Photo: BMW
Whenever you read a review of the old BMW X1 lately, all you could get out of them was how awesome that car was. It was the last one to still use a hydraulic steering system, and the fact that you could have it in rear-wheel drive guise alone made it a fun car to throw around bends.
Therefore, you can understand the skepticism towards the new model that is being unveiled today and its front-wheel drive underpinnings. Oh, you didn’t know? The new BMW F48 X1 uses the same platform as the 2 Series Active Tourer and will be offered as a front-wheel drive model too. Let’s take a closer look.
Up front, the model shows the hallmark BMW X design language and, if you take a step back and squint hard, you might notice it. The point of it is to have a hidden X laying on the nose of the car, with rugged proportions, a powerful presence, and dynamic lines.
The headlights show a similarity to the X3 and, surprisingly, are not connected to the kidney grilles that seem to be active. Speaking of which, they grew in size while the bonnet seems to be shorter now.
The greenhouse is taller on the 2016 model and also seems a bit longer, offering more room inside. That was the point of migrating to an FWD setup in the first place anyway and it feels like BMW managed to get what it wanted.
Round the back we have new taillights featuring LED strips and somehow reminding us of the current 1 Series (the facelift version, of course). The twin tailpipes at the back are a clear indication of various engines used under the bonnet.
Even the HVAC controls seem taken straight off the 2 Series Active Tourer. There are some discrepancies as well though. The seats, doors and storage compartments are different, offering the X1 the character it needs.
Space has been drastically improved according to BMW, the new car being 53 mm (2 inches) taller. That led to a higher driving position (by 36 mm) a raised seating position in the back (by 64 mm) but other improvements as well.
Knee room in the back has increased by 37 mm (1.4 inches) in standard specification and up to 66 mm (2.6 inches) with the adjustable rear seat option. In boot space, things moved up by 85 liters with the seats up, offering 505 liters (17.8 cu. ft) in total. Folding the seats (40:20:40 format possible) reveals a cavernous 1,550 liters space in the back (54.7 cu ft).
Standard equipment inside the cabin includes air conditioning, an audio system with USB and AUX-in sockets, rain-sensing wipers, Servotronic and Driving Experience Control switch and the iDrive operating system, whose 6.5-inch display is integrated into the instrument panel in freestanding monitor form.
Optional features offered on the X1 for the first time include head-up display and the Driving Assistant Plus that brings functions like Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Jam Assistant, Collision Warning and Pedestrian Warning with City Braking.
Other novelties in terms of optional features include the LED adaptive headlights, new engines, and transmission choices as well as the equipment lines.
xLine will feature the BMW kidney grilles with matte aluminum bars at the front, accentuated by matte silver accents for the air intakes, side skirts, and underbody protection. The interior trim comprises cloth/leather seats in Granite Brown/Black with black accents and interior trim strips in high-gloss Black with accent strips in Pearl Gloss Chrome.
Sport Line brings black BMW kidney grille bars, air intakes with accents in high-gloss Black and underbody protection in Black Silver with an inlay painted – like the side skirts – in body color. The interior of the Sport Line model features black sports seats with either red or gray accents and interior trim strips in the variants high-gloss Black or aluminum with accent strips in matt Coral Red.
M Sport models are fitted with a model-specific M aerodynamic package and 18-inch or optionally 19-inch M light-alloy wheels that lend even further emphasis to its dynamic character. The interior of the M Sport model features sports seats in anthracite-colored cloth/Alcantara with blue accents and Aluminum Hexagon interior trim strips with accent strips in matt Blue. The cockpit design also includes an M leather steering wheel and a BMW Individual headliner in Anthracite.
The entry level petrol model will be the sDrive20i for now, fitted with a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine making 192 HP and 280 Nm (206 lb-ft) of torque. You might recognize this plant from the current MINI Cooper S models. The ’s’ in the nomenclature stands for front-wheel drive as the power will be sent to the front axle alone. There’s also an xDrive20i model available that has the same engine under the bonnet.
Both cars will be available with 8-speed Steptronic transmissions only at first with no mention of a manual 6-speed version for now.
The top of the range petrol version will be the xDrive25i version with another engine shared with MINI. The 2-liter 4-cylinder mill is good for 231 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque hooked up to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint takes 6.5 seconds while fuel consumption is supposedly going to be around 6.5 l/100 km (36.1 mpg).
The diesel side of things has three engines at its disposal. The cheapest one will be the sDrive18d, a FWD version of the X1 using a B47 2-liter 4-cylinder mill making 150 HP and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) of torque which should be enough for all daily driving purposes.
Going up one small step you’ll find the xDrive20d model with a 190 HP, 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque version of the same engine under the bonnet. This one is all-wheel drive and accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) 1.6 seconds faster than the 9.2 seconds posted by the sDrive18d.
To top everything off in the diesel department, we have the new xDrive25d that uses a 16.5 compression ratio to get 231 HP and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque out of the 4 cylinders at hand. The performance is impressive too, not just the numbers, as the X1 xDrive25d goes up to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds.
Overall, BMW claims that the CO2 emissions and the fuel consumption figures have gone down by 17 percent which is a decent improvement over the last model.
The production of the new X1 will begin later this year at the BMW Plant Regensburg and the market launch will take place in October.
Exterior Design
On the outside, the changes are immediately noticeable. Unlike other models that seem to be just small evolutions compared to their predecessors, the new X1 shows a completely new design that follows that of its newer brothers, the X3, X4, X5 and X6.Up front, the model shows the hallmark BMW X design language and, if you take a step back and squint hard, you might notice it. The point of it is to have a hidden X laying on the nose of the car, with rugged proportions, a powerful presence, and dynamic lines.
The headlights show a similarity to the X3 and, surprisingly, are not connected to the kidney grilles that seem to be active. Speaking of which, they grew in size while the bonnet seems to be shorter now.
The greenhouse is taller on the 2016 model and also seems a bit longer, offering more room inside. That was the point of migrating to an FWD setup in the first place anyway and it feels like BMW managed to get what it wanted.
Round the back we have new taillights featuring LED strips and somehow reminding us of the current 1 Series (the facelift version, of course). The twin tailpipes at the back are a clear indication of various engines used under the bonnet.
Interior Design
Since the X1 will be sharing most of its parts with the 2 Series Active Tourer and Gran Tourer, the interior of the car will also be shared. The instrument cluster looks exactly the same and so does the steering wheel and the gearshift knob.Even the HVAC controls seem taken straight off the 2 Series Active Tourer. There are some discrepancies as well though. The seats, doors and storage compartments are different, offering the X1 the character it needs.
Space has been drastically improved according to BMW, the new car being 53 mm (2 inches) taller. That led to a higher driving position (by 36 mm) a raised seating position in the back (by 64 mm) but other improvements as well.
Knee room in the back has increased by 37 mm (1.4 inches) in standard specification and up to 66 mm (2.6 inches) with the adjustable rear seat option. In boot space, things moved up by 85 liters with the seats up, offering 505 liters (17.8 cu. ft) in total. Folding the seats (40:20:40 format possible) reveals a cavernous 1,550 liters space in the back (54.7 cu ft).
Standard equipment inside the cabin includes air conditioning, an audio system with USB and AUX-in sockets, rain-sensing wipers, Servotronic and Driving Experience Control switch and the iDrive operating system, whose 6.5-inch display is integrated into the instrument panel in freestanding monitor form.
Optional features offered on the X1 for the first time include head-up display and the Driving Assistant Plus that brings functions like Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Jam Assistant, Collision Warning and Pedestrian Warning with City Braking.
Other novelties in terms of optional features include the LED adaptive headlights, new engines, and transmission choices as well as the equipment lines.
xLine will feature the BMW kidney grilles with matte aluminum bars at the front, accentuated by matte silver accents for the air intakes, side skirts, and underbody protection. The interior trim comprises cloth/leather seats in Granite Brown/Black with black accents and interior trim strips in high-gloss Black with accent strips in Pearl Gloss Chrome.
Sport Line brings black BMW kidney grille bars, air intakes with accents in high-gloss Black and underbody protection in Black Silver with an inlay painted – like the side skirts – in body color. The interior of the Sport Line model features black sports seats with either red or gray accents and interior trim strips in the variants high-gloss Black or aluminum with accent strips in matt Coral Red.
M Sport models are fitted with a model-specific M aerodynamic package and 18-inch or optionally 19-inch M light-alloy wheels that lend even further emphasis to its dynamic character. The interior of the M Sport model features sports seats in anthracite-colored cloth/Alcantara with blue accents and Aluminum Hexagon interior trim strips with accent strips in matt Blue. The cockpit design also includes an M leather steering wheel and a BMW Individual headliner in Anthracite.
All-new engines
The engine line-up will be made up of two petrol and three diesel choices at first, all of them 2-liter 4-cylinder mills. The 3-cylinder 1.5-liter engines we told you about earlier this year will come out starting with November 2015 on the sDrive18i and sDrive16d models.The entry level petrol model will be the sDrive20i for now, fitted with a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine making 192 HP and 280 Nm (206 lb-ft) of torque. You might recognize this plant from the current MINI Cooper S models. The ’s’ in the nomenclature stands for front-wheel drive as the power will be sent to the front axle alone. There’s also an xDrive20i model available that has the same engine under the bonnet.
Both cars will be available with 8-speed Steptronic transmissions only at first with no mention of a manual 6-speed version for now.
The top of the range petrol version will be the xDrive25i version with another engine shared with MINI. The 2-liter 4-cylinder mill is good for 231 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque hooked up to an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint takes 6.5 seconds while fuel consumption is supposedly going to be around 6.5 l/100 km (36.1 mpg).
The diesel side of things has three engines at its disposal. The cheapest one will be the sDrive18d, a FWD version of the X1 using a B47 2-liter 4-cylinder mill making 150 HP and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) of torque which should be enough for all daily driving purposes.
Going up one small step you’ll find the xDrive20d model with a 190 HP, 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque version of the same engine under the bonnet. This one is all-wheel drive and accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) 1.6 seconds faster than the 9.2 seconds posted by the sDrive18d.
To top everything off in the diesel department, we have the new xDrive25d that uses a 16.5 compression ratio to get 231 HP and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque out of the 4 cylinders at hand. The performance is impressive too, not just the numbers, as the X1 xDrive25d goes up to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds.
Overall, BMW claims that the CO2 emissions and the fuel consumption figures have gone down by 17 percent which is a decent improvement over the last model.
The production of the new X1 will begin later this year at the BMW Plant Regensburg and the market launch will take place in October.
Google News