The rest of the Active Tourer experience is very much as-you-were with other versions in the line-up. The battery and drivetrain mean you lose a little bit of a luggage space, with a taller boot floor and a 380-litre capacity rather than 415 litres. The 2 Series Active Tourer has an automatic tailgate regardless of its derivative, incidentally.
Further forward, the rear seats are spacious and easily accessible through big doors, while the front cabin is airy by trad BMW standards, which would once have gone out of their way to cocoon the driver. Instead, a centre armrest/console has a floating effect, with big storage trays beneath it, and it’s separated from the dash itself.
In some respects, that’s a pity: it means there’s no room, or at least no room has been provided, for physical controls for BMW’s iDrive infotainment system. Instead, that’s all left to a 12.25in touchscreen, including for the climate functions. It’s a shame, then, that just when some other manufacturers have started to indicate that they’re backing away from a reliance on touchscreens – and when the physical iDrive controller still present in most BMWs shows them how it should be done – BMW is threatening to ditch the previously present dial. At least the steering wheel retains proper buttons – and there are a few physical shortcut buttons.
To drive, the 2 Series Active Tourer is fit for the role, if not in keeping with the most recent traditions of the badge. It rides comfortably, with good noise isolation. There’s smooth if unengaging steering and decent enough control of the body movements for a tall hatch. It’s stable at speed, too (even in some pretty foul recent conditions with deep puddles and high winds). But this is a sensible rather than exciting car, which, if you come at the 2 Series Active Tourer expecting the kind of drive BMW would traditionally offer, could leave you a bit cold. It’s up to your lifestyle, rather than the model, to supply the dynamics.
