are thin on the ground now, mostly van-derived models such as the Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Rifter, Vauxhall Combo Life and Ford Tourneo Connect, or the value-focused Dacia Jogger. Buyers tempted away from the MPV format could also eye the closely related X1 and MINI Countryman, or the Audi Q3 and Mercedes GLA. Even so, the Active Tourer stays a smart, upmarket choice for families who want real space without defaulting to yet another SUV.
