BMW Concept Active Tourer breaks with tradition, goes front-wheel drive [w/video]

We've seen the leaked photos and finally the web reveal before the Paris Motor Show, but now the BMW Concept Active Tourer is here, in all its diminutive, plug-in glory. BMW is billing its two-box Concept Active Tourer as a study in both design and powertrain.

With an upright driving position and Hofmeister kink at the D-pillar, the Concept Active Tourer evokes some design elements used in BMW's crossovers. The front end, however, is unmistakably influenced by the new 3 Series. At 171 inches, it's just an inch longer than the F20 1 Series, but it's also roughly five inches taller.

The Concept Active Tourer is motivated by BMW's eDrive system. It features a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine as part of a hybrid drivetrain, with its charge derived from a lithium-ion battery pack. Combined, the plug-in hybrid system makes 190 horsepower and 147 pound feet of torque. In a major break with BMW protocol, the Concept Active Tourer is front-wheel drive. BMW claims zero to 62 mph in under eight seconds and a top speed of 124 mph. Fuel economy is estimated at 2.5 liters per 100 kilometers, or roughly 94 miles per gallon on the European cycle.

The rumormill had a production (and likely non-hybrid) version of the Active Tourer wearing the 1 Series Gran Turismo nameplate, and there's still a chance that this compact tall wagon could wear that name in production form. There's no official word on if or when a roadgoing version will bow, but we aren't expecting it to come to North America anyhow. In the meantime, check out our gallery of the Active Tourer Concept before scrolling down to watch a video and read BMW's official verbiage.
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BMW Concept Active Tourer breaks with tradition, goes front-wheel drive [w/video] Gallery

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