When BMW first launched the 2 Series Active Tourer and Gran Tourer MPVs with five and seven seats respectively, it caused a bit of a stir among purists, as they were the first front-wheel drive cars ever produced by the brand. 

Of far more concern to BMW was the fact that the arrival of these cars coincided with a seismic shift in buyers' habits, and they were launching into a market segment that was losing sales hand over fist to SUVs.

Despite this backdrop, the first-generation models still managed to rack up more than 30,000 UK sales between them, spurring BMW into the decision to press ahead with facelifted versions. 

For 2018, both models get exterior styling tweaks, including a bolder front grille and a larger front air intake, while a new range of materials has been introduced to the interiors. Additionally, changes designed to improve efficiency have been engineered into the engine line-up, which includes petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options. With the Active Tourer forming the bulk of UK sales, that's the model we sampled, in mid-range Sport trim.

Cabin cred

Despite its family car brief, there's nothing particularly utilitarian about the 2 Series' cabin, with a judiciously chosen blend of soft-touch materials and high-quality plastics contributing to a premium look and feel.

You also get BMW's familiar and easy-to-use iDrive infotainment set-up, complete with its large rotary controller that makes scrolling through functions far easier while driving than manically jabbing at a touchscreen. Additionally, all the seats offer a good level of comfort and support, and there's ample legroom for five to travel in comfort, while that relatively straight roofline ensures rear headroom won't be an issue unless you're well over 6ft.

The 468-litre boot is a practical, square shape, and it's low and easy to access with next-to-no load lip to overcome, making it a doddle to load larger items.