12 October 2020 9:32 am / 3 comments To say that BMW’s front-wheel drive strategy has been a hit-and-miss affair so far would be putting it mildly. While MINIs continue to be the ultra-hip, ultra-desirable runarounds for wealthy youngsters, Munich’s offerings have struggled to find their identity, having yet to achieve the same level of success as Mercedes-Benz’s incredibly popular compact car range. It is perhaps the inevitable consequence of having a people carrier as your first front-wheel-drive vehicle. The 2 Series Active Tourer and its even frumpier Gran Tourer sibling were so far away from BMW’s core of building Ultimate Driving Machines (and the intrinsically sporty nature of the rear-drive 2 Series Coupé and Convertible) that it might as well have built an actual boat.