Seven-seat version to follow

BMW's head of product management for the lower model range, Frank Niederlaender, told Automotive News Europe the company estimates around 75 percent of 2-Series Active Tourer customers will be first-time BMW buyers.

Far from being the "ultimate driving machine", the five-seat 2-Series Active Tourer is perhaps the most controversial model in BMW's lineup and the company believes 75 percent of those willing to buy the car will actually be at their first purchase of a BMW-badged model.

It makes sense taking into consideration a typical BMW buyer isn't looking for a front-wheel drive mini MPV offered with three- and four-cylinder engines that top out at 231 PS (170 kW) in the 225i which according to BMW can lap the 'Ring in less than nine minutes. Even though an M Sport version is available, it's not enough to attract the regular BMW buyer looking for sportiness rather than practicality.

With the 2-Series Active Tourer, BMW wants to win customers that up until now used to buy the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and Volkswagen Touran. We should mention spies have caught on camera a seven-seat variant that could be unveiled in October at the Paris Motor Show before going on sale late 2014. It will ride on the same UKL platform as the five-seat version and all-new MINI but will boast a larger wheelbase and a taller roof. A plug-in hybrid version is also in the works and will probably be introduced sometime in 2015.

In the last few years, BMW has definitively proven that it wasn't a slave to its legacy. In the US, the 3 Series was generally associated with smooth, flat-six engines, but the Bavarian brand dropped a four-cylinder turbo into it. The company was also known for its sports sedans, and it went green with the i3 and i8. Now, rear-wheel drive is off the table as defining its vehicles, as well. With the imminent launch of the 2 Series Active Tourer, the Bavarian's models are going front drive and opening up themselves to a whole new group of customers, so the thinking goes.

"We are expecting the Active Tourer will have a conquest rate of around 75 percent," said Frank Niederlaender, a BMW product manger, to Automotive News Europe. If you're not hip to the lingo, that means three quarters of the hatchback's buyers would come from other brands – an impressive figure, if accurate.

When it hits the road, the 2 Series Active Tourer will be the first BMW-branded vehicle to use the company's UKL front-wheel drive platform, already on the current Mini Cooper. The roomy hatchback is aimed at young families looking for a car that is luxurious but can still tote around the tots. It launches in Europe in September to compete against similar models like the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, but the Bimmer isn't crossing the Atlantic to the US until early 2015, according to ANE.

Of course, the 2 Series Active Tourer is just step one of BMW's front-wheel drive future. A plug-in hybrid version is already testing, and the next X1 moves to the same platform, too. According to ANE, a three-row Active Tourer is also in the works, which is possibly related to the recently spied new CUV.

Could be introduced later this year or early next year

BMW introduced the 2-Series Active Tourer earlier this year but our spies have snapped new photos of the upcoming seven-passenger variant.

Designed to appeal to growing families, the seven-passenger model has a familiar design but adopts longer rear door and a more accommodating cargo compartment that houses a third row seat. The changes haven't helped the car's questionable styling but let's hope the practicality can offset that.

Like the standard model, we can expect a variety of engines including:

• A 1.5-liter three-cylinder petrol with 136 PS (100 kW) and 220 Nm (162 lb-ft) of torque
• A 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol with 231 PS (170 kW) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque
• A 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with 150 PS (110 kW) and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) of torque

German brand enters a new epoch with the launch of its spacious 2-Series Active Tourer.

Should look a lot like this

Remco Meulendijk of RM Design has decided to render the upcoming seven-seat BMW 2-Series Active Tourer.

BMW unveiled its first ever front-wheel drive car, the 2-Series Active Tourer, at the Geneva Motor Show in March and now they are conducting final testing on a larger seven-seat version which will likely be introduced early October at the Paris Motor Show. As you can see from this render, it will look a bit on the bulky side as a result of the increased size to accommodate two extra seats.

Expect to find considerably longer rear doors which will grant an easier entry/exit while those two extra seats in the back have probably been designed for kids since there won't be enough headroom for adults. Far from being one of BMW's attractive models, the 2-Series Active Tourer seven-seat will put an emphasis on practicality rather than being the ultimate driving machine.

Engine lineup will be sourced from the five-seat model so there will be a 3-cylinder 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 136 PS & 220 Nm in the 218i, a larger 4-cylinder 2.0-liter with 231 PS & 350 Nm in the 225i along with a 4-cylinder 2.0-liter turbodiesel rated at 150 PS & 330 Nm for the 218d.

Riding on the UKL platform which also underpins the new MINI, the 2-Series Active Tourer in both five- and seven-seat guises will eventually be offered in 216, 220d, 220i flavors as well as with an all-wheel drive system in the 220d xDrive and 225i xDrive.

Sales of the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer seven-seat will commence towards the end of the year or at the beginning of 2015.