2024 BMW X2 xDrive28i
I always assumed the BMW X2 was too small for a family - it’s not.
The 2024 BMW X2 holds it’s own when it comes to interior space, driving characteristics, and all-around usability. It’s really nice - both inside and out - and has a lot to offer buyers from most walks of life.
By J-F Wright
Mon, Dec 2, 2024 04:46 AM PST
Exterior images by the author. Interior courtesy of BMW.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the 2024 BMW X2 xDrive28i is $42,000. Our review vehicle comes with a couple of options and packages: The Driving Assistance Pro Package, the M Sport Package, the Premium Package, along with some minor options like heated front seats and steering wheel. All together, “our” vehicle clocks in at $52,745 - a relatively hefty price tag, but one must remember that this is a pretty much fully loaded BMW, even if it is a bit smaller than most of the other cars in the BMW lineup.
If you’ve never had a chance to sit in, drive, and fully experience vehicles from the classic luxury brands, you should make some time for that. There’s still a real difference in the touch and feel, the sturdiness and solidity, and the general aura one experiences in a luxury vehicle when compared to the cars that don’t quite qualify into this segment. The old saying of “you get what you pay for” still holds true. I always say that the entry level brands that most of us look to for our next car - the mass market manufacturers, if you may - are doing an awesome job. You can get a great car even when opting for the entry level vehicles. With that said, however, there is a definite difference, a serious step up, when you make the jump to the luxury brands, BMW included.
Interior
The interior of the 2024 BMW X2 is indeed very BMWesque. The seats have a sporty feel to them - much thanks to the sport seats included in the M Sport Package - and the M steering wheel together with other M-specific interior details give that extra level of BMW sportiness.
BMW has lately opted for a really good-looking scroll button that they use both for volume control on the console between the seats, as well as on the steering wheel. It looks great, but for someone with either really dry hands - or newly moisturized hands - this button is somewhat impossible to use. There is a fine line between pushing hard enough to make the button pick up on your scrolling movement, and pushing too hard so that it thinks you want to actually push/click the button. There were multiple times where I was trying to adjust the volume and just not getting the scroller to register my movements. Then, when I pushed harder, it instead registered as a click and muted the music. So I just use the steering wheel mounted volume buttons, they happen to be more old school, and adapted to dry fingers. (Alas, there are other scroller buttons on the steering wheel where I have the same problem).
To accommodate for different phone sizes BMW resorted to an interesting solution: a stand for your phone where it rests on a sporty backdrop and is held in place by the kind of a seatbelt, or bar, that you’d find on roller coasters. Actually a great solution, since it does keep the phone in the correct place but still works for a variety of sizes.
I love that BMW, as many (maybe most) manufacturers nowadays do, has a toggle-on button for the camera assist system. This means that I can toggle the overhead camera on as I am driving around a parking lot, and that the top-down view is already engaged and I can adjust my steering on first entering a spot. However, in the case of the BMW X2, this button is right next to the engine start/stop button. I have felt my thumb, while trying to flip on the cameras, get very close towards a very inappropriate button - so far I haven’t hit it.
Our review vehicle has a dark brown leather interior - even on the bottom of the dash as well as the inside of the doors. I’m a sucker for brown leather, so for me this is a top choice. Together with the black and silver details, this BMW X2 has a great color scheme - sporty, yet still very sophisticated.
Many interior details in the X2, for example the door handles as well as the bottom part of the steering wheel, look like the framework found in a monocoque wing structure - a nod to BMW’s aviation heritage, I presume. Not only a nod in that direction, these details do a great job of heightening the overall look of the interior.
The center console between the two front seats seems to hover mid-air, at least when viewed from the driver’s side. The passenger can see the leg holding it up, but it still has a very nice form to it.
Underneath this console is a bunch of storage space. Unfortunately, all the crap that I store there somewhat diminishes the overall luxurious appearance otherwise enjoyed in the X2 - a Costco-sized bottle of Cetaphil is a rather large eye-sore… I think I prefer the enclosed box where I can jam whatever stuff I need into, without seeing it.
The interior of the BMW X2 feels, and sounds, very solid. Things don’t move around. Nothing vibrates, and there are no clanky/clunky noises when cruising over bumpy roads. Also, the interior is pretty quite overall, exterior noise is kept out.
Driving Characteristics
The BMW X2 offers a couple of drive modes - Personal, Sport, Efficient. Obviously the efficient mode will try to reduce your consumption. Personal mode is something you can kind of set to your liking. And the Sport Mode ads its own little flare - it tightens everything up to a sporty level: steering, accelerator response, and suspension, to name a few.
I gravitate toward the sport setting, not because I drive like an idiot but because I enjoy the tight driving feeling. The BMW X2 is a smaller vehicle with a shorter wheelbase and it just feels right to have it set to a sport setting even if you’re just driving around town - it makes it handle more like a go-kart, and who doesn’t like that?
Another bonus of the sport setting is that it does not turn off the engine when you come to a stop - it’s always ready for action. I’m ok with the engine being turned off for hybrids and other vehicles that have access to power before the combustion engine kicks in, but since that’s not the case here I prefer to have that feature turned off. This should also be available to set in the Personal driving mode so that you can mimic more of an efficient drive mode yet with the engine not turning off.
As previously mentioned, the short wheelbase lends itself to really fun, active driving. As with most BMWs, actually probably all BMWs, the X2 is a really fun car to drive. Even in this model, which is not a hyped-up version at all (there are M-versions with insane power), there is enough power to have fun. It’s hard to drive a BMW without a smile on your face.
Technology
The list of technology features in most new cars nowadays is pretty substantial. The driving assist programs, automated cruise control, lane assist, is just the beginning of the cool features on offer. The BMW X2 that we are driving has all of these features. Furthermore, the assist systems are actually “active”, meaning that it will drive for you to some degree. Keep in mind that this is not a self-driving car, so it will yell at you if you let go and hope for it to drive on its own.
The infotainment screen and system does a good job of housing the technology and features available. As an added bonus the heads-up display is a magnificent feature that I always say you should opt for if you can. It’s weird how the heads-up display actually makes the regular dashboard somewhat superfluous. Rarely do I look down behind my steering wheel when all the information I need is presented in front of me where I should be looking and where I can see the road up ahead.
Comfort & Convenience
As with all BMWs, the level of comfort in the BMW X2 is high. However, also as with most BMWs, the level of sportiness is also high. The BMW X2 does a good job at straddling that line between comfort and sport - making sure that you can actually have a really fun drive but also sit comfortably for any longer drive, even a roadtrip.
There is a myriad of convenience features and comfort features that help you truly enjoy your drive, or ride for that matter if you are a passenger. You can set the car up to act differently in different situations depending on your mood and your way of driving.
The parking assistant program will help you park your car. However, with the top down camera and cameras in all different directions, and the fact that you can set the camera to show what you want to see, you should be able to park this car without even without any assistance.
The Harman Kardon stereo system is great. Design-wise it fits really nicely with the rest of the interior of the car - the speakers have a cool look to them. Noise-wise it also does a great job. However, there are other (very) high-end audio systems offered by BMW which would be even better. With that said though, unless it’s a big priority, this is a well-adjusted system that does a great job for most ears.
Seats are comfortable yet firm. I can see myself doing longer roadtrips as well as feeling secure in more advanced driving situations. I especially love that the seat has the pull-out support underneath your thigh, it really lengthens the bottom portion of the seat which is great for us somewhat taller folks.
Exterior
The massive front facia of the BMW X2 makes it look a lot larger when seen straight from the front. Take a peek from the side and you’ll note that the X2 has a large hood and front portion, but that the rear tapers off quickly and elegantly.
Seen from the rear the X2 has quite the sporty look to it as well. The spoiler on the trunk, coupled with the protruding taillights, give the top of the rear a somewhat rough and sporty look. Add the plastic details on the outer sides of the rear bumper and the overall feel of the rear of the X2 is quite sporty. Maybe even a bit more sporty-looking than the car actually is.
Summary
The 2024 BMW X2 is the second smallest crossover in the BMW lineup. BMW refers to these as SUVs, but until you get into the X5 and X7, I prefer to stick with “crossover” - in my opinion “SUV” should be reserved for those vehicles with more utility built in.
Nonetheless, the X2 is a lot larger than one might expect from the smaller of the BMW vehicles. It would work just as well for the DINKY-couple as for the family of four that they might plan to grow into. Fun to drive and luxurious to ride in, the 2024 BMW X2 seems to do it all.
About The Author
John-Fredrik Wright was born in Sweden, but raised on both sides of the Atlantic. His experience in the automotive industry starts with a summer-job as a host at Volkswagen’s premier showroom in Stockholm. Later, he worked as an instructor at Swedish Active Driving, teaching safe driving (among other things the renowned "elk-avoidance maneuver") and advanced driving techniques.