One Week With: 2018 BMW X2 xDrive28i

SANTA MONICA, California — This coastal city seemed like the perfect place to take the 2018 BMW X2 xDrive28i because few places in L.A. County better embody the concept of “lifestyle marketing”—appealing to consumers by associating with a certain way of living. It’s a town densely packed with picturesque neighborhoods and Instagram-ready restaurants, murals, and art installations. BMW’s all-new compact crossover is meant to appeal to buyers in a similar way, banking on its quirky differentness and sheer force of brand power.

I experienced this firsthand during my week with the X2 and although no one stopped me to ask questions, I did notice a lot of other drivers eyeballing my ride. Our tester wore Galvanic Gold Metallic paint, a $550 option, and stood out in a way most other compact crossovers cannot. It has concept car looks, especially with the BMW roundels mounted to the C-pillars.

Power comes from a turbocharged two-liter engine making 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. There’s some turbo lag to be had but power delivery is otherwise smooth and shifts are handled quickly. BMW claims a 6.3-second 0-60 acceleration time for cars in this configurations.

Our tester came equipped with the $4,650 M SportX package which also includes such as goodies the sport-tuned eight-speed automatic transmission, keyless entry, a panoramic moonroof, lumbar support, 19-in. alloy wheels, front sport seats, gloss-black window trim, power-folding mirrors, a remote garage opener, an M steering wheel, stylish aluminum and gray interior trim, an anthracite headliner, and one year of full access to satellite radio and BMW apps.

The X2’s M SportX package delivers a lot of goodies that would benefit most drivers and it even adds some zest to the way it drives, especially when enhanced with the $400 M Sport suspension, which lowers the ride height and offers a comfort and sport setting. In this form, ride quality is taut but not stiff, and the crossover coped well with L.A.’s varied road surfaces. It also had a $150 M rear spoiler.

I realized how low it rides when I rolled up next to a Camry at a stoplight and noticed that my doorsill was level with that of the mid-sized Toyota. It tickles me to know there’s a car that’s an incognito premium hatchback on the market masquerading as a stylish compact crossover.

Before I hit the trendy streets of Santa Monica however, I tested the X2 xDrive28i during the BMW Group Test Fest. We drove it for four hard laps on the southern circuit at Thermal Raceway, a combination motorsports park and country club near Palm Springs. Even at the limit, the compact crossover handles predictably and behaves more like a rear-wheel drive car than a front-wheel drive crossover. The vented single-piston caliper disk brakes seem to be well-matched with the 3,662 lb ute and I didn’t detect any fading during our time on track.

I was also tasked with hauling three M5 tires back to our El Segundo Office. With the back seats are flipped down, the X2 easily swallowed the rubber with room to spare for my luggage. The rear BMW badge is actually the trigger to open the power-operated hatch, allowing for cleaner packaging without necessitating an indentation for a handhold.

For my trip to Santa Monica, I stuffed the X2 full of people over the weekend to see how it’d cope with a day on the town. Once seated, the average-height rear occupants were comfortable and happy with the soft, cream-coloreds leather. However ingress and egress proved to be more difficult due to the compromised door portals created by to the X2’s sloping roofline. The same was true for rear headroom.

The X2’s interior matches the semi-concept flair of its sheet metal. Textured plastic trim lined with customizable lighting accents creates an ecosystem that’s both familiar but decidedly modern. The optional $875 Harman/kardon speaker system adds warm and full sound to the cabin. It is available only with the $2,600 Premium Package, which also adds heated front seats, a head-up display, navigation, BMW’s touchpad controller, real-time traffic information, and remote services. This one’s a good bundle to spec for basic comfort and convenience.

Our tester had a slew of other tech bundled in as packages or individual options. Safety features came in the form of the $700 Driving Assistance Package and $800 Park Distance Control. The $500 wireless charging and $300 Apple CarPlay options were also equipped.The X2 xDrive28i starts at $38,400 before delivery and but it takes over $10,000 in options and packages to get a car to the specification we tested, priced at $50,920 after the destination charge. It fights in a saturated segment, with notable AWD entrants like the Jaguar E-Pace, Audi Q3, and Volvo XC40. The X2 is priced at a premium, of about $2,500 over these others, more expensive than all barring the Range Rover Evoque.

So where does this leave the 2018 BMW X2? Fully M-Sported, it’s stylish, fun to drive, and well-equipped. It left me curious as to what degree of improvement it is over a base or lightly optioned model. Sometimes it takes a little extra cash to get the best of lifestyle, sport, and utility.

2018 BMW X2 xDrive28i Specifications
ON SALE	Now
PRICE	$38,400/$50,920 (base/as tested)
ENGINE	2.OL turbocharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4/228 hp @ 5,000 rpm, 258 lb-ft @ 1,450 rpm
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
LAYOUT	4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD compact crossover
EPA MILEAGE	21/31 mpg (city/hwy)
L x W x H	172.2 x 71.8 x 60.1 in
WHEELBASE	105.1 in
WEIGHT	3662 lb
0-60 MPH	6.3 sec
TOP SPEED	143 mph

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