New-look BMW X1 outed

BMW is promising more space, more power, better fuel economy and better interior quality out of its all-new baby crossover SUV.

Big chunks of the second generation X1 are already well understood, even before BMW sets it up to chase down the 730,000 sales of the first.

That's because it's based on the BMW Group's UKL front-drive architecture, which has already been seen on the current MINI three- and five-door hatch and the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and Grand Tourer.

There will be front- and all-wheel drive X1s, with BMW taking advantage of the lower cost and greater flexibility of the chassis architecture to give a broader range of choices.

Two petrol and three diesel four-cylinder engines will headline the X1 show when it launches in Europe in October, with the best of them dropping fuel consumption down to 4.1L/100km, while even the thirstiest engine still scores an NEDC figure of 6.4L/100km. That equates to a CO2 emissions range of 109 to 149g/km. All of the X1 engines draw from 61-litre fuel tanks.

Sharing their modular architecture with MINI engines, the X1 powerplants sit across the engine bay for a shorter nose than the new X1's predecessor.

Even the most economical of the 2.0-litre units still manages 110kW of power, while the range-topper hits 170kW and is essentially the same motor as MINI uses for the John Cooper Works hot hatch.

That thumper of a petrol-powered X1, dubbed the xDrive25i, uses a twin-scroll turbocharger, double VANOS and variable valve timing to reach its power peak at 5000rpm and hold it until 6000rpm, even while its 350Nm of torque peaks at a lowly 1250rpm. The torque stays there, at the same peak, until 4500rpm, so it promises strength across the board.

It's enough for BMW to claim a 0-100km/h sprint of 6.5 seconds for its fastest X1, along with a 235km/h top speed.

The same engine, slightly detuned, powers the 141kW xDrive20i. It has a lower torque peak of 280Nm, which pushes its 0-100km/h time out to 7.4 seconds, while the front-drive version (the sDrive20i) takes 0.3 seconds longer.

The xDrive25i doesn't stand alone in the power stakes, though, because the strongest of the 2.0-litre turbo-diesels matches it, then adds a whole lot more torque.

With 450Nm of torque from 1500rpm, the xDrive25d hits 100km/h in 6.6 seconds and has the same 235km/h top speed as the petrol flagship, but uses about 1.3L/100km less fuel doing it (5.0L/100km). With up to 2500 bar of fuel pressure, it promises a clean burn, too.

Europe will also see an xDrive20d, with 140kW and 400Nm (7.6 seconds, 4.9L/100km) and an sDrive18d (110kW and 330Nm).

The standard gearbox is a six-speed manual (at least in Europe), while all of the engines can mate up with an optional eight-speed automatic transmission, which is also used with the Active and Grand Tourers.

Taking lessons from the last generation of EfficientDynamics editions at BMW, the X1's manual gearbox uses a centrifugal pendulum absorber in its dual-mass flywheel, which smooths out vibrations and lets the car cruise at exceptionally low engine speeds without discomfort.

In a layout already seen in the Active and Grand Tourers, the entry-level of the X1 range now features an sDrive20i and sDrive18d, both of which are front-wheel drive only, and happen to head the fuel-economy and light-weight tables in the range.

The all-wheel drive system is an on-demand setup, derived from MINI's engineering program, much to the surprise of people who think it's all one-way technical traffic from Germany to Oxfordshire.

The multi-plate clutch, which distributes torque between the front and rear ends, is marshaled electro-hydraulically and is infinitely adjustable, depending on the level of grip available – and, of course, what the stability control system tells it to do. It is set up to do this pre-emptively.

Fully 100 per cent of the drive can be piped through to the rear end if the system has to and, as much as it's there for added grip and drive, it has also been refined to deliver a finer ability to tune out the car's understeer or oversteer stances in corners.

Effectively, the powertrain is a front-drive system with a power takeoff unit. BMW attaches a two-piece prop shaft to it and shoots that down to the rear differential, except it sticks the electro-hydraulically actuated clutch pack in between the front and the rear ends.

Besides deciding when to shift and share the power between the car's differentials, the stability control (DSC in BMW speak) is also in charge of the hill descent control.

Beneath the skin, the X1's architecture is a combination of a multi-link rear suspension and a strut-governed front end that uses plenty of aluminium and high-strength steels for added rigidity.

Then it adds an electro-hydraulic steering setup that saves fuel and allows the steering to easily be accommodated in the range of different driving modes the X1 delivers, especially relevant with its optional variable damper system. The standard wheels are 17-inch alloys, though 18- and 19-inch versions are optional.

People will be fixated on its looks, but the day-to-day reality of the X1 is that it is bigger inside in every key dimension, and BMW has lifted the roof height 53mm to ensure everybody understands it.

It's a slightly bigger car, stretching along 4439mm and across 1821mm, while it's now 1598mm tall. It rides on a 2670mm wheelbase, which is midway between the 2 Series Active Tourer and the 2 Series Grand Tourer.

It has also raised the seat heights in every position to give a greater SUV-style high-driving position. The front seat hip point is 36mm higher than the old car, while it lifts 64mm at the rear to deliver a stadium-style seating outlook.

The cockpit area delivers the BMW hallmarks of two large round dials in the instrument cluster for speed and revs, with lesser functions displayed on demand.

Bluetooth might be the way forward, but the X1 still caters for the old-school folks with both USB and AUX-in connections for the audio system.

The iDrive unit uses the same scroller-and-button layout that is standard across the BMW range, while the multimedia functions are all displayed on a 6.5-inch screen integrated into the dashboard. There is an optional 8.8-inch unit, though, along with "optional" most things, including full LED headlights.

The X1 has had a connectivity boost, too, with the ConnectedDrive option delivering a head-up display, which is more or less identical to the system in the X5 and X6.

It can also be ordered with a Driving Assistant Plus package of electronic systems, which delivers active cruise control, the simply awesome stop-and-go traffic jam self-driving system, a collision warning and pedestrian warning system and a self-stopping City Braking function. All relevant road info is projected on to the head-up display. And the parking assistant now steers it into both parallel and 90-degree parks.

It also has a range of apps available to it, which can be updated whenever the car is connected to the net, and cover entertainment, navigation, comfort and infotainment.

Air conditioning is standard equipment (well, you'd hope so), regardless of whether the car is fitted with the Advantage, Sport Line, xLine or M Sport specification packages.

The optional 60:40 bench rear seat has 130mm of fore-and-aft travel (with each segment sliding independently). The standard backrests can drop down in three pieces (40:20:40) to lift the boot space from a respectable 505 litres (up 85 litres) to 1550 litres. If that's not enough, there is an option for a flat-folding front passenger seat so the car can carry longer stuff inside.

The rear knee room is up 37mm (or 66mm with the bench seat in its rear-most position), while there's an optional electronic tailgate control, then a double-optional foot swiper operation for the tailgate.