From 1 to 7, the only number missing in BMW’s series of X vehicles has been 2, and that omission may go away as early as the 1st of October, 2016. Industry observers expect the 2017 BMW X2 to receive its world premiere at the Mondial de l’Automobile, or Paris Motor Show, which runs from 1 through 16 October this fall.
The X2 will be the Sports Activity Coupe to the recently introduced second-generation BMW X1 Sports Activity Vehicle. Both will share parts and features, but the X2’s swept-back coupe styling will appeal more to those looking for a sportier look at the expense of cargo space.
Even if the X2 gets its first public reveal in October, it will be quite a while before we see it in dealer showrooms—perhaps not until the third quarter of 2017.
The X2 will be built on the same UKL platform that sits under the BMW X1 and will also be used on the next-generation Mini Countryman, so as you might deduce, the UKL platform may be used for front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles.
BMW has not yet released pricing information for the X2. Given that the X6 starts about $5,000 more than the X5, and the X4 starts about $4,000 more than the X3, we would guess that the X2 might start around $3500 more than the X1, which would put a base price in the vicinity of $38,500 or $39,000. But that’s strictly an uneducated guess.
Expect to see a two-liter gasoline-powered X2 in the U.S., at least to start. The rest of the world will probably get three diesel engines from which to choose, but the VW diesel scandal may scare BMW away from an X2 diesel in the U.S. We hope it doesn’t, but fear it will.
With the X2 slot filled and the X7 coming as a 2018 model, that only leaves room for an X8 and X9. Given the company’s reliance on the X line for profitability, we would not rule out either, but in the meantime, the X2 sounds like a fun little crossover coupe and we look forward to a test drive.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of automobilemag.com.]
