I am a 6ft 5” male 66 years young and retired. This is the first BMW I have owned and after driving 16,000 miles in 18 months, the car still feels and drives like new.

I chose Xyrillic Blue for the colour which I like if the car is showroom clean and the sun is shining so as to bring out the quartzy look. Otherwise I feel the colour is safe and a bit boring! I also went for the Paintseal option which I would do again.

Am not sure the front impact warning system with auto braking is working properly. But how can you test it? The dealer says there is no way other than diagnostically. The audio and visual pre warnings (adjustable) are inconsistent at best and the dealer’s response is that the system is more clever than you think. The car is due for its first service in February and at that time I shall ask for the system to be tested and if considered to be working entirely satisfactorily for same to be confirmed in writing!

I test drove the 1500cc three cylinder which was ok but decided to buy the 2 litre four cylinder twin turbo petrol with 8 speed auto and no paddle shift. Very pleased with my choice! The power is fantastic with silky smooth effortless acceleration and the engine is so quiet. Have only seen one other Active Tourer on the road with this engine option.

Opted for runflat tyres on 17” alloys and the standard non adjustable suspension. The steering and road holding are excellent and the car feels well planted on the road with next to no body roll. Tyre noise and ride comfort are both very good on nice smooth road surfaces. But definitely not on pot holed roads to the extent I will change to non run flats when the tyres need to be replaced (I guess the fronts will last another 10,000+ miles) in the hope of improvement. I have already bought a skinny spare wheel in readiness. Note that a 16” skinny will fit nicely in the under boot floor, a 17” (mine) just fits and an 18” won’t. If I was buying again I would specify the adjustable suspension as I suspect this could offer a less harsh ride on poor surfaces but perhaps at the expense of more body roll?

Decided on the expensive lighting package which is superb. Auto lights as you would expect and all lighting is good and bright. There is choice of Red or White ambient detail lighting inside, the footwells inside and the ground outside light up brightly when a door is opened, the headlights can automatically go from main beam to dip and back again (not been flashed yet by an oncoming driver) and the beams auto adjust when going round bends.

The heads up option works really well showing sat nav directions which negates the need to look away from the road onto the main screen. Am pleased with the sat nav but disappointed there is no speed camera warning system (illegal in Germany I understand).

Test drove with sports seats but felt they gripped my sides too much and could be uncomfortable. So went with the standard seats in leather with electric adjustment and they are fine.

The adjustable and electric folding of the back seats are very practical and contribute to there being plenty of space overall for that vital requirement of a driver + 2 passengers, 3 bags of golf clubs, 1 big electric trolley and 2 smaller trolleys!

The tailgate will open and close automatically if you move your foot under the back bumper and back, handy if you are carrying things in both hands. But be careful, I have sat on the boot floor with my feet over hanging the bumper whilst changing into walking boots and one foot has gone under the bumper which triggered an audible warning that the tailgate was about to close! I got out quick, not sure what would have happened if I had stayed there!

Note you can set the tailgate to open and automatically stop at one of three preset heights, handy if opening in a small garage with a lowish canopy.

Fuel consumption 45mpg + obtained on long motorway journeys driving carefully within speed limits but you can go down to 30mpg in town with a heavy right foot. In economy mode, the auto box effectively goes into neutral when you lift your foot off the accelerator (unless it senses you are going sharply downhill) and it is surprising how far you can coast with just tickover revs. Must help with fuel consumption.

Thick windscreen pillars can make for blind spots when turning right at junctions or going round roundabouts but this is no big deal, you just have to move your head a bit more!

Overall I am very pleased with the car but in hindsight should have opted for the adjustable suspension.