VIDEO: Joe Achilles drives the BMW X2 M35i

We were some of the first US correspondents to drive the new BMW X2 M35i when we were in Palm Springs a couple of months ago. It was a surprise to see it there and we didn’t know we were going to get to drive it until we arrived. So it was a nice surprise. It was enjoyable because we were able to drive it on track but we weren’t given the chance to drive it on the road. So when we insured that Joe Achilles had the chance to do so, we decided to check it out.

Achilles is actually an interesting person to review the X2 M35i because he’ s owned two M Performance 1 Series hatchbacks; the M135i and the M140i. Now the BMW X2 M35i isn’t a substitution for the M140i but it is going to be similar, mechanically, to the upcoming M135i, which will in fact be the car that supersedes the hot-hatch 1er. So if he can get one council with this warm X2, coming from someone who was a big follower of the older rear-wheel drive 1er, than there’s hope for the upcoming front-wheel drive M135i.

When I personally drove the BMW X2 M35i, I drove it on track immediately after having driven the BMW M8 50 i. So it wasn’t accurately a fair experiment. Not simply was the X2 not in its constituent — as it’s a sporty gondola but in no way a track automobile — but I was driving it after driving a rendition vehicle that costs three times what the X2 overheads. So I’m still agitated to test the X2 M35i under more fair environments, which is another reason I was drawn to this video.

In it, Achilles seems amazed with the little X2. Under the hood lies a 2.0 liter turbo-four that constitutes 302 hp and 332 lb-ft and it’s paired with an eight-speed automated( though, I’m gonna be an besetting nerd and mention it’s an Aisin unit not a ZF, as is presented in the video ). So it’s accurately speedy. But it was able direct well, more, as seen in this video with Achilles pitching it around a bit. He even smiles while driving it, claiming it to be fun.

So there’s hope in this new generation of front-wheel drive/ all-wheel drive M Performance machines. Whether it be the BMW X2 M35i or the upcoming BMW M1 35 i, it’s safe to say that the merriment won’t running around when rear-wheel drive “re going away”.