BMW X1 2020 Review – International

There’s a reason the BMW X1 is the biggest selling premium compact SUV in the world. BMW got the packaging right, the size right, the performance right and the current X1, designed by Australian Calvin Luk, even looked right (a rare enough treat in the BMW range these days).

It outsold the first generation comfortably and last year, in the last full year of its pre-facelifted life, it sold 280,000 cars around the world, comfortably seeing off the Audi Q3, Benz’s GLB and Lexus’s NX.

But the threats keep coming to the X1’s supremacy, not least by Volkswagen’s all-conquering T-Roc, because even though it sits at a lower price point it does the job better than the X1 did.

So the facelifted 2020 BMW X1 maintains the ‘compact’ part of the compact SUV thanks to its overall length of 4447mm, its height of 1598mm and its width of 1821mm, plus its 1580kg dry kerb weight is sadly about par for the class these days, too.

In Europe, the range begins with a front-drive 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder in the 16i, but it only has 103kW to move its 1400kg. In all, there are seven different variants of the X1, the first three of which offer a choice between front- and all-wheel drive.

The rest, including the xDrive25e plug-in hybrid, are all-wheel drive only, which is more in keeping with the body shape.

We tested both the xDrive25i and the xDrive25d diesel at the global launch in Germany before the updated X1’s Australian launch next year, and the petrol-powered car is easily the pick of the two.

Sure, the diesel has more low-down urge, with 450Nm of torque at 1500rpm and 150kW of power, but it never feels as homogenous or balanced as the smoother petrol powertrain.

Instead, it sometimes sounds (rather than feels) a little coarse at low to middle revs, though it’s undoubtedly strong any time the throttle pedal is caressed.

Instead, the xDrive25i shines through, with 170kW of power between 5000 and 6000rpm and 350Nm of torque from 1450 to 4500rpm.

That’s good enough to slip it to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds (a tenth of a second faster than the 25d) on its way to a 235km/h top-end.

Naturally, it’s a bit thirstier than the diesel, with 6.8L/100km and CO2 figures of 155g/km (compared to the big diesel’s 128 grams), but if your primary concern is fuel consumption just buy the 1 Series hatch instead.

It is, after all, the same car but lower and lighter.

The first plug-in hybrid version of the BMW X1 will be a little slower out of the blocks, arriving as a CO2 compliance car in March next year in Europe, and even later for the rest of the world.

Claiming a WLTP fuel consumption figure of just 2.0L/100km and CO2 emissions of only 43g/km, the xDrive25e combines the three-cylinder engine with a 9.7kWh battery, capable of 50km of claimed real-world electric driving.

Besides not being available, the plug-in version will cost considerably more than its pure combustion siblings, which all leaves the xDrive25i as the pick of the litter so far.

At the start, the upgraded BMW X1 proves a much nicer place to be than the current car, even before the engine has fired up.

The facelift has been taken more seriously than usual at BMW, with significant changes to the front and rear designs and a massive upgrade in interior material quality and technology.

There are new bumpers at both ends, the grille has been embiggened (though thankfully not to the degree of the 7 Series or the Concept 4), the round foglights have been turfed for rectangular ones and LED headlights and tail-lights are now standard.

There’s even a flash new X1-specific puddle light.

The best news has been saved for the interior, where the current X1 has its biggest shortcomings. A curious mix of tech and clunky cost cutting, the old has been replaced with an interior that now pushes all quality and all technology. And it looks like it’s been at serious expense.

It offers a choice of touch-screen infotainment (via a 10.3-inch digital screen – optional with the smaller engines – in the centre of the dash), voice commands via an improved and more intuitive recognition system, and the now-traditional i-Drive rotary controller.

The instrument cluster has evolved into a black panel unit, with a 2.7-inch TFT screen for display for the base cars or the 5.7-inch unit fitted to this one. The head-up display also switches to full colour, too, in high resolution.

It has connectivity for smartphones and devices, though some expected features like CarPlay may be moved to the options list, even if they’re pre-fitted... And that rankles.

The ambience can be altered with different coloured lighting (it’s a hugely popular thing in China, so the rest of us are along for the ride), and it can be even put into both the front and rear doors as an option.

The seats are very comfortable and very supportive, especially on longer drives.

The rear seats slide back and forwards across a 13cm range, creating extra luggage space or extra legroom as required, and the backrests have 40:20:40 split-fold capability, too.

The backrests can also step through six angle changes, allowing for 505 litres of luggage capacity in the back, or 1550 litres when the seats are folded down. What’s more, it’s all a doddle to use and it works effectively.

But it’s in the driving that the latest BMW X1 both shines and falls down.

The engine starts sweetly and has a real sense of calm to it, no matter where it is in the rev range. It never becomes thrashy and it never feels like it’s being overly exerted.

It has more than enough strength at low revs for most jobs and it’s swift enough for highway running, even in Germany...

The strength of the engine is apparent from just past 1000 rpm, with the meat of the performance building nicely from just 1500 revs and it spins freely all the way to its limiter.

The eight-speed automatic transmission remains a highlight for its invisibility and its ability to switch from ultra-smooth in Comfort mode to warmly crisp in Sport.

It’s an almost-instantly friendly powertrain, from the top of the engine to the all-wheel drive system’s ability to switch the drive between its axles to deliver strong drive out of bends, even on gravel.

The handling, too, plays its part. On loose dirt roads the X1 proves it has terrific handling balance and power down. It’s happy to be thrown wildly into corners because its poise picks it all up mid corner and eases out again in easily controlled four-wheel drifts.

On twisting tarmac, the BMW is never threatened by a road camber or bump or undulation or sharp crown. It just goes where you point it, when you point it there. It’s unshakeably gathered in its behaviour.

The steering is well weighted and the brakes are easy to modulate, with reliable stopping power inside the 17-inch alloy wheels of the xDrive25i.

The issue will be (for some people) that the price BMW is asking them to pay for all of this chassis poise by trading off in the X1’s ride quality.

Its vertical bump strike is overly firm, with BMW saying the suspension tune isn’t one of the areas it has upgraded in the facelift. It’s fine on smooth roads, but it never quite feels settled anywhere else and it has the unhappy knack of making small imperfections feel much larger.

Perhaps the optional 225/45 R19 tyres our car rode on (it has 225/55 R17 tyres as standard) aren’t the best boots for it, but there are two larger sizes on the options list so that can’t be it.

It must simply be that either BMW decided that this is how their cars should ride as a point of difference to other compact SUVs or that it was something they had to trade off to achieve its handling targets.

Either way, its ride quality is a significant factor, and so is the handling of the X1 xDrive25i. Choose which one you prefer...

How much does the 2020 BMW X1 xDrive25i cost?
Price: TBC
Available: 2020
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 170kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (WLTP)
Emissions: 144g/km (WLTP)
Safety: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)