There’s no doubting that the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer’s increased practicality over other models to wear the coveted blue and white badge, it does lose ground compared to others in this segment.

Space in the middle row is generous, particularly with the seats slid rearwards, but unlike many MPVs the seat is a bench rather than a trio of individual chairs. The middle seat position is also significantly narrower than rivals’ setups too.

Neat touches abound in the third row with elasticated straps attached to the sides to keep kids’ clutter neatly out of the way, while the luggage cover stows in a space under the floor behind the rearmost seats.