Styling
With its sweeping roofline giving it a much more coupe-like profile, the iX2 is considerably longer than the X2 it replaces. However, it mercifully doesn't appear huge as you're walking up to it and we think it's one of BMW's better styling efforts, certainly where the likes of past efforts such as the
X4 and
X6 are concerned. Beyond that, the iX2 only differs from its petrol X2 relations in terms of boot badging and the front kidney grilles - which are no longer actually grilles, but blanked-off panels with a silver-diamond motif on them. One thing you can't see is that the iX2 is more aerodynamic than the petrol X2s, with a 0.25Cd figure besting 0.27Cd.
Interior
Again, like the exterior, the iX2's interior looks broadly the same as the X2's cabin. The differences amount to a power gauge in the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that replaces the rev counter in the cars with internal combustion engines, while there are various EV-specific displays in the central 10.7-inch infotainment touchscreen that, along with the cluster, forms the Curved Display dashboard. Material quality is just as high in here as it is in any other model, so the iX2's interior is a premium place to sit.
Practicality
A stretched body and stretched wheelbase equates to more passenger room, certainly in the second row. Granted, taller people would be enjoying more headroom in the back of the mechanically related X1, but if you're really into the look of a coupe-SUV then you don't have to sacrifice all interior practicality on the altar of exterior style when it comes to the iX2. Although... choosing the electric dual-motor drivetrain over a petrol does have an impact on boot space. You lose 35 litres with the rear seats up (525 litres) and 70 with them folded down (1,400 litres), due to the placement of the battery pack and electric running gear.
Performance
BMW UK will offer two petrol X2s and two electric iX2s from launch, but there's no place for diesel power. For the electric models, there's a single-motor, 204hp, front-wheel-drive eDrive20 on the way that will go up to 283 miles on a single charge of its 64.8kWh usable lithium-ion battery pack, with a starting price of £51,615.
But if you want to sacrifice a bit of outright range for greater EV performance, it's this twin-motor iX2 xDrive30 you'll be after. For at least £57,445, its two 140kW (190hp) propulsion units together can deliver up to 313hp on a time-limited overboost phase, backing that figure up with 494Nm. It's enough to turn in a 5.6-second 0-62mph time, which is almost as quick as the much lighter - 325kg trimmer, to be precise - M35i X2 that is the official high-performance flagship of the range, and you only lose a claimed 16 miles of driving range as a result.
It's also a remarkably well-calibrated electric crossover-coupe, with its zero-emission powertrain punchy enough to provide meaningful acceleration - both step-off and roll-on - yet smooth enough in delivery to make it comfortable at all times. There are a few high-torque EVs which can be a touch brutal if you fully deploy their power, so it's nice that the iX2 never exhibits such unruly behaviour.
Whereupon you can revel in how quiet the drivetrain is, if you're in Efficient mode. It's the only one of six settings where there is no sound enhancement broadcast into the BMW's cabin, and the only one of three which changes the car's driving characteristics, along with Personal (the default setting) and Sport. In both of these two, and a further three experiential settings called Expressive, Relax and Digital Art, there's a variety of synthesised, electronic noises to go with different graphical displays in the Curved Display dash. In Relax mode, the iX2 will even close the blind on the panoramic roof and switch on the driver's massage seat automatically, to give you the most zen experience possible.
What you make of the noises the iX2 makes in these modes will be down to personal preference, of course, but we happen to like the fact BMW's engineers have decided not to try and mimic petrol performance soundtracks in the slightest. Instead, they've gone for overtly sci-fi and outlandish noises, to suit the nature of an electric vehicle all the better, and they're really appealing. Well, they are in the short-term; whether you could live with the boomy electric groaning the iX2 makes in Expressive over the course of thousands of miles is perhaps a different issue.
In terms of its electrical consumption, the iX2 xDrive30 on a mixed testing route seemed like it was capable of covering the distance its onboard trip computer said it would, even if that was some way shy of the official claimed WLTP range figure. The way the car was driven wasn't representative of how it could best be used to be at its most efficient, so we're comfortable with saying that we think 200 miles should be easily attainable on a regular basis, even in less than favourable weather conditions.
Ride & Handling
Having already found out that the X2 is a vehicle that perhaps doesn't exhibit as many of BMW's traditional dynamic sharpness traits as you're expecting, the great news here is that the iX2 has the perfect drivetrain to match the SUV's slightly softer, more cultured chassis set-up. So you will find very, very little to complain about when it comes to ride comfort and rolling refinement.
Honestly, at either town or motorway speeds, and everything in between, the iX2 is a pleasure to travel in. You're barely even aware of its tougher M Sport suspension or 20-inch wheels at all corners, while the cabin - shorn of the sound effects of five of its six modes, naturally - is as near-silent as it's possible to be. Thank the slippery shape of the iX2's shell for that, because is results in minimal wind blustering and you don't hear much from the tyres on top of that, either.
When it comes to handling, it's not quite so impressive, although not without merit. Ultimately, when you push the iX2 to the limits of grip, it's less composed and capable than the M35i, in that its tyres relinquish their hold on the tarmac sooner and the whole car slides wide of your intended line. This is a direct corollary of its paunchy weight, which is 2,095kg, and it means you will eventually throttle it back because it's just not happy being driven right on the very edge.
And when you keep it just within itself, the fastest iX2 is then not bad at all. It limits body roll well and has direct, clean steering, while the judgement of its regenerative braking system is excellent too. Visibility out is decent enough in all directions to make placing it on the road a doddle, so all in all it comes across as a fuss-free and enjoyable thing to drive - as long as you don't decide to drive it like a sports crossover, you understand, and instead accept its limitations as a heavy electric coupe-SUV.
Value
As we've already said, the iX2 xDrive30 M Sport costs from £57,445 and that makes it the most expensive model in the entire coupe-SUV's line-up, no matter what power source is propelling it. It's a good eight grand more than the X2 M35i, for example, and many detractors will fixate on an overall driving range of little more than 250 miles as a reason to avoid it.
However, among similar size and specification electric SUVs from other manufacturers, both premium and even from the mainstream, it's not notably overpriced considering its performance and range capabilities, and as an M Sport it comes with a desirable and reasonably lengthy standard kit list - albeit one which is augmented by an options menu varied enough that it would soon push the iX2's price well beyond the 60-grand barrier if you were to become injudicious with the box-ticking at ordering time.
Verdict
While not particularly exciting and certainly not inexpensive, the iX2 xDrive30 nevertheless proves itself as the undoubted pick of BMW's new baby coupe-SUV launch range. Only ragged at-the-limit handling really lets it down, because in terms of its passenger-compartment comfort levels and general overall refinement, this twin-motor iX2 is superb in most regards. So if the X2 in general has caught your eye, you want to aim at this most powerful electric version as your first choice.
