We’ve rarely found fault with the BMW 2.0-litre turbodiesel’s performance in the past, and we’re not about to start now. In this 174bhp, 258lb ft guise, the unit has enough shove to make the X1 feel spritely; we couldn’t quite match BMW’s claimed 8.1sec for 0-62mph, but 0.1sec longer to 60mph could hardly be called slow.
It’s tractable from low revs, with only a little lag, and there’s ample
mid-range shove for overtaking. This is helped further by a six-speed gearbox that’s slick, provided you’re positive enough with it.
The X1 is desperately short of current direct rivals, but compare its performance against, say, a diesel Ford Kuga and its relative pace becomes evident; it’s a full two seconds quicker to 60mph and maxes out at 127mph against 113mph.
It emits an astonishing 32g/km less CO2, too, thanks to standard Efficient Dynamics tech including a seamless stop-start system and what BMW calls regenerative braking – in effect an alternator that thinks about when it should disconnect itself.
There is a black spot, though, and surprisingly for this tried and tested powerplant, it comes in engine refinement. The X1’s 2.0-litre motor is considerably noisier than in any of its 3-series applications; indeed, we’ve never heard this particular unit being so vocal, even in the 1-series.
At idle a piercing diesel rasp comes from just beyond the bulkhead, and you’ll find yourself raising your voice if you need to maintain a conversation under hard acceleration. It does settle down when warmed up and cruising – decently subdued road and wind noise play their part there, too – but the engine is simply too audible too much of the time.
This leads us to conclude that the slightly cheaper cabin materials and shorter bodyshell are not the only reasons for the car’s weight advantage over a 3-series Touring; a portion of sound deadening has clearly been removed from BMW’s bottom line, too, and you notice.
Braking is via 312mm (front) and 300m (rear) ventilated discs, and the system seems entirely comfortable with bringing the X1 to a halt. Pedal modulation is excellent – rather like a 3-series, in fact.
If you’re expecting the X1 to offer handling somewhere between a small saloon and an SUV, then you’re right. But just as the car is closer to a 3-series than an X3 in concept, so its driving experience is much closer to that of a regular four-door.
Yes, there is a smidgen more roll in corners than in a 3-series, but the X1 does a good job of keeping its extremities under control. It turns in keenly and settles rapidly, making it easy to enjoy on a flowing B-road. None of its supposed rivals can offer the same level of engagement.
Were this entertainment value achieved at the expense of ride quality, it would be harder to praise, but if anything the X1 is a little more compliant than BMW’s saloon offerings of late.
It could be down to the slightly increased suspension travel over the 3-series, or the fact that regular 17in-shod examples come with normal tyres instead of run-flats (why you would want to spend £175 to ruin the ride is beyond us), but there is a more forgiving nature to the set-up. We’d even call it comfortable, and it deals with urban speed bumps better than any 3-series.
It’s not perfect, mind; there is an element of the rebound damping that can occasionally be caught out by sharp bumps on motorways (bridge joins are the main culprit). The car feels just a little too keen to settle, resulting in a sharpish jolt, but it’s a price worth paying for the X1’s composure through corners.
If we do have a worry, it’s the steering. Although it provides the sort of feel that you expect from a hydraulically assisted BMW system, it is surprisingly heavy, and while drivers of the 1-series and 3-series won’t be put off by this, it may bother buyers in the market for an urban runabout.
On the whole, the X1 does feel like it sets new standards for the crossover driving experience – but then, as the most saloon-like of the breed to date, anything else would have been perceived as failure.
