The iX2 shares the BMW Group’s UKL platform with the X1/iX1 and the new third-generation Mini Countryman. It’s also built on the same production line as those models at BMW’s Regensburg plant in Germany.
The UKL architecture is multi-powertrain, so can be used for both combustion-engined and battery electric models. That gives BMW substantial flexibility while countries transition at different rates to electric vehicles. For example, BMW estimates that 92 per cent of the third-generation X2/iX2 models that will be sold in the UK will be BEV, which seems high – but that’s an estimate for the whole lifespain of the car sometime into the early 2030s, when Zero Emission Vehicle mandates and customer demand means most cars sold in Britain will be zero-emission. Well, that’s the theory, at least.
At 4554mm, the iX2 is 194mm longer than the (non-electric) previous generation X2, and 54mm longer than the current iX1. It offers a wheelbase of 2692mm, with the wheels pushed towards each corner in order to maximise interior space. The boot is a respectable 525 litres big, although that is smaller than the petrol X2 due to the batteries.
In the iX2 the UKL platform features a battery pack runs beneath the floor, and there’s the option of an electric motor on each axle. The entry-level eDrive20 M Sport, set to arrive in March, will feature a single motor mounted on the front axle to drive the forward wheels. That will offer 201bhp and 184lb ft of torque.
Our first taste of the iX2 comes in the top-spec xDrive30 M Sport3, which adds a second e-motor on the rear axle to offer a combined 308bhp and 364lb ft of torque. That makes it plenty fast enough and suits the sportier ambitions of this car more than its boxier iX1 sibling.
Whichever powertrain you plump for, the iX2 uses a 66.5kWh (64.7kWh usable) battery, which gives the twin motor model an official range of up to 266 miles,rising to 297 miles for the eDrive20. Thanks to the iX2’s sleeker body, that’s six whole miles more than the twin-motor iX1. Based on our first experience on a mixed route in Portugal, you can expect around 215 miles in the real world – which is less than many of the machine’s direct premium class rivals.
The iX2’s 130kW peak charging speed (identical to the iX1’s) is a match for the Audi Q4 E-tron but still off the pace set by rivals such as the Genesis GV60 (260kW).