The BMW X1 delivers unfiltered driving pleasure, all-round sporty performance and extreme agility both in urban traffic and out of town. The five-door BMW X1 measures 175" in length, but despite the smaller dimensions compared with the BMW X6, BMW X5 and BMW X3, it is clearly identifiable as a BMW X model from every angle.
It adds sports suspension calibration and 17-inch double-spoke M alloy wheels (or 18-inch double-spoke M alloy wheels on request), M Aerodynamics package, door sills with the "M" logo and BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line trim for the side window surrounds and roof rails. The roof-line can be ordered in Anthracite, combined with dark cross-brushed aluminum interior trim, the M gearshift lever for vehicles with six-speed manual transmission and a leather handbrake lever gaiter.
The latest-generation 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine delivers an impressive 245 HP at 5000 rpm and a peak torque of 258 lbs-ft at 1250 rpm. This way the engine delivers the same amount of power as engine with more cylinders, but offers lower fuel consumption.
The new model also gets BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system, whose electronically controlled multi-plate clutch continuously varies the drive power split between the front and rear axles. Priced from $37,625, the RX350 is powered by an improved 275-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to an electrically controlled, and sequential-shift six-speed transaxle.
It’s not a wagon. The leather-clad seats up front provide more than adequate bolstering for a high-riding hatch, and while there's room for two in the rear, if you're carting anyone over six-feet-tall up front, leg room is on the uncomfortable side of minimal. Our tester was fitted with BMW's standard six-speed manual transmission, a gearbox we'll likely never see available in the States if the X1 ever makes the trek. Instead, an eight-speed automatic pulled from the 5 Series GT should suit American tastes, as will BMW's sports-oriented xDrive all-wheel drive and a host of safety-related acronyms ranging from Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) to Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), the latter of which allows for a minute amount of wheel spin and slip, primarily for rain and snow... or deserted off-ramps entering the Autobahn.
Although the BMW X1 has been on sale in Europe since 2009, the big news for 2011 is the replacement of the 3.0-liter inline-six with BMW's new 2.0-liter turbocharged four. Developing 245 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque beginning at 1,250 rpm, this all-new Twin Power mill (BMW parlance for a single, twin-scroll turbo partnered with Aleuronic, double Vanos and direct injection) is more about blending efficiency and fuel economy with six-cylinder smoothness. Steering, throttle response, clutch uptake and braking performance are all up to BMW standards, although the feel from the middle pedal was more wooden and artificially linear than we would've liked.
The BMW X1 might not be the Ultimate High-Riding Driving Machine (the X5 still holds that title), but the genes are there, and for the world's wagon-averse, it offers a compelling blend of sport, fuel economy and cargo capacity.
