2024 BMW X2 First Drive: Big Redesigns Aren't Without Compromise

It's easy, when something is working, to assume that more of it could only be a good thing. That certainly encapsulates the new 2024 BMW X2, a subcompact luxury crossover that has ambitions far in excess of its footprint.

There's no doubting that the X2 has been a popular car for BMW. Worldwide, the automaker sold almost 400,000 of the first-generation crossover between its market debut in March 2018 and December 2023. Not only is BMW making its successor bigger and more boldly styled, it's adding an all-electric version to the line-up, too.

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The BMW iX2 swaps out the gas engine for either one or two electric motors, up to 297 miles of range (albeit on the WLTP test cycle, not the more arduous EPA version), and more available torque in the all-wheel drive configuration than the most potent gas-powered X2. It makes it all the more disappointing that BMW won't be bringing it to the U.S. market, though its MINI sibling — the new Countryman Electric — will be headed 'Stateside.

For the new X2, BMW USA will kick things off with two versions. The 2024 X2 xDrive28i will have all-wheel drive, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four gas engine with 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, and a 7-speed DCT gearbox, and be priced from $42,000 (plus $995 destination). That's about $2,400 more than the old version, and for now, BMW isn't planning on bringing the front-wheel drive X2 sDrive28i to the U.S., meaning the overall price of entry to X2 ownership is around $4,400 more than it used to be.

The second, feistier version of the new X2 — and the car that BMW invited SlashGear out to Lisbon to test — gets the M Performance treatment. The 2024 X2 M35i gets a more potent tune of the 2.0-liter turbo, good for 312 horsepower alongside the same 295 lb-ft of torque. That, the Bavarians say, chops a full second off the 0-60 mph time, bringing it down to 5.2 seconds.

Pricing gets a bump, though, with the X2 M35i kicking off at $51,400 (plus destination). That's not the only thing that is enlarged this time around.

As is usually the way, the second-generation X2 is bigger than its predecessor. More than 2 inches longer and 2.5 inches taller, it puts that scaling change to good work with roughly an inch of extra wheelbase. There's more rear-seat legroom and knee space, as a result, along with a bigger trunk.

Of all the size changes, though, it's perhaps the increase in track that makes the biggest visual difference. That extra inch leaves the new X2 looking broader and more planted than the first-gen car: more like an SUV, in fact, than a lifted hatchback. The front grille is bigger and more angular — though not, thankfully, as excessively vast as we've seen on other recent BMW launches — and the headlamps debut a new upright double-chevron daytime running light design. The hexagonal kidney grille can be optionally illuminated, too.

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At the back, that new light signature is echoed in the taillamp clusters, which are also crisper and narrower than on the original X2. 20-inch wheels are standard on the M35i, and 21-inch versions available.

Inside feels like even more of a revolution for the new X2, with the cabin getting a serious tech glow-up that owes no small amount to BMW's recent EV launches. Gone is the old X2's diminutive touchscreen, perched atop the dashboard like an iPad mini afterthought. In its place is a generous swathe of curved double-screen: a 10.25-inch panel for the driver's instrumentation and a 10.7-inch touchscreen for the BMW Operating System 9 infotainment system. A head-up display is optional.

BMW

The new screens look more cohesive and intentional, and they benefit from BMW's revamped software, too. There are fewer menus to dig through, and the voice control system covers not only the basics but more complex adjustments like drive mode (which BMW has wrapped up in its somewhat confusing My Modes system, which not only changes driving dynamics but displays themes and ambient lighting). An optional 5G modem supports native streaming apps along with in-car gaming.

BMW

For some, the downside will be a cut in physical controls. BMW still puts a volume dial on the center console, but the dual-zone climate control and multimedia are handled by on-screen buttons instead. Gone, too, is the rotary iDrive controller, though you still get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Despite the shared underlying platform, the X2's cabin takes fewer style risks than that of the new MINI Countryman. For the most part, it's plastics and other materials feel solid and premium; the M35i gets swathes of Alcantara across both its chunky, supportive sports seats and the doors and dashboard. Not much of what looks like metal is actually metal, mind.

BMW

There's a decent amount of storage in the center console, underneath the floating armrest, as well as ahead of it. A wireless charging pad for your phone gets a neat clamping arm — a bit like the lap bar on a roller-coaster — to pin the device in place. There are four USB-C ports (two in the front, two in the rear), though the sharply rising beltline means space in the back can feel dark, even if your legs get more room.

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With those rear seats up, there's 25.3 cu-ft of cargo space; drop them down, and that expands to 51.7 cu-ft. A power tailgate is standard, along with navigation, parking sensors, active blind spot detection, lane departure warning, and frontal collision warning with city collision mitigation. BMW's Extended Traffic Jam Assistant (which supports hands-free low-speed driving during congestion on select highways), adaptive cruise control, and active lane-keeping assistance are part of the optional Driving Assistance Professional Package.

The X2 M35i gets BMW's Adaptive M suspension as standard — it'll be an option on the X2 xDrive28i as part of that trim's M Sport package — with the promise of a bump in duality on the road. Adjustable dampers should, in theory, deliver a more cosseting ride when you're ambling but a firmer and more sporty feel when you're pushing hard. It's paired with sport steering, which BMW says is more direct in its ratio than the speed-sensitive system in the non-M car.

BMW

The reality is that, regardless of settings, the X2 M35i's ride is firm to the point of often uncomfortable. With the same engine tune as in the MINI JCW Countryman, it's not short on acceleration, and the seven-speed transmission is perfectly fine when left to its own devices. An eighth ratio might be nice for highway cruising, but the snappy shifts — with an accompanying (artificially-enhanced) "brrap!" — are more than adequate consolation.

BMW

Paddles are standard on the X2 M35i (and optional on the xDrive28i), with the left acting as a Sport Boost when given an extended yank. Do that, and you get 10 seconds of maximum performance settings; just swell for taking advantage of overtaking opportunities.

Out in the backroads of Lisbon, though, the urge to drive fast was dialed back somewhat by the uncompromising suspension and some remoteness in the steering. The X2 M35i's standard all-wheel drive never seemed close to losing grip; it corners flat, and the wider sport rubber on the 20-inch wheels is as grippy as you'd expect. All the same, it feels markedly bigger than the old X2 — it's more than 100 pounds heavier than the old X2 M35i specifically – and the stiffness can end up just tiring rather than making the little M-car feel nimble.

I suspect the larger wheels are part of the problem, and would expect the 19-inch versions on the cheaper X2 xDrive28i to be a better compromise (even if they're not as aesthetically striking). One advantage to the larger rims is that they can be equipped with BMW's M Compound brakes option: 15.2-inch drilled discs with four-piston, fixed-caliper brakes at the front and 13-inch, single-piston, floating-caliper versions at the rear. Their gray-painted calipers may be subtle, but the slowing power on offer is anything but.

The challenge here is extrapolating what the new X2 M35i delivers to what most X2 buyers will actually experience. BMW apparently expects around one-in-10 U.S. shoppers to order this most toothsome version of the crossover, with the bulk of sales comprising the more conservative X2 xDrive28i version.

It's hard to argue that the M Performance version doesn't look the best. BMW's body kit leaves the X2 sharper and more aggressive, emphasizing its plentiful angles and creases. The problem — as is so often the way — is that things like outsized wheels can be aesthetically pleasing but lead to a compromise in practicality.

Much as with the MINI JCW Countryman and its non-John Cooper Works sibling, I'd wager that the more pedestrian version of the car will be a better all-rounder, even if the xDrive28i lacks the badge cachet of the M car. There might even be some unforeseen driving advantages in that decision. The lesser X2 may be down on power, but the identical amount of peak torque actually arrives a little earlier: 1,500 rpm versus the M35i's 2,000 rpm.

It's not hard to see BMW's motivation with the new X2. After all, the subcompact luxury SUV segment is a booming one, and drivers are clearly willing to pay for not only brand prestige, but for a slightly larger vehicle, too.

Nonetheless, I'm not sure the 2024 X2 M35i is the very best example of the new SUV. While the $51,400 starting price isn't terrible, in the grand scheme of things, BMW's options list packs a powerful sting. With the $1,700 Driving Assistance Professional Package, the $1,100 M Sport Professional Package, the $2,600 Premium Package, $700 M Compound brakes, and $550 for the heated front seats and steering wheel, you're looking at more than $59k with destination. That's Porsche Macan territory.

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A pretty much maxed-out X2 xDrive28i, in contrast, still clocks in at just over $50k. It's not inexpensive, but it's definitely more in keeping with the X2 premise. You have to consider the 2024 X1 M35i, too: despite what the name would suggest, it's actually slightly longer than the slope-roofed X2, offers about the same speed and a little more cargo space, and starts at $49,900 (plus destination).

Choice is, undoubtedly, a good thing when it comes to a big-ticket purchase like a car. For every person swayed by the X1's lower pricing and more practical design, there'll be another whose head is turned by the X2's sleeker, more aggressive design. A final verdict on how well the crossover lives up to that appealing aesthetic will have to wait, though, until we can get behind the wheel of the version most people will actually buy.