FIRSTDRIVEBMW X1
CAR LAUNCHES are usually accompanied by much fanfare and pomp – posh hotels, lavish meals, glorious test routes and a range of immaculately presented cars to choose from. But the recent BMW X1 event in Mallorca was a bit different. For one thing, it wasn’t really the launch – more a pre-launch sampler. Secondly, there was no dreary press conference to sit through and no USB-stick packed with facts and figures – any information gleaned about the car had to be done so in conversation with the engineers. Finally, we couldn’t really see the cars properly because they were still covered in swirly camouflage and we weren’t allowed to photograph any part of the car – inside or out – so when the time came to write about the car I had absolutely nothing to refer to, bar a few badly scribbled notes.
So what can I tell you about BMW’s X1? Quite a bit, actually. Despite the disguise, it’s clear the BMW X1 is identical to the X1 Concept car unveilled at the Paris Motor Show last year.
It front end is similar to the 7-Series with an upright grille and headlamps that sweep back over the front wings, while in profile there’s a long bonnet and a body like an estate, puffed up to look like an off-roader – note the broad shoulder, large wheels and plastic cladding along the rockers and wheel arches. Parked alongside the BMW X3, it’s noticeably smaller – about as wide but much, much lower and a bit shorter, too, I suspect.
It looks more like an estate car than an SUV and when I ask about the X1’s underpinnings it becomes obvious why that is.
Despite the X1 name, it’s based on the all-wheel-drive version of the current generation 3-Series Touring (which isn’t sold in RHD markets) rather than the next-generation F30 3-Series, due in 2011. The X1 has an electronically controlled, multi-plate clutch, central differential which is 70 per cent rear-biased to give the X1 sporty handling characteristics in normal driving, I’m told – although when things get tricky it can redirect up to 100 per cent of its torque to the front or rear wheels. Instead of a mechanical limited-slip differential, the X1 uses BMW’s Dynamic Traction Control system, which uses the ABS brakes to manage rear-wheel torque distribution.
It’s impressively unobtrusive and allows the X1 to be drifted around on loose surfaces with surprising aplomb – but with the system off, negotiating the same sand track turns into an unruly ploughing display.
Despite the impressive chassis electronics, however, the pre-production X1 isn’t exactly fun to drive. The chassis engineer I drove with was at pains to explain that because of the high centre of gravity and the requirement to make the X1 ride better (it’s infinitely superior to the choppy X3) they couldn’t make it handle like a 3-Series but this is nonsense.
If Ford can make the Kuga drive as well as it does, BMW could have done the same with the X1. Although body roll is kept well in check and there’s oodles of grip, the steering is disappointingly vague with a surprising amount of slop even when committed to a corner.
The engineer promised the M-Sport package will sharpen the X1 driving experience considerably so I’ll hold off denouncing the X1’s handling until I experience the final production version in M-Sport guise.
As we stopped for a break on one of the remote, mountain test routes, a passing tourist took some photographs of the disguised X1 causing pandemonium amongst the engineers, fearful in case someone gets a snap of the cabin. Quite why they were so concerned, I don’t know. The basic shape is reminiscent of the 1-Series but there’s a hint of X5 about the top-half of the dashboard, which falls away towards the windscreen and which now has an integrated i-Drive screen instead of the pop-up item found in the 1-Series and X3.
It is handsome and functional, as with most BMWs these days, but nothing special. Even though the pre-production plastics were unfinished, the construction and refinement was first-rate, and the driving position was spot on, even if the rear seats had surprisingly short seat-bases.
Four- and six-cylinder petrol engines will be offered but they’re likely to be rare in Ireland. Instead, Irish buyers will snap up the XDrive18d and XDrive20d which will line up alongside the top XDrive23d we drove. All are powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine, albeit with 143hp and 300Nm, 177bhp and 350Nm, and 204bhp and 400Nm respectively. Unsurprisingly, there aren’t any performance or economy figures yet but BMW hinted that the top XDrive23d version could hit 100km/h in around 7.5 seconds and top 220km/h, which is almost hot-hatch fast. Expect a combined fuel economy figure of between 5-6L/100km and B and C CO2 emissions for all diesel versions.
There’s a sense in the way BMW is attacking new segments that it desperately wants to recreate the genre-busting success Mercedes enjoyed with its four-door coupé CLS, but I’m not convinced any of its niche models have the inherent rightness of the CLS.
If the X6 and upcoming 5-Series Gran Turismo answer questions nobody really asked, the X1 at least has a deep pool of potential customers, even if first impressions are a little underwhelming. The X1’s success will all come down to the final execution, of course, and I wouldn’t bet against BMW getting those final tweaks just right before the car launches (complete with pomp and fanfare) towards the end of the year.
Factfile BMW X1
Engine:1,995cc 4-cyl common rail turbo diesel; 204hp @ 4,400rpm and 400Nm of torque @ 2,500rpm; six-speed automatic transmission; 0-100km/h in 7.5* seconds, 220km/h*
Specification:ESC with Dynamic Traction Control, six airbags, climate control, leather-covered multi-function steering wheel, light and rain sensor, 17" alloy wheels, rear parking sensors
L/100km (mpg):combined - 5.8* (48.7*)
CO2/tax:150g/km*, VRT– 20 per cent, annual motor tax – €302
Price:€55,000* (starting price – €40,000*)
On Sale:November 2009
*Estimated figure