The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer can't be the right car for my father can it!?

roadie

roadie

roadie

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My father has announced that he is seriously considering buying a new or nearly new car. This is a rare occurrence, as he tends to keep his cars for around 10 years before changing.

Over the years he has had a number of BMW 5 Series, a Volvo V70 and a 2005 Volvo S60 D5. The D5 is about to throw up some big bills and isn't best being used for short journeys.

My father turns 70 this year and I guess there is a chance this could be his last car. He has had a number of knee issues that doesn't make getting into low slung saloons like his Volvo the easiest thing in the world and can cause discomfort when operating a clutch. Therefore his needs are:
  • 'crossover' height
  • automatic
  • petrol
  • decent space in the back for luggage
  • up to £25k
He has seen the 2 Series Active Tourer, which seems to fit the bill despite being the most un-BMW BMW. What else can I advise he look at? I have pointed him toward the Mazda CX-3 as something that's a bit more funky, but might not be quite spacious or luxurious enough.
 
Whilst it isn't a great example of what you'd traditionally expect from a BMW it is a good car in its own right. It is likely significantly better than that Mazda, why would you recommend that over it?
 
Just on looks alone really. I like the design of Mazda's at present. I think he'll drive both, but other recommendations will be most welcome.
 
OH has the 218d Active Tourer, she loves it. Enough space in the boot and loads in the cabin. More than the accord tourer we had before it. The auto box is nice and overall its a well built car.
 
I had a 218d Active Tourer as a courtesy car and was actually really impressed. A lot nippier than I was expecting and the layout is incredibly practical. I'm not a fan of its looks but as a day to day workhorse it was a great place to be and had all the bells and whistles.
 
That's some positive feedback, thank you.

The list of trim specs and options is overwhelming. What are the must haves?
 
roadie said:
That's some positive feedback, thank you.

The list of trim specs and options is overwhelming. What are the must haves?
Click to expand...

OH's is an ex-launch car but its the 218d Luxury so it gets multi spoke alloys, heated leather sports seats, driver comfort package, technology package, adaptive LED headlights which are brilliant on dark roads and its got a few other things that BMW threw at when they specced it.
 
I think he is going to drive it tomorrow after driving the CX-3 and HRV on Monday. He liked the technology in the Honda, but found the CVT the worst part of the car. He said the CX-3 was more car like and seemed small in a good way. However, he did not like the cloth of the seats.

I'm fully expecting the BMW to be the best driving, to have the best interior and the best engine of those cars.

He's also interested in the Audi Q2.
 
He drove the Q2 and a diesel BMW today and liked both. However, the Audi is over budget.

It's down to the BMW and Mazda. He likes the BMW, but it would have to be used. However, there aren't a lot of petrol/automatics out there and none local to Bristol.

A fully loaded Mazda could be had for ~£18k new. I think he wants the BMW, but sees the value in the Mazda. A second round of test drives is necessary!
 
The CX-3 is pretty decent, for £21K before even haggling you can get the top end Sport Nav that pretty much has everything, keyless entry, full sat nav, climate, auto everything, smart city brake, HUD, etc, etc.. the only disappointment is no electric seats, but can't fault the standard kit, the only real option is auto dipping headlamps and lane detection..
But they only have pretty pedestrian engine options 120BHP Petrol / 105BHP Diesel.. the Diesel does do a million to the gallon and easy to get over 60MPG in the real world, but if you want any performance the 2 series has that (for more money of course)..

I had the CX-5 and loved how it drove, and all the kit it had..
 
We bought a 218i Sport back in September. No, it doesn't look classically BMW and no, it isn't RWD. But it's a really nice car. Handling is great, space inside the cabin is massive and it's really comfortable. I'm six foot three there or thereabouts and I've found long journeys far more comfortable than any car I've owned previously. In addition, the boot is more than big enough for our greyhound.

We bought ours approved used. It's a fairly high specced model with the tech pack, comfort pack, leather seats, heated seats and privacy glass in the rear. Personally, these were pretty much all deal breakers for me. I wanted the luxury and went for a slightly older car over a similarly priced six month old one.

The engine is more than enough power for me and my wife. It gets up to speed comfortably, and while it's no sports car it moves well. The three cylinder engine sounds really nice and like I said at the start of the post, really nice to drive. Fuel economy isn't as good as our SEAT Leon 1.2Tsi but we still get over 40mpg on average.

I have absolutely no complaints. I see what the fuss is with BMWs now and would definitely buy again. Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for all the feedback chaps. It does now look like he is set on the 2 Series after going back to Audi, BMW and Mazda yesterday.

Just need to find one now with the right options. Highly specified models appear to be quite rare.
 
Since those 2 series' are based on a Mini platform, how about something like a Mini Countryman? Parents have one and they get in and out no bother, plenty of space, easy to drive, etc. It's like a big, tall barge compared to my Mini. Good selection of nearly new in budget.
 
Ryan-3 said:
Since those 2 series' are based on a Mini platform, how about something like a Mini Countryman? Parents have one and they get in and out no bother, plenty of space, easy to drive, etc. It's like a big, tall barge compared to my Mini. Good selection of nearly new in budget.
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Do not buy a nearly new Countryman - the new model was released literally a week ago and there are no nearly new examples yet. So nearly-new examples are all the old car which is based on the 2006 Mini. Very dated inside now.

The 2 Series is based on the new platform and not that of the old model.

The Countryman is a decent car but you need to either wait a bit or order a new one.
 
I did point him toward the Countryman, as my mother has a Mini. The Mini dealership is next to BMW in Bristol and he has seen old and new. He preferred the BMW...

The issue is that Bristol BMW have no petrol automatics in stock and the nearest are a good distance away. I'm hoping he can find a fully loaded car in budget, as the engine is not the most important thing. Even the 218i would offer adequate performance.
 
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