Learning about the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer might not be the most exciting way to spend an evening. However, the fact that some new spy photos have surfaced, showing off the upcoming next-gen BMW 2 Series Active Tourer might actually be more interesting than you might think. That’s because thees photos show off its new interior, which might show an interesting new trend for BMW. (We don’t own the spy photos but see them here)

First, though, let’s get the exterior out of the way. The current 2 Series Active Tourer isn’t exactly a beauty, so its not likely fans care too much about the way this new car looks. Still, there are some changes worth noting. For instance, front end gets slanty new headlights and some massive grilles. It also gets sleeker taillights, more in keeping with cars like the X5, and a large roof spoiler. Sure, it still looks like a van but it will likely look better than before.

It’s what’s inside that matters. Now, there’s not too much we can see in these spy photos that’s all that surprising. For instance, the new 2 Series Active Tourer will get a new steering wheel similar to the one found on all new Bimmers. It also gets the new iDrive screen and a digital instrument panel, like the rest of them. However, there does seem to be an interesting oddity. The shift lever.

More specifically, the lack of a shift lever. Next to the shift diagram, there’s seemingly no shift lever at all. Instead, there seems to be a little toggle-switch-like lever, similar to what’s found on the new Porsche 911 and Taycan. That might not be all that odd, considering a lot of car-makers are ditching traditional shift levers for funky ideas, such as push buttons or rotary dials, but BMW hasn’t typically done that. While BMW has had odd shifters before, they’ve all been relatively traditional in the sense that they were always bit levers coming out of the center console. If we’re correct, that will change for the first time since the BMW i3.

 

Admittedly, talking about the shift lever, or lack thereof, in a BMW 2 Series Active Tourer isn’t exactly the most riveting of topics. However, it could show the beginning of a trend for the brand. After the 2 Series Active Tourer, BMW might be putting little toggle-like shifters in all automatic cars moving forward. That would surely ruffle some feathers.

[Source: Car Scoops]