BMW 2 Series Active Tourer MPV - Practicality & boot space

From some angles, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer looks quite like the 1 Series, and it provides an extra dollop of practicality over the smaller hatchback. It’s more versatile and sits slightly higher up, making it easier to get in and out. With its sliding rear seats and storage compartments, the 2 Series is more practical than the Mercedes B-Class, although its closest rival does have a slightly bigger boot space.

There’s no hint of SUV styling here, as buyers after a chunkier look are served by the BMW X1. Roof rails come as standard on the 2 Series, though, improving its practicality by allowing a roof rack to be fitted if you need the extra space or want to carry bikes.

For this new generation, the five-seat Active Tourer goes it alone. BMW isn’t replacing the seven-seat Gran Tourer, which has now been discontinued, so its remaining seven-seaters are the much costlier BMW X5 and BMW X7 SUVs. As such, if you occasionally need three rows of seats, you’ll want to check out the Volkswagen Touran, Mercedes GLB or Peugeot 5008.

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer interior space & storage

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Compared to the old 2 Series Active Tourer, the new model has grown in each direction: it’s taller, wider and longer, with a longer wheelbase (the distance between the axles) than before. That means you get a little extra rear-seat space, and the seats themselves are well configured.

Each one folds individually and can be slid forwards and backwards to suit your requirements. Fully slid forwards, legroom is rather tight, but the boot space becomes bigger. With the seats in their normal position, there’s plenty of space for legs, elbows and heads.

The rear seats are also mounted slightly higher than the fronts, to give a better view out. But the car’s rising windowline means that young children are unlikely to be able to see out of the back windows.

The 2 Series Active Tourer does well for interior storage. The door bins are generous and there’s a big storage area between the front seats, even if it is now visible to passers-by. There’s now a small extra storage slot beneath the armrest padding, while the slot in front of the cupholders should hold even the largest phones.

Boot space

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At 406 litres beneath the parcel shelf, the boot is only slightly bigger than that of the 1 Series, but it’s a good space nonetheless. That figure is for the plug-in versions; the mild hybrid petrol has 415 litres, while the diesel models are more spacious again at 470 litres. With the rear seats folded flat, the diesel 2 Series Active Tourer offers up to 1,455 litres of space if you fill to the roof, while the plug-in hybrids offer 1,370 litres and the petrol 1,405 litres.

Towing

BMW hasn’t released towing capacity figures just yet, but a tow bar costs around £800 on the options list.