Blue BMW X2 Rental in Los Angeles

Deep metallic blue is the colour BMW has used on its small enthusiast cars for thirty years, and on the X2 it works for the same reason it works on a hatchback: the shape is compact and leaning-forward, and a rich dark colour gives it weight without making it look big.

It reads as a chosen colour rather than a default, which is most of the point on a car this size — a blue X2 in a car park of white and grey crossovers is the one you can find. It photographs well in the low light along the coast in the evening, and it is discreet enough that nobody will think you are trying. Take the white one instead if the week is hot and the car will sit in the sun.

The X2 is the X1 with the roof cut down and the tail pulled in — same footprint, same mechanicals, a shape that leans forward instead of standing upright. It is the small BMW SUV for somebody who did not really want an SUV: lower to get into, better looking from three-quarters behind, and noticeably more fun to steer than the upright car because it sits closer to the ground. Honest hook: the sloping roof costs you rear headroom and boot height. Two adults in the back are fine; a tall third and a hard suitcase are not.