Photo: SB Medien
The last time we met up with the upcoming BMW X1 was somewhere in the Scandinavian peninsula, trying out the cold for a change. This time though, we’re going to the Nürburgring to see it challenging a proper race track.
Yes, the crossover might not be the best track weapon in BMW’s line-up at the moment but like all cars that are wearing the blue and white roundel on the bonnet, this too will have to show incredible driving characteristics for its segment. That’s probably why from here on out, we’re only going to see the X1 testing at the Green Hell.
Things are also looking good on the design front. These latest shots provide some insight into what the final product will look like. Up front, the thing looks sharper, with design lines creating an even sportier appearance.
The front bumper seems completely undisguised and it’s easy to notice the same styling that suggests an X embedded in it, just like all other X cars in the range. The headlights are also sharper and cutting towards the kidney grille that, guess what, grew in size.
As far as the greenhouse goes, things look roughly the same, even the Hoffmeister kink being still present as far as we can tell. With the new front-wheel drive setup, there should be more room inside.
Rumor has it that European and Chinese customers will get access to both FWD and AWD versions but the US might be limited to the latter. Is that good news? Can’t tell for sure at the moment.
The thing is, FWD will change the all-wheel drive transmission type and BMW might be using a Haldex differential from now on. That means that most of the time the car will be front-wheel drive and it will only send power to the rear wheels when truly needed. Dynamically, that will change things dramatically.
As far as powerplants go, expect the new generation of 1.5-liter and 2-liter petrol and diesel plants to make their appearance, with output ranging from 136 to 231 HP possibly. Since all of this seems production ready (even the rims that apparently have a new design) expect the new X1 to show up later this year, in full.
UPDATE: we also received a set of photos with the car testing around the Arctic Circle and we added them to the photo gallery, below.
Things are also looking good on the design front. These latest shots provide some insight into what the final product will look like. Up front, the thing looks sharper, with design lines creating an even sportier appearance.
The front bumper seems completely undisguised and it’s easy to notice the same styling that suggests an X embedded in it, just like all other X cars in the range. The headlights are also sharper and cutting towards the kidney grille that, guess what, grew in size.
As far as the greenhouse goes, things look roughly the same, even the Hoffmeister kink being still present as far as we can tell. With the new front-wheel drive setup, there should be more room inside.
FWD means a new type of xDrive
The whole purpose of all this testing is basically referring to this new layout for the powertrain. The new X1 will be based on the UKL platform and will be front-wheel drive primarily.Rumor has it that European and Chinese customers will get access to both FWD and AWD versions but the US might be limited to the latter. Is that good news? Can’t tell for sure at the moment.
The thing is, FWD will change the all-wheel drive transmission type and BMW might be using a Haldex differential from now on. That means that most of the time the car will be front-wheel drive and it will only send power to the rear wheels when truly needed. Dynamically, that will change things dramatically.
As far as powerplants go, expect the new generation of 1.5-liter and 2-liter petrol and diesel plants to make their appearance, with output ranging from 136 to 231 HP possibly. Since all of this seems production ready (even the rims that apparently have a new design) expect the new X1 to show up later this year, in full.
UPDATE: we also received a set of photos with the car testing around the Arctic Circle and we added them to the photo gallery, below.
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