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By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 69

The market's first fully electric compact coupe crossover is this car, the iX2. It's basically an iX1 in drag of course, but there's a little more to the iX2 that that. It's sharper to drive and has a degree or two more of the personality missing from its EV showroom stablemate. So many small EVs today are disappointingly sterile in character. This one at least, is a little different.

Background word count: 132

For most of the last decade, BMW's smallest full-electric offering was the innovative and charismatic little i3. For any who might have found its conventional-looking iX1 replacement in 2022 a touch on the dull side, the Munich maker has brought us this, the iX2. As with the combustion-powered second generation X2, BMW's tried to do a little more here than simply provide a sleeker-looking version of the model that sired it, in this case the iX1. So we're promised sportier handling to go with the trendier Coupe-SUV visual vibe. The price here might be pushing up towards the kind of level that would get you a slightly larger lower mid-sized EV crossover. But the Bavarian brand hopes that this iX2's combination of looks, life and fashion might make you want one anyway.

Driving Experience word count: 236

There are two iX2 variants: the entry-level front-driven eDrive20, which offers 204hp and makes 62mph in 8.6s. And the top xDrive30 version, which has two electric motors, AWD and 313hp (62mph in 5.6s). Both variants use the same 64.7kWh battery and drive range is up to 297 miles for the eDrive20 and up to 266 miles for the xDrive30, though to achieve either of these stats, you'd have to select the most frugal 'Efficient' MyMode drive setting and make full use of all the various provided energy recuperation settings. There are selectable high, medium or low braking energy recovery settings, or you can simply leave the system in its automatic adaptive setting. Do that and thanks to intelligent networking, the drive system can use navigation and driver assistance system data to adjust how much power is recuperated, according to the respective traffic situation. As with the combustion X2, sharp Sport steering is standard, as is adaptive M Suspension with adjustable and frequency-selective dampers. The Bavarians have also included rear actuator wheel slip limitation to maximise agility, with a traction control system integrated into the engine management. This allows corrective inputs to be applied up to ten times faster than with conventional systems, benefiting traction, poise and handling stability. The suspension system's been designed with special axle kinematics and lift-related damping on the front axle. And there's a powerful integrated braking system with four-piston fixed-caliper front discs.