German Car Zone

I think the X1 drives much like the A4 Allroad....

Anyways, saw like 6 of them at the BMW parking lot. Cute little thing, and in the right color and with the right rims even beautiful..

Saw the 5er GT too. Huuuuuge and imposing

Me and my father are going for a testdrive when the car arrives to the dealer.

Some of you will hate this car because it’s a BMW, some of you will hate it because it appears to be a 4x4. But spec the X1 with a manual transmission and rear-drive chassis, and we reckon it’ll come close to being as great as a 3-series Touring.

BMW X1 xDrive20d (2009) CAR review | Road Testing Reviews | Car Magazine Online

And you still hate it?

"If you've got a problem, yo I'll solve it," rapped last decade's most inspirational Caucasian hip-hop phenomenon. And those funky words must still ripple through the corridors of power at BMW's Bavarian HQ, because the maker seems hell bent on creating a car for every need. The X1 is its latest niche filler, a pioneering car that wraps premium soft-roading in its smallest package yet; the X1 stands alone as the very first production small premium 4x4. It's a nice, nice baby SUV.

Paradoxically though, the X1 isn't a niche car at all - according to BMW it's a car for absolutely everyone. Young people, parents and empty nesters unite: the X1 is the aspirational first step onto the Beemer SUV ladder, a school run-ready crossover, and a retirement wagon for active grandparents, all at once. But is it any good?

In the Metal

When the X1 was first unveiled in concept form some witnesses vocalised its apparent similarity in size to the BMW X3. Parked side-by-side, though, the junior car is markedly smaller - not massively, however, and its superior packaging means there's only a marginal drop in perceived cabin space. The exterior design is an evolution of the newer X5's, which means it shares the bigger car's purposeful stance and aggressive detailing; the X1 is an as visually appealing as any recent BMW - assuming BMW visuals appeal to you.

Sadly, the exterior grandiloquence is not mimicked in the cabin: the X1 possibly has the poorest quality interior of the maker's entire range. It's about on a par with the 1 Series, but the car's size and cost raise expectations so it feels disappointingly built down to a price. The lower level plastics, and even the instrument binnacle cowl, are all hollow, scratchy and relatively low rent. While the cabin is all arranged with BMW familiarity, familiar BMW tactility is missing.

It's a useful package though, with a big boot, plenty of leg and head space in the back, a good driving position of the 'semi-command' variety (BMW speak for 'halfway between a go-kart and a tractor') and compact dimensions for easy apex clipping on the way to the Spar. We're told its interior airiness is comparable to a first-gen X5, which is believable, and the rear bench splits 40/20/40 so the all-important ski audience can slot their sticks through the boot and into the cabin.

What you get for your Money

BMW has resisted the temptation to offer a flagship petrol model in the UK, despite releasing an xDrive28i on the Continent, and has settled on a trio of diesels comprising 18d, 20d and 23d. The latter is only available in four-wheel drive xDrive spec, and the other two as either rear-wheel drive 'sDrive' or four. As an aside, despite BMW not trumpeting this fact, we're convinced this is the first rear-wheel drive SUV ever - and when we asked the X1's project leader he couldn't think of another one. We'll try the sDrive models at a later date.

The cheapest way of getting an X1 on the drive is with an sDrive18d SE, which has 141bhp, 236lb.ft, 54.3mpg and 136g/km - not too shabby for an SUV. That'll cost £22,660, and with standard spec including 17-inch alloys (which will look tiny in the squared arches), rear parking sensors, two-zone automatic climate control and a sport steering wheel, that outlay's not too shabby for a premium SUV either. Bookending the range is the xDrive23d SE, with 201bhp, 295lb.ft, 44.8mpg and 167g/km. That'll hit 62mph in 7.3 seconds - great - but it costs £29,055, which is a more difficult pill to swallow: the cabin doesn't say 'I cost 30 grand.' The performance will lubricate the pill, however.

Driving it

BMW is well versed in making cars handle properly that probably shouldn't when you look at them - the X6, the 7 Series and the 5 Series GT most recently - and in those terms the X1 is no different; the baby SUV turns in with all the well-controlled poise you'd expect of any Beemer. However, as usual the trade off for that is a fairly wooden ride, and because no X1 will be offered with an active chassis to soften the damping, all owners are just going to have to live with it - and at this end of the market, that could be an issue.

It's not outright uncomfortable, but it really could do with an extra layer of cushioning because we expect that once it hits the UK's frisky road surfaces (on the 24th of October) its propensity to send every cobble shaking into the cabin will become grating; how many people will buy the X1 for its back road abilities? Otherwise it's spot on, though, albeit in an unremarkable way.

We drove the xDrive20d in both manual and auto forms, and it's the latter we'd recommend, firstly because it suits the nature of car and engine best, but also because we found the manual six-speeder unusually notchy. In a similar vein, a 2.0-litre diesel that's smooth and accomplished in other applications is weirdly gruff here and not that pleasant to rev. Still, its performance/economy balance can't be argued with: 48.7mpg, 153g/km and 0 to 62mph in 8.4 seconds. Those figures drop significantly if you ditch the four-wheel drivetrain, which without having tried it we can't say for certain is a good idea, but we strongly suspect it will be.

Worth Noting

When BMW first entered the contentious world of the premium SUV, some were fairly aggressive in their disdain for what was perceived as the reckless abandonment of BMW's brand values; the first X5 isn't exactly a bastion of handling purity. It proved a shrewd move, however, as has the subsequent expansion of the X model portfolio, because they account for one in every five BMWs sold. More than 1.5 million X-badged cars have found owners over the last decade. On that basis, making a pretty small one that more people can afford is a no-brainer as a business case, and despite the fact that BMW reckons it will shift around 6,500 of these per year (compared to 3,000 X3s last year), we think that might be conservative.

Summary

BMW's new X1 is a mixed bag. It looks good, drives well and is priced keenly at the lower end of the range (where most people will buy), but it's ultimately disappointing because it falls short in two important areas: its interior quality is below what we've come to expect of a BMW, and its ride will probably prove too craggy for the majority using it as an urban family car. We'd be surprised if BMW doesn't shift bucket loads though, because while it is actually notably smaller than the X3, it's spacious and appealing enough to steal sales from the bigger car - and probably from a load of other makers too. A disappointing masterstroke, then, if such a thing exists.


Car reviews | BMW X1 | The enemy within | by Car Enthusiast


M

The white looks really nice on all the newer BMWs.

Having, just prior to this drive of the 2011 BMW X1, spent so much time in the very challenging (on so many levels) BMW 5 Series GT, we're grateful to have been brought back to our preferred BMW comfort zone with another example of the Ultimate Driving Machine.

After we had our initial privileged go at a BMW X1 prototype in May, we were really pleased with the vehicle's dynamics but there were few deeper facts to relate. BMW experts kept mentioning the Volkswagen Tiguan as a competitor for the forthcoming X1, but that is certainly mostly a European market concern. To forget the Acura RDX, Infiniti EX35 or Lexus RX 350 in the U.S. market would be foolish. Not to mention the Audi Q5, Land Rover LR2 or even the Cadillac SRX. Maybe a Nissan Rogue could fit on that shopping list if something less than $28K was preferred.

But every one of those other crossovers is noticeably bigger than the 2011 BMW X1, particularly in overall height. The X1 turns out to be truly a unique piece. There's plenty of space inside for four humans (or five if you must) — their heads, their shoulders and their cargo. Yet the X1 is configured to ride lower than other crossovers and thus shows off some crisp Bavarian dynamics, while the exterior look is nicely faithful to what we expect to see when staring down a BMW.

Small Only on the Outside
We now better understand why so many of our BMW contacts have been telling us that the X1 should be a global hit when it finally enters production, much in the vein of the original X3. This little sport crossover shares the architecture of the 3 Series sedan, and in fact the 3 Series sedan, 1 Series hatchback, 1 Series coupe and 1 Series convertible, plus the X1 are all built at the spectacularly automated Leipzig factory in the former East Germany (we visited there during our test-drive nearby).

Whether buyers get the BMW X1 in rear-wheel-drive sDrive trim (not coming to North America) or the xDrive four-wheel-drive model, the crossover's overall height is just 60.8 inches. Compare this number to all of the competitors listed above and the difference is at least 5 inches, and up to 8 inches when talking about the LR2. And even so, the X1 has 7.6 inches of ground clearance.

Yet inside, thanks primarily to significant lowering of the seat squabs, there is more headroom front and rear than in the current X3, notwithstanding the X3's greater exterior height of 66 inches (a whopping 2.2 inches more in front and 3.2 inches in back). There's also more than 1 inch more shoulder room front and rear versus the current X3. And all while the X1 uses seats directly from the 3 Series. (Of course, when you opt for the panoramic glass roof, you lose 1.5 inches of cranium space.)

The number of functional storage areas for all passenger zones is impressive as well, while cargo room is modest yet still damned good, with 14.7 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 47.7 cubic feet when the rear seat is folded flat.

Fun in the Backseat
Beyond the good room for head, shoulders, knees and toes, the outboard seatbacks of the 40/20/40 standard split bench can recline manually to a 31-degree angle — not with an awkward wheel crank and not with expensive electrics, but by using a good, old-fashioned pull strap from between the seatbacks. Thus a little cost-effective luxury goes a long way for the compact crossover segment.

If the rear seats aren't loaded with humans, you can also adjust to perpendicular either part or the entire seatback ensemble to increase practical loading space by a few cubic feet. Naturally the seatbacks also flop fully forward and rest flat with the cargo floor. All of this flexibility is simple to learn and operate even for the wimpiest dummy or dumbest wimp.

Not Bad Up Front Either
This time around, we were driving a fully tricked-out BMW X1 xDrive20d, complete with its turbocharged 2.0-liter common-rail diesel with six-speed sequential automatic transmission plus the full, new X-line accessory package, so we naturally had the electronically adjustable front sport seats we've enjoyed in both the 3 Series and 1 Series. This is some of the best premium Euro-style comfort and support around, end of tale.

The driver-oriented spiel pertains here as well, as the X1 interior design accentuates this aspect of the little BMW crossover. We also had the optional 8.8-inch iDrive screen to play with and we can't emphasize enough just how far iDrive has leapt in our affections with this latest-generation system.

For everyone aboard, visibility is sensational and adding the panoramic roof increases the sensationalness. In fact, such is the experience that we are constantly reminding ourselves just how small the X1 is on the outside. We're missing nothing over an X3 here and we're gaining a better dynamic drive.

One Chipper Handler
What we lose a little in driving fun with either the X3 or 3 Series sport wagon, we gain back here in the X1. In some instances, this 3,660-pound X1 even improves upon the handling of the 1 Series coupe.

If you're ordering an xDrive X1, you can opt for Performance Control, the trick rear-axle dynamic control introduced by the X6. While the really nimble xDrive system is optimizing things between the fore and aft axles, Performance Control negates most understeer tendencies by lightly applying the inner rear brake in corners while increasing torque throughput a bit to the outer wheel. The effect is a very pleasant go-kartiness felt right in your arms through the steering wheel. It makes all the difference that the help is coming from behind you rather than from the front axle.

While 17-inch wheels and tires are the norm for the X1 (just like the X3), our test vehicle had a better set of 18-inch cast-aluminum wheels and a very pleasing set of 225/45R18 91W Pirelli Cinturato all-season tires. Currently the X1 is not destined to make available the adaptive suspension of Dynamic Drive Control seen on costlier Bimmers. All the same, the X1's default Sachs dampers and Mubea coil springs still please us almost completely. BMW experts tell us that over the course of prototype testing since our drive last spring, the suspension has been made just a touch more stiff-legged, though it is still more compliant than the X3 suspension.

Switching gears with the console sequential lever for the six-speed automatic is good stuff and the shifts in Sport are not lazy.

No Denying Diesel
We were initially a little bummed by the available powertrain choice for our drive, since the 20d turbo was the only trim available to us. But then the BMW people reassured us that this four-cylinder diesel will be coming over to North America in the X1 and other BMWs by 2012. Well then...

Switching off the stability control and the traction control, we were seriously getting a little wheelspin and some attractive sideways action from our X1 xDrive20d. Couple that with the improved steering and handling feel already addressed and this is a hot little surprise.

There's plenty of power from this low-revving turbodiesel, some 174 horsepower at 4,000 rpm. But it's the torque that matters, of course. Here we have 258 pound-feet between 1,750 and 3,000 rpm with a little overboost help from the Garrett turbocharger's maximum 10 psi.

Waiting
So, the BMW X1 xDrive28i comes over first, but it won't arrive until the first quarter of 2011 at a price around $33,000. Why so late? Well, the North American BMW distributor needed to place its order back when the U.S. economy was bloated and happy, still laughing at "little foreign cars" like this X1, so a small crossover didn't seem to make sense. The U.S. execs are not laughing anymore, of course, but the production schedule has been set and we have to wait.

But, as stated, we'll also get the terrific and clean four-banger diesels to make up for our desperate change of heart. Good for us, since this X1 is one of those real deals that can open even crusty old eyes.

2011 BMW X1 First Drive on Inside Line

A job well done BMW... Looks like the X1 does nothing wrong, and will become a real hit

Good news! So, the X1 is not a watered down BMW or a 'fake' trying to fool the public nor a badge engineered 'wanna be' BUT a real hardcore BMW! A car with all the BMW essence and quality and a real Driving Machine.

Well done BMW!