We Tested the 2024 BMW X2 M35i—Is It the Pragmatist’s Sporty SUV Coupe?

Some of us view SUV coupes as dumb fashion statements that totally compromise the U in SUV in the name of vanity. Our ire has routinely been directed at the German offerings of this ilk, or the “Hunchbacks of the Nürburgring,” as we’ve often derisively dubbed them. But when BMW set out to redesign its second-generation X2, the quest for aesthetics may have accidentally restored the utility missing from the first model. And if you’re going to commit to the look, best to equip it with the most powerful engine, no? Might this new 2024 BMW X2 M35i actually turn out to be the pragmatist’s sporty SUV coupe?

See All 26 Photos26

Less Utility Penalty

See, the last time out, BMW designers—presumably chasing a hot-hatch mien—bobbed the tail of an X1 SUV by 3.3 inches as well as fast-backing it to create the X2. It ended up as a double whammy against usable cargo space that left the X2 able to haul some 8.6 cubic feet less stuff than the X1. This time around, though, the new 2024 X2 (code-named U10) is virtually the same length. Numerically it still holds 5.5 fewer cubes, but now you’ll only notice that on the handful of occasions you fold down the seats and load it to the ceiling—normal space behind the second row is within 0.4 cube. And there’s a lot of useful space underneath the cargo floor. (That’s largely because there’s no spare, but nobody’s off-roading this crossover anyway.)

See All 26 Photos26

Performance Penalty?

The vanity of design somehow adds 62 pounds to the X2 M35i compared to a similarly equipped X1 M35i we also tested. (Those shorter first-gen X2s typically weighed less than their X1 counterparts.) This predictably slows the X2 down by a tenth of a second at every 10-mph increment through the quarter mile, where the trap speed is also a tenth mph slower. Not that 4.9 seconds to 60 mph or 13.5 seconds at 104.0 mph are shabby times. And it helps the M35i’s case that these times are about a second and 5 mph ahead of the cheaper X2 xDrive28i and several tenths ahead of its most obvious hunchback competitor, the $7K-pricier Mercedes-AMG GLA35 (5.1 to 60, 13.8 at 98.5 mph).

See All 26 Photos26

100 Launches

Getting those times on either model requires an elaborate head-pat/tummy-rub procedure involving lots of screen stabbing to select: My Modes, Sport+, DSC off, then hold the steering wheel’s Boost paddle until the boost timer starts, then apply the brake and floor the accelerator to initiate Race Start mode, then release the brake. This is so tough on the seven-speed twin-clutch transmission that a counter keeps track and only allows 100 such launches. (Replacing the transmission fluid allows this counter to be reset.)

See All 26 Photos26

Other 7DCT400 Transmission Tricks

This Magna/Getrag gearbox gets unique programming and a quick-shift mechanism that allows skip shifting in Boost mode. Grab the paddle when you pull out to pass, and it can skip directly to the optimal gear for peak acceleration. At 56 mph, for example, it would skip directly from seventh to third gear, saving a claimed (and impressive) three-tenths of a second.

Braking and Turning

Here, our X2 M35i pulled ahead of its X1 sibling, stopping in 105 feet compared to the X1’s 119 (and the GLA35’s 111). That’s mostly down to footwear: The X2 was shod in 21-inch Continental EcoContact 6Q tires (a $600 option), while the X1 wore Pirelli P Zeros. The shorter sidewalls perhaps compensate for the semantically lower performance aspirations of the “EcoContact” nomenclature. We also noted straighter tracking during the emergency stops in the X2, where the X1’s rear swayed a bit. Neither one of them offers much in the way of brake pedal feel, which, combined with short pedal travel, makes it trickier to dial up precisely the whoa desired when charging hard into a turn.

Max lateral grip is a wash at 0.86 g. The 26.1-second figure-eight lap time cedes 0.2 second to the lighter X1, but the X2 posted a higher average g figure (0.72 to 0.69 g). Our test drivers noted a lack of steering feel in both vehicles, but the X2’s transmission behaved more predictably during our test runs, reliably downshifting for corner exits. This could simply be a temperature-related or car-to-car difference, but the overall impression was somewhat negative on the X1 and quite positive on the X2. That all being said, the GLA35 triumphs over the two of them in the figure eight, with a 25.2-second, 0.73 g result. Surprisingly, so does the X2 xDrive28i on 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport T4 S tires (25.7 at 0.71).

See All 26 Photos26

As a Daily Driver

Both M35i models ride relatively harshly, especially in Sport mode. Bucking conventional wisdom, the X2 on 21s garnered fewer kidney-trauma complaints than the X1 on 20s. Maybe the Contis are slightly cushier than the Pirellis? Maybe California roads have degraded beyond their Michigan counterparts, where we experienced the X2? Nah. We can tell you that the extra rear seat space was appreciated by the three adults we loaded back there several times. And enlarging the cargo area to the best in the small-sporty-coupelike-SUV class makes this a much more compelling choice. 

In the end, we found this X2 M35i to strike a ride/handling Goldilocks middle ground between the M-line and Competition models that bookend the bigger X5 and X6 lineups. And nobody driving, riding in, or looking at it will ever believe the X2 is related to a Mini.