Sharp11
01-24-2017, 11:55 PM
For 5 days, I had a 2017 BMW X1 - an x drive edition, fully loaded.
My take:
This is a much different car from the first X1 I had, the 2014 model, which was based on the E90 platform. A not-very-attractive car with cheapish interior materials, but nice handling and roadholding for a tall wagon. The conventional BMW inline engine configuration in that car created a long hood, cramped interior feeling.
This new model is much different. It's based on the Mini Clubman, and features a transverse-mounted 4 cylinder turbo, putting out 228 hp propelling roughly 3700 lbs. Zero to sixty is six and a half seconds (muscle car times from the late 60's, early 70's ;)) - the engine pulls well, and the automatic has 8 speeds. Drive is directed mostly to the front wheels.
The first thing you notice stepping in is how beautiful the new interior is - the leather is high grade (optioned the way it was), with sports seats, lots of nice stitching, and soft touch materials, everything falls exactly in the right place for your hands, the I drive controller works great and the screen is angled precisely where it needs to be for the driver. The parking brake is electric :(, and the shifter, culled from the Mini, is a normal stalk, not that horridly and unnecessarily complex electronic thing across the rest of the line-up (thank you Mini).
The driving position, steering wheel and seat comfort is first rate - I was able to dial up a comfortable set up in seconds and the seats, while narrow, feel well padded and bolstered, with thigh extenders, they're close to ideal (i could see wider folks having a problem, though). Sport seats are now a stand-alone option, which is great considering how diminutive the pod -shaped standard seats are. It feels expensive inside.
The FWD layout gives you tons of room, and a flatter floor than any BMW - in fact, it creates a very un-BMW like environment - it feels more Honda, but I really liked it. The windshield is huge and there's storage everywhere. Back seat has deep foot wells and again, thanks to the FWD platform, lots of room available in contrast to the first edition. The cargo area has one of those trunks beneath the floor for hiding stuff. Very nice.
I picked the car up at night and enjoyed the lighting options, great headlights, with the best "cornering lights" I've ever encountered, turn right or left and bright LED's on the corners light up the side of the road with variable levels of brightness, the tighter the turn, the brighter the light. Awesome stuff. This car also had an optional ambient lighting package that was kind of overkill, a bit glitzy like the inside of a 50's diner. A panorama sunroof and power tailgate completed the package, and the car rode on 18s (taller, narrower 18's than most cars - I neglected to get the tire size, but they're likely 50's in terms of sidewall profile).
So, how does it drive?
The body is about as stout as anything I've ever driven - new cars just keep getting more rigid. It handles like a BMW, but a lighter, friendlier - to - steer and accelerate BMW. Everything feels light, but precise. The transmission shifts smoothly, the brakes pull strongly. The ride is a bit unsettled over the rough stuff, but the car corners uncannily flat for an SUV. Like many of the best FWD platforms, it tracks straight and true on the highway. If I have one gripe, it's with the engine - it just feels agricultural - it's powerful enough, and it's well insulated from the cabin, but it feels cheapish for a car topping out at 50 grand; where's that exhaust note?
I drove it a lot and liked it a lot, and thought it'd be a nice car to have, but began to miss my ZHP. Then my wife drove it for a day, and took to it immediately, she LOVED it. I'm guessing, at some point, because of that, we may have one in our driveway - unless she falls for one of the many competitors - many making a good case for themselves - I suppose we'd be doing a lot of shopping.
So, a truly good effort from BMW/Mini; I think, in this size class, the FWD config is one of the car's biggest pluses - it allows for a comfortable and spacious interior and driving characteristics that are quite appealing - it just feels more BMW-lite mixed with Honda than the usual.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/592/32471304366_d5a47eb2a2_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RtnVvh)X1 (https://flic.kr/p/RtnVvh) by Edward Dzubak (https://www.flickr.com/photos/shrp11/), on Flickr
My take:
This is a much different car from the first X1 I had, the 2014 model, which was based on the E90 platform. A not-very-attractive car with cheapish interior materials, but nice handling and roadholding for a tall wagon. The conventional BMW inline engine configuration in that car created a long hood, cramped interior feeling.
This new model is much different. It's based on the Mini Clubman, and features a transverse-mounted 4 cylinder turbo, putting out 228 hp propelling roughly 3700 lbs. Zero to sixty is six and a half seconds (muscle car times from the late 60's, early 70's ;)) - the engine pulls well, and the automatic has 8 speeds. Drive is directed mostly to the front wheels.
The first thing you notice stepping in is how beautiful the new interior is - the leather is high grade (optioned the way it was), with sports seats, lots of nice stitching, and soft touch materials, everything falls exactly in the right place for your hands, the I drive controller works great and the screen is angled precisely where it needs to be for the driver. The parking brake is electric :(, and the shifter, culled from the Mini, is a normal stalk, not that horridly and unnecessarily complex electronic thing across the rest of the line-up (thank you Mini).
The driving position, steering wheel and seat comfort is first rate - I was able to dial up a comfortable set up in seconds and the seats, while narrow, feel well padded and bolstered, with thigh extenders, they're close to ideal (i could see wider folks having a problem, though). Sport seats are now a stand-alone option, which is great considering how diminutive the pod -shaped standard seats are. It feels expensive inside.
The FWD layout gives you tons of room, and a flatter floor than any BMW - in fact, it creates a very un-BMW like environment - it feels more Honda, but I really liked it. The windshield is huge and there's storage everywhere. Back seat has deep foot wells and again, thanks to the FWD platform, lots of room available in contrast to the first edition. The cargo area has one of those trunks beneath the floor for hiding stuff. Very nice.
I picked the car up at night and enjoyed the lighting options, great headlights, with the best "cornering lights" I've ever encountered, turn right or left and bright LED's on the corners light up the side of the road with variable levels of brightness, the tighter the turn, the brighter the light. Awesome stuff. This car also had an optional ambient lighting package that was kind of overkill, a bit glitzy like the inside of a 50's diner. A panorama sunroof and power tailgate completed the package, and the car rode on 18s (taller, narrower 18's than most cars - I neglected to get the tire size, but they're likely 50's in terms of sidewall profile).
So, how does it drive?
The body is about as stout as anything I've ever driven - new cars just keep getting more rigid. It handles like a BMW, but a lighter, friendlier - to - steer and accelerate BMW. Everything feels light, but precise. The transmission shifts smoothly, the brakes pull strongly. The ride is a bit unsettled over the rough stuff, but the car corners uncannily flat for an SUV. Like many of the best FWD platforms, it tracks straight and true on the highway. If I have one gripe, it's with the engine - it just feels agricultural - it's powerful enough, and it's well insulated from the cabin, but it feels cheapish for a car topping out at 50 grand; where's that exhaust note?
I drove it a lot and liked it a lot, and thought it'd be a nice car to have, but began to miss my ZHP. Then my wife drove it for a day, and took to it immediately, she LOVED it. I'm guessing, at some point, because of that, we may have one in our driveway - unless she falls for one of the many competitors - many making a good case for themselves - I suppose we'd be doing a lot of shopping.
So, a truly good effort from BMW/Mini; I think, in this size class, the FWD config is one of the car's biggest pluses - it allows for a comfortable and spacious interior and driving characteristics that are quite appealing - it just feels more BMW-lite mixed with Honda than the usual.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/592/32471304366_d5a47eb2a2_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RtnVvh)X1 (https://flic.kr/p/RtnVvh) by Edward Dzubak (https://www.flickr.com/photos/shrp11/), on Flickr