This, ladies and gentlemen, is the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, which will be making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
And straight of the bat, we feel it's necessary to address the elephant in the room: this is the first BMW ever to come with -- whisper it -- front... wheel... drive.
Based on the Concept Active Tourer which was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 2012, the new 2 Series Active Tourer is BMW's attempt at a Mercedes B-Class-rivalling MPV. Don't let the name fool you though -- this car has nothing to do with the 2 Series, despite being a 2 Series. No, in keeping with BMW's unfathomable naming scheme, the 2 Series Active Tourer is actually based on the same platform as the new MINI.
As well as sharing its platform with the MINI, the 2 Series Active Tourer will also feature three of the MINI's engines in its model line-up. Bottom of the range is a 1.5-litre 134bhp three-cylinder petrol in the 218i, which manages 57.6mpg and 115g/km.
The 218d, meanwhile, gets a four-cylinder diesel engine with 148bhp, 243lb-ft of torque and combined economy of 68.9mpg.
The range-topper, which will join the line-up shortly after launch, is the 225i petrol, which gets a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, 227bhp, 258lb-ft of torque and a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds.
Of course, the problem with front-wheel drive is that while it's brilliant in packaging terms, it's not as good as rear-wheel drive when it comes to handling; there's a good reason BMW has sworn off it for decades. To (hopefully) remedy the inherent shortcomings of FWD, BMW has given the 2 Series Active Tourer multi-link rear suspension and has also kept weight low by using a blend of high tensile steels.
We can't imagine it'll handle with the same panache as an M3 but, given BMW's reputation, we're expecting it to be pretty good all the same.
Inside, it's a typically luxurious affair, with lots of leather, a head-up display, cruise control, automatic parking and autonomous emergency braking.
The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer arrives in dealers in September, and although BMW has yet to confirm the pricing and specification details, it does say that the range will start from less than £23,000.
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