2024-25 Wheels Car of the Year Contender: BMW IX2 XDRIVE 30 M SPORT

The iX2 lands with us in dual-motor xDrive 30 M Sport guise, aiming to show that ‘the ultimate driving machine’ doesn’t need petrol.

For what it’s worth, I think coupe SUVs are faintly ridiculous contrivances, usually offering far less practicality than their conventional siblings. BMW has instead boxed rather clever with the iX2, delivering a longer body than the iX1 which means that, at 525 litres, its cargo capacity is actually 30 litres greater. A short drive in the iX2 xDrive 30 M Sport is enough to convince you that some sort of case can be made, despite the hefty $85K asking price.

COTY judges found it was tight in the back, with cramped headroom. It rides firmly, again compromising its quasi-SUV credentials. Its range of 395km isn’t stellar.

Set against that is the undeniable fact that it’s bloody good fun to drive.You feel special at the wheel, surrounded by some quality materials, sitting in deeply bolstered sports seats and gripping the fat M-branded steering wheel. I feel a little sad that the clarity of the instrument panel, once an area where BMW led the world, is compromised by trying to deliver too much information all at once.

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It’s quick though, getting to 100km/h in just 5.6sec. It has a really strong front end that eggs you on to pitch it into corners. Drive it hard and you’ll begin to appreciate the consistency of its control weights, the way the ESC tune in Sport mode rewards you if it thinks you know what you’re doing, and the instant urge delivered by the twin electric motors. It disguises its 2020kg bulk adroitly and our test car rode on quality Pirelli P Zero rubber. It’s clear that BMW has spent a long time finessing its chassis dynamics.

BMW iX2 xDrive 30 M Sport Specifications