Pros and cons of BMW X1

Hi JM,

Thank you for the good motoring advice you offer each week. Could you please delve into the pros and cons of the BMW X1 and any issues I need to look out for, maintenance-wise?

Joseph

Hi Joseph,

The results of your query depend on which particular generation of X1 you refer to. The first one — the E84 — was an entry-level pretend crossover for those hell-bent on badge worship but are unable to afford a real BMW X car (pro), but it was not very good to look at (con).

Its comparatively compact dimensions make it ideal for city driving without resorting to Japanese kei car short shrift (pro), but the RWD and AWD drivetrains rob it of practicality, especially in interior room and boot space (con).

The RWD/AWD makes for engaging driving dynamics, if you are into that sort of thing (pro).

The vehicle is based on the E91 BMW 3 Series, so expect the usual 3 Series problems.

BASE MODELS

The newer X1, the F48, looks much better than its predecessor (pro) and is much bigger (pro), and more practical (pro), especially due to the fact that entry-level models come with front-wheel drive, a travesty as far as the blue propeller is concerned (con).

These base models could also be encumbered with a three-cylinder engine (con), and yes, I know the groundbreaking i8 has a three-cylinder engine as well, but these are not the same three cylinders in the X1, so, no, BMW fans, you can't argue along that line.

While these cylinders are equal, some are more equal than others, if you get my drift. Worse yet, these three-cylinder engines come as a pair, one of which is a diesel.

I have ridden in the F48, back in South Africa when our very pretty hostess came to pick me at the airport in one and deliver me to a swanky hotel for a two-day test drive of the latest G30 5 Series saloon, which I reviewed here.

I liked the ride in the F48 (pro); I liked being inside (pro); I liked the smoothness (pro) and from where I was, the response and power delivery seemed ideally suited for its purposes.

MAINTENANCE

The interior was roomy in both rows of seats. The materials used finally gave the car the premium feel it deserves despite its entry-level status in the X car hierarchy, and generally, it was all round damn near excellent. If you are to buy an X1, this is the one to go for.

I will deliberately sidestep your interest in maintenance because this conversation never leads anywhere good.

There was a theatre of the absurd when last time I listed a chain of issues that the E46 is prone to (most of them sourced anecdotally since my BMW is not an E46, so I wouldn't know first-hand what ownership of an E46 is like), for which the BMW fan club took pot shots at me — as is to be expected — but unlike other times when this type of brand disciple shouts falsities such as “Land Rovers are actually reliable”, the BMW fan club went ahead to provide a whole new list of problems that they believe plague the E46.

You know things are not good when your car has two discrete lists of things to watch out for.

Such a pity since the E46 is one of the finer BMWs out there — I haven't owned one but I have driven a few, somewhat extensively, and much as it is a softer, dumbed down and less BMW-esque experience compared to the sharper E36 and E30 that came before it, it is not exactly a disappointment.

LAND ROVER

Nevertheless, this is not about the E46, which is a 3 Series. This is about the X1, which is a tiny crossover, which was based off the E91, which is yet another 3 Series, whose predecessor has two lists of problems to look out for.

Maybe there is a third list somewhere, I don't know. Get the F48. Maintenance or not, it actually is a very nice car.

[Disclaimer: I haven't owned a single Land Rover my entire life but I have test-driven a large number of them. And each and every single time they threw warning lights at me without fail; across the entire model range with two exceptions: the Freelander and the Defender.

The rest, including all Range Rovers, have acted up in one way or the other. These are brand new vehicles we are talking about, not second-hand rejects from disappointed first owners]