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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 65

The first generation F39-series BMW X2 represented more than just another box ticked in its maker's X-model product development plan: it aimed to re-define the kind of drive dynamics buyers could expect a compact SUV to deliver. And so do with more style and flair than the Munich maker had previously been able to offer to crossover buyers in the lower levels of its line-up.

Modelsword count: 12

5dr SUV (sDrive18i / sDrive20i / sDrive18d / xDrive20i / xDrive20d/ xDrive25e)

Historyword count: 270

BMW pioneered the idea of sporty, coupe-like SUV models and the Munich maker has long offered the widest choice when it comes to this kind of crossover. Starting with this youthful offering, the X2, launched in first generation F39 form in 2018. If you know BMW's line-up from this period, you might recognise it as a 'sporty' take on the company's best selling SUV, the F48-series X1. Just as the X4 is the sporty version of the X3 and the X6 a more dynamic take on the X5. A niche product it may have been but this original X2 was very much needed by its brand. By 2018, the X1 was popular with company folk and families, but it wasn't interesting too many of the fashionistas flocking to more overtly-styled cars in this class like Jaguar's E-PACE, the Range Rover Evoque and Volvo's XC40. This, that X1 model's trendier sibling, targeted these people far more precisely. BMW contended that the X2's sense of fun was more than skin-deep too, claiming to have pumped millions into making it handle more sharply than its sensible stablemate. If you're buying a small premium SUV and you enjoy your driving, this, we were told by the brand, was a prime pick. The light, stiff MINI-derived underpinnings certainly helped in this regard. Bottom line? BMW wanted to get customer attention with this car, pitching it as 'a bold, rebellious and alternative choice'. The Munich maker insisted that this car 'challenged convention' - in a crossover-focused market where SUVs are rapidly becoming the convention. It sold until late 2023 when an all-new MK2 design was launched.

What You Getword count: 350

Even next to its bigger coupe-SUV BMW range stablemates, the X4 and X6, this MK1 X2 makes a distinctive impression. It's 49mm shorter and 69mm lower than the more sensibly-orientated F48-series X1 crossover model it was based upon, with short overhangs and a stretched, coupe-style roofline that creates a sporty, swept-back profile that's cool and eye-catching - but hardly very SUV-like. And at the wheel? Well seated inside, really the last thing you'd think you were in would be an SUV. The F48 X1 model this car's based on doesn't perch you up particularly high and in an X2, the front chairs position you another 20mm further down towards terra firma. That's the key change over an F48 X1. Otherwise, the cabin from that car replicates itself in this one, albeit with some extra more appealing trim pieces, contrast stitching on the seats and the dash and re-shaped, upholstered handles. As usual in the brand's models from this period, the iDrive infotainment set-up's freestanding multifunction colour screen takes pride of place in the middle of the fascia, set high enough up the dash to allow you to refer to it without taking your eyes too far off the road. As in most cars that are coupe-like, rear three-quarter vision is slightly compromised by the chunky rear pillars and the reduced size of the rear screen, so it's just as well that rear parking sensors were standard across the range. And in the back. Well you'd expect that the sweptback roofline would slightly compromise headroom in the rear and that's pretty much how it turns out once you get inside. On the plus side though, the seats position you quite high up for a decent view forward - and they feature reclining backrests for greater comfort on longer trips. As for the boot, once the powered hatch rises, you're provided with a very usable 470-litre space. Need more room? Well if the item in question is merely long and thin, like a set of skis, it may suffice merely to flatten the middle part of the standard 40:20:40 split-folding rear backrest.

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