BMW X1 and iX1 2022 Review – International

First things first, the price of the two confirmed new-generation 2022 BMW X1 models for the Australian market have gone up.

No shock there. It happened with the BMW 3 Series and it happened with the new BMW X7, too.

In this case, the BMW X1 sDrive18i front-wheel drive has seen its pricing lift from $44,400 to $53,900 plus on-road costs, but the all-wheel drive X1 xDrive20i holds on at $65,900 plus ORCs.

It’s happening all over the world and it’s happening to you.

For that, BMW claims a raft of additions, on top of the added size and space, and the upcoming addition of the all-electric BMW iX1.

Firstly, the base cars are equipped with adaptive LED headlights, a head-up display, an augmented-reality navigation system, an ‘intelligent personal assistant’, BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional set-up and active cruise control, with the stop-start system integrated into it.

There’s more stuff in the 20i, including all-wheel drive (hence, ‘xDrive’) and steering and lane control assistance.

All X1 models have standard parking assistance, including a drive recorder, reversing camera, auto-dipping and anti-dazzle on the rear-view mirror, a remote 3D view of the car, reversing help and surround-view cameras.

A leather-clad steering wheel is standard all round, while there are two climate-control zones, a portrait-aligned inductive charger with a cradle, four USB-C ports and a pair of 12V power sockets.

And this is BMW, so there are options, though having to homologate cars for every single option under the new WLTP rules has rather curtailed the natural instincts of the Bavarians.

The controversial part is the debut of Features on Demand (which is a nice way to say: subscription services, where BMW actually fits features to cars, but won’t let you access them unless you pay more, usually per month).

BMW says it’s all about comfort and flexibility, with features able to be activated from the ConnectedDrive store at any time during the ownership period. But they are activating features that are already there...

It’s not like they can OTA the seat-heating coils into the sDrive18i’s front seats, which is the first subscription offer.

While that’s standard on the xDrive20i, both models suffer a subscription-offer heated steering wheel.

It’s fair to say that BMW has embiggened the all-new, third-generation 2022 BMW X1 in every dimension.

It rolls down the production line with the BMW 1 Series and the 2 Series Active Tourer with which it shares its front/all-wheel drive platform, and it has grown as they have grown.

For day-to-day operators, one of the keys will be that the boot space has grown 35 litres to 540 litres, and it picks up 50 litres (now at 1600L) with the rear seats folded down.

The rear seats are split 40/20/40, and the split parts can slide fore and aft up to 300mm, giving either more legroom or more luggage room (but it’s not for the iX1 EV).

Its wheelbase is 2692mm, which is 22mm up on the old X1, and its 4500mm overall length is up 53mm.

It’s taller (by 44mm, at 1642mm), wider (up 24mm, at 1845mm) and its front and rear wheel tracks are both wider as well.

While Europe has an array of powerplant options in the 2022 BMW X1, Australia will start with only the sDrive18i and the xDrive20i, both with petrol power.

Tipping the scales at 1500kg, the Aussie-spec sDrive18i squeezes 115kW of power and 230Nm of torque out of its turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, which is 15kW more power than what’s offered in Europe.

It’s not a lot of urge, but at least the torque peaks nice and early, with the maximum figure arriving at 1500rpm and sticking around until 4000rpm, and the power peak hits usefully low at 4400 revs, so it’s not a big revver.

The Euro-spec 18i has enough power to convince it to 100km/h in 9.2 seconds, and it technically tops out at 208km/h.

It uses 6.5L/100km on the combined WLTP cycle, though BMW hasn’t released the Australian emissions data, partly because Euro data is based on 17-inch wheels and tyres, while Australia’s standard package comes with 18-inch rims. That’ll bump it up a few grams, but no more than five or so.

Meanwhile, with the ‘big’ engine in the xDrive20i, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo delivers 150kW and 300Nm, which BMW says is good for a 7.4-second run to 100km/h.

Both engines run through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, packaged in the least sophisticated of all the BMW chassis architectures.

There’s a three-link rear suspension, a single-joint strut front-end and single-piston brake callipers at every corner

A few months after the Gen III 2022 BMW X1 arrives in Australia towards the end of this year, the BMW iX1 will follow, most likely late in the first quarter of 2023.

Europe gets two power outputs, but we’ll likely get just one. BMW Australia hasn’t confirmed which one that will be, or what it will cost, but we know it’s coming, so there’s that.

The best of them in Europe is the BMW iX1 xDrive30, with up to 230kW of power, 494Nm of torque (instantly) and a sprint to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds.

So, it’s not just cleaner than the combustion-powered cars, but quicker, too (well, not in top speed, because it’s limited to 180km/h).

The key is the range and BMW claims between 414km and 440km, depending on the wheel and tyre package, and the WLTP energy consumption is between 17.2kWh and 18.3kWh per 100km.

Thing is, it’s really very good. It follows the rest of the X1 range in feeling quite mature and delivering the ride quality of a car considerably bigger than it actually is.

With an electric motor on each axle, the iX1 recuperates energy at up to 100kW, so all you have to do is find a very, very, very long hill and you can fully charge the 64.7kWh of useable lithium-ion battery capacity.

Or you can use the 11kW (or optional 22kW wallbox) alternating-current charger or DC charge at up to 120kW.

The weird thing is that the plug-in hybrid version, which BMW Oz has shown no inclination to put on a boat, can regenerate at 130kW – 10kW more than it can suck up from a fast DC charger.

That’s because it only needs to do it for a few seconds at a time, but they still haven’t considered it applicable for the battery-electric model.

The DC charging rate is enough to deliver 120km of range in 10 minutes, or an 80 per cent charge in 29 minutes, and its navigation has a function that matches routes with charging locations, to give the shortest total trip times.

Even with the standard adaptive M suspension (which, on the surface of it, makes no sense), the iX1 rides beautifully, with a minimum of fuss and near-complete silence.

There is more than enough urge at any point, and the electric motors don’t deliver the dentist-drill soundtrack some EVs assail you with.

There really isn’t anything it does poorly, and the worst thing you can say about it in comparison to the combustion cars is that it loses 50 litres of luggage capacity. And it will cost more.

The initial thought is that the 2022 BMW xDrive20i will be a better car to drive than the little brother, but there’s probably less in it, intrinsically, than you’d believe.

The first impression created by the new interior is that BMW has learned – and a lot – from Mercedes-Benz’s recent surge in interior design quality, and is doing its best to implement it.

Everywhere you look, the X1 seems to be a high-quality machine, designed to feel like it’s at least worth the money.

That starts long before you start looking at the curved screen atop the dash, and the materials BMW has used all feel like they belong to a class higher. The fold-up cradle to near-vertically secure the smartphone is a particularly nice feature.

The latest BMW multimedia operating system doesn’t match the hardware for quality, though, with far too many tiles and far too much fiddly and counterintuitive forwards-backwards going on for contented operation. And there’s no iDrive scroller here.

Still, ownership will allow you to rearrange all the tiles where you prefer them, which will doubtless make things easier.

The petrol-powered cars feel livelier than their diesel counterparts, with solid performance coming from low revs and genuine flexibility from every point in the range.

We never found a situation where two-wheel drive wasn’t enough, though the extra differential brings extra urge, so that will be enough for plenty of people.

The cars are quiet, for the most part, and incredibly mature compared to the previous generation.

There is quite a lot to like here...

It’s questionable just how much of a BMW the X1 feels like in its DNA, but it’s not questionable how good it is.

The new third-generation 2022 BMW X1 is very good. We worked hard to find genuine issues (other than the multimedia system) and concluded that the trailing edge of the B-pillar can intrude into the rear foot well, and can get in the way of egress for the passengers.

But that’s it.

The X1 is now an incredibly mature car, with an unfussed ride quality, easy, relaxed handling and a big step up in interior space.

Yes, there’s a lot to like here, but it’s not an ultimate driving machine, so don’t expect one.

How much does the 2022 BMW X1 sDrive18i cost?
Price: $53,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Late 2022
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 115kW/230Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 172g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

How much does the 2022 BMW X1 xDrive20i cost?
Price: $65,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Late 2022
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 150kW/300Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 196g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

How much does the 2023 BMW iX1 xDrive30 cost?
Price: $80,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: Early 2023
Powertrain: Two electrically excited synchronous motors
Output: 230kW/494Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 64.7kWh lithium-ion
Range: 414-440km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 17.2-18.3kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested