The only constant thing in life is change. You've no idea what I'd give to travel back in time to forewarn the devout Munich faithful so. For the commandments have steadfastly stood for so long - line up thine cylinders alongst thine length, and never shalt they drive fore, nor the chariot rideth high, for then will dynamics be compromised, and an Ultimate Driving Machine it will be no more.
Never say never. Today we have five BMW SUV models, with a big one in the oven. There are SUVs and diesel vehicles with M badges. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, an electric vehicle, and not one naturally-aspirated motor in sight. But surely there won't be a people-carrier, or heaven forbid - a transverse-engined, front-wheel drive vehicle, because once you go front, you can't go back.
Well, they've gone and done it, and here's the result - the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. A liberal at heart, she broke away from tradition and embraced modernity, boldly going where no Beemer has been before. Now that she's rubbing shoulders with the Mercedes B-Class, her 1 Series and X1 siblings, inspired, are also set to move up front to look the A-Class and GLA-Class square in the headlamps. She's even spawned a longer-wheelbase, seven-seat sister - to which her rival doesn't intend to respond for now.
And since the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer has just been launched at BMW World Malaysia, there isn't a better time to tell you what it's like. We were in Austria some time ago to meet the 225i Luxury and 218d Sport - can the whippersnapper hold its own?
Or perhaps more crucially, is it still a BMW? Let's find out.
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