BMW's first front-wheel-drive model is finally here, in the form of the new 2-Series Active Tourer. The engine lineup at launch comprises three- and four-cylinder units, all of them turbocharged. The top model is the 225i and at the other end of the spectrum is a diesel-powered 218d.

The first front-wheel-drive model to wear the BMW roundel is finally here, in the form of the new 2-Series Active Tourer, which debuts early next month at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. BMW first confirmed it was working on a FWD model as far back as 2010 and in between we were treated with a couple of thinly veiled concept versions of the car.

This production version goes on sale in Europe soon after its Geneva debut and will compete in the burgeoning compact MPV segment against the likes of the Ford B-Max, Fiat 500L, Mercedes-Benz B-Class and Volkswagen Touran. The good news--or bad, depending on your take on BMW's move into the FWD market--is that the 2-Series Active Tourer is headed to the US in 2015.

BMW's new 2-Series Active Tourer. [Photo / salon-auto.ch]