We’ve known about the upcoming BMW X2 for some time now, with spy photos and concepts having been at our fingertips for months. But it’s always good to see a car in motion, especially being testing hard, to sort of get a feel for what it’s going to be. The BMW X2 was just caught playing at the famous Nurburgring, doing some hot laps, and we can make out a bit of info.

The first thing you notice is just how small it really is. The BMW X1, which shares the same underpinnings as the X2, doesn’t seem anywhere near as small in person. BMW is really emphasizing its sporting nature with its tiny body. It also has more aggressive styling than its X1 sibling. Considering that the X1 is a handsome, albeit sort of bland, crossover, we expect the X2 to be a real looker and something that will bring tons of buyers into dealerships.

When we see it on the road in this video, it seems quite planted through corners. There’s not a lot of body roll and it seems relatively accurate for a front-drive-based all-wheel drive car. There’s little understeer for a crossover and it goes where it’s pointed. We can’t be positive which model X2 this is, whether it’s the standard car or something more performance-oriented, but it looks pretty quick. Especially considering that it’s almost certainly a little four-cylinder under hood. Though, I’d wager this is some sort of M Performance model, thanks to the larger air intakes in the bumper.

After it gets off the ‘Ring, there’s a brief clip of it pulling onto a public road and we get to hear its exhaust up close and from a stop. It sounds burbly and deep down low but growls a bit more as the revs get higher. This also sort of indicates that this is an M Performance model, as it sounds more aggressive than the standard X1’s engine. It also sounds to be a four-cylinder, so it’s likely to just be an up-rated variant of BMW’s 2.0 liter turbocharged B48 engine. We’re not 100 percent sure but that’s likely to be the case and wear an ‘M30i’ badge, or something of the like.

At the end of the clip, there’s a standing shot of the BMW X2 parked and we can get a closer look at its front air intakes, which seem to house a large radiator in the front and possibly a couple of smaller coolers for the oil or maybe transmission fluid. It’s the sort of thing you see on other M Performance vehicles, so it’s pointing that way for this X2 as well.