BMW X1 2.0d
I'am seemingly eternally faced with a recurring dilemma, why on earth would a person want to buy a four wheel drive that they have no intention taking off road. Ever. I hear the pro's of high visibility due to the raised seating position, space to put junk, especially on family holidays. There ends the list. The cons? Increased fuel consumption due to increased weight and mechanical friction.
Oh and that friction and weight ends up reducing acceleration significantly. And road manners, that weight again. So let's add that up shall we? We have that magical triangle of improvement: reduced performance, manners and increased fuel consumption. Whoopee. All to pretend you aren't really driving a station wagon. BMW have some great wagons or “touring” models in order that the pretence of not driving a wagon can be sustained.
The 5 and 3 Series are both available as wagons, and they are great ones. We just don't want to buy them it seems, judging by the sales figures. If I needed to deliver large musical instruments between cities in a hurry, I for one would much rather have an M5 touring than an X5 or X6 with a turbo or two fitted. Seems you lot out there disagree, and off 4x4 shopping we all go.
So BMW has done it, they have given us the X1, yet another 4x4 that can't. Or at least shouldn't. Are you seriously going to take that thing down Van Zyl's pass as you begin your Trans-Africa trip in it? Thought so. BMW do have clever little engineers slaving away in Munich and they have given me my solution. A eureka moment really. “Lets build the 4x4 and leave out the silly 4x4 bits.” How inspired really.
What a silly old world we seem to live in. It is available in 4x4 as well just in case your Labrador hates the idea of getting his wellies muddied as you check out the far end of the country estate. For the rest of us go look at the s-drive. Essentially a high riding wagon with as much space as the 3-series wagon, with somehow better packaging and therefore more useable space. The looks are in the eye of the beholder, but I for one think it is a handsome car. The rear wheel drive 2.0d has a more than adequate range with incredibly good real world fuel consumption for a car with this much ability to move your stuff about. Creature comforts abound and the i-drive is of the easy to use variety.
I enjoyed the rear view de-mister, which is not made up of the usual horizontal lines of heating elements but a semi-circular arrangement, and seemed to give better initial visibility by it's pattern. That or I just liked the novelty of it. That and reclining rear seats. The engine has more than enough shove, but here is my only complaint. The auto gearbox. Clumsy.
It dilutes the engine from crisp and torquey into sludgy changes. It is not that it is a bad auto box, but hey guys, things have moved on and the drowsiness of the auto-box, lets this model down. This is a car that craves and demands a double clutch flappy-paddled variation. The closest competition in my mind is the Mitsubishi Outlander, yes it has 4x4 that you will never, ever use, but the BMW simply outclasses it in every way.
Just go order one in manual for the moment and be careful with those check boxes on the options list or your bank manager might just ask you to step outside so he can have a word or two with you in private.
