Review: 2024 BMW iX2 — Good, not Great

BMW has completely changed the look of the X2 from the first to the second generation of the model. The old model, the F39, looked like a tall but sporty hatchback, and it had cool design touches like BMW roundels on the C-pillars. For the all-new X2, the U10, BMW has gone for a mini-X6 look with a coupe-like rear end. And that includes the design of the 2024 BMW iX2 as well.

Larger, More Space And More Of A Crossover

Whether this is a successful design transition is up for debate, but what BMW has managed to do is make all its even-numbered X models look similar. The U10 has also grown in length considerably compared to the F39, so from a distance and at a glance, you may think you’re looking at an X4, not an X2.

The new model is over 20 centimeters (8 inches) longer than before and also slightly wider and taller, and it has a lot more road presence, which is undoubtedly what BMW wanted to achieve with the model change. Another big change is the addition of fully electric X2 variants sold under the iX2 moniker. Their introduction also marks the removal of plug-in hybrid X2 versions from the lineup.

Single or Dual Motor Electric Drivetrain

The iX2 is available with a single motor driving the front wheels, the 204-horsepower iX2 eDrive20, or two motors and all-wheel drive in the iX2 xDrive30. The latter has 313 horsepower, and it sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds or to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds.

Both versions have the same 64.8 kWh usable capacity battery pack that bestows them with WLTP ranges of up to 283 miles and 266 miles, respectively. With its battery charged to 97%, my tester had an indicated range of 342 kilometers or 212 miles. Charging the iX2 can be done at up to 120 kW from a DC fast charger, which is enough for a 10 to 80% charge in a claimed 29 minutes. Plugging into a 22 kW AC three-phase charger will get the battery from flat to full in under 4 hours.

Another Quirky Design

I drove the more powerful dual-motor iX2 in M Sport guise for a few days, and I have a lot of things to say about it. Firstly, the major design change that brings it in line with the X4 and X6 makes it look more fussy than before. It doesn’t look as bad in the metal as it does in photos, but it’s still not as good to look at as the model it replaces. Its front and rear fascias look pretty good, with very sharp and aggressive light clusters, but from the side, it lacks the more elegant proportions of its bigger brothers.

The iX2 retains the same size grille as the combustion X2, but it’s completely covered up. As far as BMW’s oversized grilles go, this one looks pretty good, and it works surprisingly well with the light-up grille surround that my tester has. This really makes the iX2 pop at night, especially when you see one in your rear-view mirrors.

Its best angle is revealed when you see it from a rear three-quarter perspective, where it looks a bit like a hot hatchback. All iX2s get a standard ducktail spoiler, which is always finished in glossy black, and you can’t have it body-colored. The spoiler is slightly larger and more aggressive looking on M-pack cars, and along with the illuminated grille, it was one of this car’s distinguishing features for me.

iDrive 9, No Physical Controller

The interior is almost identical to the iX1 that I drove a few months back, as well as the 2 Series Active Tourer. Quality is generally pretty good, and my tester had swathes of Alcantara and trim elements made out of what felt very convincingly like real metal. After driving some larger BMWs, you do notice the iX2 has smaller screens that don’t look as good, but with iDrive 9, it’s certainly not lacking in features.

I did notice some weird lag occasionally when using the infotainment. It’s like it sometimes seems to hang when going through certain screens, while at other times it seems very quick to respond to touch inputs, and loading times are almost nonexistent. Being a smaller BMW, it also loses the physical controls for the infotainment, so you have to use the touchscreen to operate it. I would have liked it to retain the traditional BMW rotary control since the screen felt like it was a bit far away and I always felt like I had to reach for it.

Good Legroom and Headroom

There is plenty of legroom in the rear (thanks to the longer wheelbase), and even with the sloping coupe-like roof, a six-footer like me has just enough headroom. However, the floor is pushed too high, and you can’t slide your feet under the front seats if they are set to their lowest position, which can make longer journeys tedious for rear occupants.

This is only a problem in the electric iX2 since the regular X2 has a lower floor that makes being a passenger in the back far more comfortable. Pop the large trunk, and it reveals 525 liters (18.5 cubic feet) of space, which is more on paper than the iX1 (490 liters/17.3 cu-ft). However, it’s actually not quite as practical as the iX1 because of the iX2’s sloping roofline, which will require you to slide taller items to the back of the trunk to make sure they fit.

Sporty, But Not Overly Engaging

Out on the road, the iX2 drives well enough, and it feels sporty, but it’s not a particularly engaging driving experience. The steering feels light and surprisingly disconnected for a BMW, offering no real feedback for the driver. It is very precise, though, but it’s not the most engaging when pressing on around a twisty road.

The suspension felt a bit stiffer than in the iX1 that I drove a while back, but that car didn’t have the stiffer M-pack suspension or my tester’s large 20-inch wheels. With no adaptive dampers to slacken (they are an option that was not fitted to my test car), the iX2 on large wheels felt a bit bouncy and unsettled around some of the more uneven roads I tried it on, and it felt very different to the aforementioned iX1, which I actually found smooth and comfortable.

In a straight line, the iX2 and iX1 have identical credentials, even though the latter is about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) lighter.

Should I Buy One?

The iX2 is one of those BMWs that I didn’t really create a connection with. This is strange given that I really liked its more practical brother, the iX1, which I would much rather have over the iX2 for its roomier interior and boxier, more traditional design. I wouldn’t advise you to get carried away with the wheel size, and I think specifying the adaptive dampers is an absolute must for this vehicle. Otherwise, you will get annoyed by the ride quality, especially if you live in an area with less-than-ideal road surfaces.