The BMW Active Tourer will the first front wheel drive BMW ever. Unless of course you count the MINI. And that’s where things get a little complicated. The Active Tourer exists for BMW to make MINI profitable and to extend the brand’s offerings down market and to a more urban demographic. So what does that make it? There’s plenty of opinion that it’s simply not a BMW.

So what is it? We know it’ll have a premium interior with all of the technology associated with larger BMWs. We also know it will have a family of three and four cylinder engines shared with the new F56 MINI. Finally sources have told us that the Active Tourer will be the most versatile BMW for it’s size ever. But the big question is, how will it drive? Can BMW create a small front wheel drive car that feels like a BMW?

BMW expects the Active Tourer to be predominately sold in Europe but it will be coming to the US and Asia. Look for sales to begin in the first quarter of 2015 with the model shown above. A three row five door will arrive shortly afterwards.

Image source: Autocar