The BMW X2 M35i doesn’t need an M badge to be good

Is the BMW X2 M35i a real M car? No. But that's okay, because it excels at being a regular BMW – perhaps the best one yet.

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I must admit, I never understood parents that push their kids in certain directions. If they want to be baseball players or scientists or whatever, let them choose that path themselves. My job as a parent is to simply make sure my children have the tools they need to become what they want. And by the time we’re done with this review, readers, you’ll see how the BMW X2 M35i is forced to be something it just isn’t.

The X2 is forced to pretend it’s an M car.

BMW X2 M35i

2024 BMW X2 M35i Quick Take

Get one:

Refined. Quick-witted. Premium inside and out. Puts “BMW” and “Good Deal” in the same sentence

Don’t get one:

Holy torque steer. Stiff sport seats. Not as fast or sporty as that vaunted badge promises.

Soul Score: 7

An average M car, or a very good BMW?

The 2024 BMW X2 M35i Overview

BMW X2 M35i

I wrote that this car made me “give up” when it came out last year. And well, just look at it.

Quad pipes. Big M brakes. A dual clutch transmission. If I blindfolded you and had you just grope this car, you’d think you were about to get into bed with an M5.

Ohh, baby. Come to daddy…

Then the blindfold comes off, and you’re staring at the face of this X2. Surprise! It’s your sister!

BMW X2 M35i

There was a time when basic BMW was good. Ever drive a 325i with a naturally aspirated six? It’s fun and responsive. Nothing like the standard models BMW puts out now, with their buzzy four cylinders. In their quest to chase Mercedes’ sales dominance and play to the mainstream, they’ve cut out the sport a bit too much.

To bring it back, there’s M Performance. I must give credit; they’ve gotten better because M has been brought on earlier in the design process. In my X3 M40i, the M feels a bit like an after thought – “make it stiffer, zat is what ze vant!” Not so on the X2.

So what’s missing?

Performance Score: 6. Decepticon

BMW X2 M35i
Fast…ish.

My daughter isn’t yet aware of how the fancy cars just show up in my driveway, they just do. And she loves to give her opinion on each one (maybe I’ll have her do her own column one day). Wanna know her opinion of this BMW X2 M35i?

“Daddy, this would make a good first car for me!”

Hmmm…

Engine

BMW X2 M35i
Sport mode turns the dashboard angry.

On one hand you can drive the X2, with its 317-horsepower B48 engine breathed upon by M, and say to yourself, “Hey, this thing feels pretty fast!”. And it is, deceptively so.

The DCT helps the engine avoid turbo lag, and there’s excellent mid-range power that comes on more wave-like than punch-in-the-gut. It’s almost good enough to make you think it’s got two extra cylinders. But it is good enough to make you wonder why the hell BMW doesn’t just make every B48 like this. At least most of the buzz goes away.

BMW X2 M35i
The sound from the quad M pipes is…reserved?

Look to the left and see the word BOOST written on the paddle shifter. Hold it for three seconds, and you’ve activated BOOST mode for 10 seconds (10 seconds of heaven?). That adds about 25 more horses. It’s fun, but it’s like a kid getting the candy taken away when it’s over – why can’t they just make it have 25 more horses all the time?

One other note – the auto stop/start feature is atrocious on here. It takes a solid three count to start the engine and actually get underway.

Put the car in Sport mode to make a little whomp pop through the quad pipes, but it’s mostly fake. You can barely hear it outside. Think someone will make an exhaust for this thing?

Transmission

BMW X2 M35i
A seven-speed DCT is here, along with the weird shifter.

I forgot this car has a DCT until I put it in reverse and…come on…

Why is it still rolling back?

Ah yes! Two clutches, like on a Corvette Z06. Takes a second to adjust, but once you do, you’ll be grateful for the snappy shifts and responsive paddle pulls. Still, it’s not as firm or sharp as what came on the F8X, and with BMW spending so much effort on their current ZF automatic, I wonder why it isn’t in here. It’s even down a gear – seven vs the typical eight.

Steering and Chassis

BMW X2 M35i
If you don’t know what torque steer is, you better hang on tight.

The defining trait in the X2 is torque steer – hilarious levels of it. Usually occurring in front-wheel drive cars, it happens when you stomp on the gas and the wheel tugs from your hands left and right. I’m not sure why it’s so bad in the X2, because even though it’s front-wheel-based, this is an xDrive car.

That bit aside, the feel is excellent, and one of the better modern BMW racks I’ve turned.

BMW X2 M35i
The chassis is more “BMW” and less “M”.

Standard on this car is the Adaptive M Suspension, and it’s really well done. Instead of M coming in after BMW designs the car, the X2 seems much more integrated – it actually feels the way a normal BMW should. There’s excellent body control with minimal lean, and despite 21-inch wheels with low-profile tires, the ride is smooth and never harsh.

Push it to the limit and you’ll find understeer, so it’s not “hair on fire” like M’s bigger SUV offerings. But it’s tossable and fun regardless.

Brakes

BMW X2 M35i
You can get even larger ones with silver calipers.

The brakes on the X2 are excellent, and they offer a firm pedal that’s reassuring without the need for a sport mode. Optional are “real” M brakes with larger cross-drilled compound rotors and silver calipers. For $700 I’d check the box, but if you don’t you’ll still be able to stop before you hit the dummy who cut you off while on his phone.

BMW X2 M35i

So what’s the overall theme? Nice. Smooth. Faster than expected. Refined. Sounds like a BMW, or an M car?

Does M add anything to the X2 that’s worthwhile? Of course – it’s what BMW should have added from the start.

Lifestyle Score: 7. Not so Jr. size

BMW X2 M35i
The slope on this X2 isn’t as big as other BMW SUVs.

The problem with slope-back SUVs has always been the sloping part. But the X2 M35i isn’t as severe as what’s in an X4.

The trunk has a large hatch opening that swings waaay up (watch that garage door) and reveals a space nearly as commodious as what’s in an X3. If you’re shopping this or an X1, the penalty you pay for sporty styling isn’t nearly as much as you might think.

BMW X2 M35i
Back seat space is on par with the last generation X3.

The back seats offer good space – I think it’s more useful back there than a Macan, but a family of four is going to be tight.

In front, we have optional M Sport Seats clad in leather and Alcantara – they even have a little M badge in them like on an M3. They look great, but are too firm and tight for what Mrs. Machines calls my “thic booty.” I’d still encourage you to try them because they fit the personality of the car better, and if you’re not a giant like me you’ll likely be fine.

BMW X2 M35i
The front seats looks good, but can be snug for some.

Before we go, note that the center armrest is much too short to actually be useful. While some BMW cockpits feel wrapped around you, this one feels more like your sitting on it.

Fuel Economy: 6. I guess

BMW X2 M35i
The X2 averages about 26 MPG.

I wish I could tell you that rating with more conviction. The X2 M35i is by no means an X5 M – you’ll get up to 32 MPG on the highway, and I averaged what the Monroney label says: 26. It’s nice to have a range of 400 miles in an M car, albeit a lightweight.

But in my X3, which is much heavier and faster, I average 22 MPG. Four miles per gallon adds up, but a proper rear-wheel drive BMW with an inline-six is sort of what we sign up for when they put dotted lines in front of us, no? I’m not sure it’s worth the sacrifice, because the X2 still isn’t a cheap car.

But it is cheaper. Speaking of…

Features and Comfort: 9. A 7 on a 2 budget

BMW X2 M35i

Feels weird to type “BMW” and “Good Deal” in the same sentence, but the X2 M35i really is. It’s nice inside (and out), and even nearly fully loaded as this example was, it’s still under $60k.

Is this all for me?

X2 M35i
There’s Alcantara all over the dash.

The overall quality of the interior is such an improvement over its predecessor, and really well done.

There’s a giant single-piece sunroof (that only cracks open, not retracts), a Harmon Kardon stereo, remote engine start, ambient lighting, Live Cockpit – it’s probably easier to list the things that aren’t in here. Ready?

Sorry, couldn’t think of anything. It’s better equipped than the outgoing X3, and though you won’t find massaging seats or a rear theater screen like in a 7 Series, it’s fine. I couldn’t believe Mercedes charges $10,000 more for their AMG GLB35, even if it is a bit more fun to drive.

X2 M35i
Better start getting used to this.

I still don’t like iDrive 8, though that’s not the X2’s specific fault. The drive mode button is now called “My Modes”, and it pulls up a screen to choose between Comfort or Sport with settings nearly impossible to find. It was much easier before. And I’m not sure why the volume button moved next to the shifter – now I need to look down to check what I’m pressing. Or rolling. It’s set up like the 5er.

X2 M35i
Random buttons for stereo.

Still, overall pretty good. With a base price of $51 and change, it’s the cheapest way to get an M Badge.

A sucker for the badge

X2 M35i
Black is kept to a minimum.

Come on – aren’t we all? And BMW doesn’t disappoint outside the X2.

First, bravo for keeping that black plastic to a minimum. Even the side sills are painted. Everything from Extended Shadowline Trim to a duck tail lip spoiler and the aforementioned 21-inch BMW Individual wheels are here. Quad pipes, LED lights, red brakes – you name it.

X2 M35i
Reverse angel eyes are the new look.

Painted Vegas Red Metallic, the car has a presence about it. I wouldn’t call it pretty, but it’s larger (and taller) than you might be expecting, so it really gives off main character energy. And in a nod to self-restraint, you’ll find just two M badges on the entire exterior.

Don’t worry, an M3 has more.

The 2024 BMW X2 M35i isn’t an M car, and that’s okay

BMW X2 M35i

It’s not. You’re never going to track this thing. A majority are going to spend their days in traffic, running the kids to daycare, or…gulp…

Being driven by college-aged offspring while mom and dad pay the lease.

But the truth is, the X2 is far too good to be stuck in that mundane Matrix loop, and its abilities exceed what 90% of the driving public needs. They won’t notice the direct steering, the refined but controlled ride, or the snap of the DCT as you push it down a back road.

BMW X2 M35i

And they sure as hell won’t notice that M badge.

But that’s never what BMW was about until a decade ago – they used to simply be the ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE R BALL. The X2 is an old school BMW, not a new school M car.

So it’s okay little guy. Go be a regular BMW. I won’t force you to be an M car if you don’t want to be one. Save that for cars like the M4, whose mommies and daddies gave nothing but back-handed compliments and guilt trips to.

Simply being BMW is good enough.

BMW X2 M35i

2024 BMW X2 M35i Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE

Front-engine, all-wheel drive, five-door, five-passenger SUV

PRICE

Base: $51,400
As tested: $59,295

POWERTRAIN

2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
312 horsepower @ 5,750 RPM
295 lb-ft @ 2,000 RPM
Seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 106 in
Length: 179.8 in
Width: 72.6 in
Height: 62.6 in
Curb Weight: 3,840 lbs

FUEL ECONOMY

26 Combined / 23 City / 32 Highway

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