BMW X1 Review & Prices

The BMW X1 is the baby of the Bavarian brand’s SUV range, headed by the enormous X7 seven-seater. It may still be the entry level SUV model, but the current model is far removed from the awkward-looking compact SUV-inspired hatchback the X1 once was.

Think of it as the youngest sibling in a large family. It’ll always be seen as the little one, but now it’s grown out of puberty, graduated university and it should be taken seriously.

And the X1 really has grown, not just in character but in size being larger in every direction than the model that came before it. It’s a much better looking car now, with a bluff front end sporting a pair of squared-off grilles and aggressive headlights.

It’s a boxy car all round, looking even larger than it is with sharp angles and crisp lines all over - especially in M Sport trim, whereas xLine cars ditch the aggressive body kit in favour of tough looking black cladding.

The interior of the X1 is sleeker than the exterior, with a pared-down dashboard featuring a prominent pair of screens in a single wide display. They’re crisp and easy to read, but the infotainment menus can be a little overwhelming to use. BMW has opted to get rid of physical climate control buttons and use touch controls on the 10.7-inch screen instead, but it’s rather fiddly to use on the move.

Otherwise the cabin layout is easy to navigate and pleasant on the eye, with minimalistic shapes and contrasting trims across the width of the dashboard to break up the design. Gone is the traditional gear level, with a tiny gear selector switch in its place instead.

Space is good in both the front and back of the X1, especially with the sliding reach bench set all the way back. Tall adults won’t struggle for headroom and legroom at any position, though boot space is maximised with the bench all the way forwards.

The X1 beats its German alternatives for boot space, at 540 litres versus the Audi Q3’s 530 litres and the Mercedes GLA’s 495 litres - though the Volvo XC40 has the X1 licked with its 578-litre boot.

BMW has given its small SUV a wide range of engine options, with the cheapest being the entry-level petrol model. There are fuel efficient plug-in hybrid options and a range-topping M35i high-performance model.

All X1 models are good fun on a twisty road, but being a BMW it’s hardly a surprise. There’s little in the way of body lean when attacking corners and the steering isn’t too light for decent grip feel. It’s definitely sportier than alternatives such as the VW T-Roc and Skoda Kamiq. The M35i model is a cut above, but that’s to be expected with its BMW M135i roots.

Motorways are a little noisier than you might expect from a posh SUV with some noticeable wind and road noise - especially on the larger optional wheels. In town the X1 can get shaken up over broken roads, but good all-round visibility, automatic gearboxes and a small turning circle make city driving a breeze.

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The BMW X1 starts at a touch more than the Audi Q3 and Mercedes GLA’s base prices, though the X1 is a more practical car than either of them. Sport-spec cars come with cloth seats as standard, as well as front heated seats and gloss black exterior trim. There’s the electric iX1 available too, but it’s noticeably more expensive than the petrol and diesel models.

You get 19-inch wheels as standard on the top-of the range Shadow Edition trim, with adaptive LED headlights, front sports seats and adaptive ‘M’ suspension and brakes as well as the M body kit.

The X1 is a good all-rounder, being both comfy in town and on longer drives, but the steering doesn’t give a lot of feel

In town

The X1, being the most compact BMW SUV, is pretty easy to use around town. It doesn’t feel too large on smaller streets, even though it has grown compared to the previous generation. You get light steering to help with manoeuvring, but the turning circle of 11.7m is down on the Volvo XC40 and Mercedes GLA (11.4m). It’s still more than good enough though.

Despite the large A-pillars blocking some of the view out front, you still get decent all-round visibility – the large wing mirrors and rear window helping out especially.

Suspension is a touch firm, and when you add 20-inch wheels into that, it could even be considered too firm. But on the whole, bumps are rounded off nicely and you can make smooth progress.

You can only get the X1 with an automatic transmission, but it’s a good one so you don’t have any worries with that, and the engines are smooth – the 23i helping with punchiness out of junctions.

If you go for the 25e and 30e plug-in hybrids, you can cruise around on electric power alone for over 50 miles on both, while the punchier 23d diesel will give you decent acceleration away from junctions and lights. The 20i petrol and 18d diesel are more than good enough around town as well, but won’t be as quick at accelerating.

The sporty M35i model packs the most punch thanks to its high-performance engine, but it's much less comfortable over bumps due to its stiffer suspension.

On the motorway

Apart from some engine noise that’s a bit loud when you’re accelerating, motorway driving in the X1 is very simple. With the 23i, you get up to speed swiftly – even if the auto box is a touch laggy – and that helps a lot getting on at junctions.

When cruising, the X1 is good, although there can be some wind noise, and larger wheels do mean you get some tyre roar as well.

You get cruise control as standard to help make long distance driving easier, but you will have to add a rather expensive pack for the pleasure of adaptive cruise control. Annoyingly for that as well, distance control is very fiddly to adjust.

On a twisty road

By no means is the X1 a sporty car, but it handles really nicely. The steering is direct and you can place it easily – it’s just a shame that you get little-to-no feel for grip from the front wheels.

The M35i stands out on a twisty road, and it's very capable when carving through corners with lots of grip and heavier steering. It's not as fun as VW Golf R for example, but feels almost as rapid.

Body control is good when you put it into sport mode, and even in the normal comfort setting the X1 doesn’t lean too much. Sport mode does also improve engine responsiveness and steering weight – both of which enhance the driving experience. You also get fake engine noises piped into the cabin, although that’s a bit of a gimmick in our eyes.

There aren’t many things wrong with the X1, but the boot is a little underwhelming with either mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid involved

Compared to its alternatives, the X1 has a good deal of storage space up front, with plenty either side in the large door bins, and under the floating centre console. Although only an option, the wireless charging pad sitting below the infotainment screens is also quite useful, while you get two well-sized cup holders.

As with most BMW models, you can get comfortable really easily. The electrical seat controls that are part of the comfort pack give you lots of adjustment, while the steering wheel has reach and angle alteration. The rather chunky steering wheel of the M Sport model can block some of the driver’s display though.

Space in the back seats

As with some other small SUVs, you can slide the rear bench to give you either more legroom or boot space – with 130mm of variation. Even with the seat in its front-most position, you get just enough knee room for an adult, while headroom is consistently good wherever the seats are. You also get some reclination to help you relax on longer drives.

As with the front, you get deep door bins in the back seats – although they aren’t as long – plus nets on the back of the seats, even the sportier M Sport ones. You get two USB-C charging ports to keep your devices topped up too.

Boot space

Compared to its alternatives, the maximum boot space of 550 litres is very good. Only the Volvo XC40 bests it with 578 litres, but the Audi Q3 (530 litres) and Mercedes GLA (495 litres) do lag behind. Having the mild-hybrid models – likely to be the most popular ones – reduces it to 500 litres, while going for the PHEV drops storage by a further 10 litres.

The shape is really useful with a large opening, while the load lip is level with the floor to make loading and unloading really simple. You get some nets, little bins either side and a 12V socket, but no way to fold the seats down from the rear. Annoyingly you need to go round to the seat bases and pull a cloth handle.

The professional look and excellent build quality is classic BMW, but it could be described as a little dull

The cabins of most BMW models are of a high quality, and the X1 continues that trend. You get soft-touch surfaces for all the major touch points, and smooth leatherette or leather on the steering wheel. You will find some scratchier plastics lower down around your legs though.

You also get that choice for the seating, with either the sport or optional comfort seats fitted – while the dashboard can be trimmed in piano black plastic, aluminium effect or wood to change the interior feel.

The look of the cabin is pleasing on the whole, with nice lines and a simple-to-navigate layout. It’s not the most exciting design, but it’s modern and streamlined. In some regards it’s too streamlined, as you don’t get conventional climate control buttons and the driving settings are now buried in menus on the touchscreen, which can be very fiddly to control when you’re on the go.

As the centrepiece of the cabin, the panel on the dashboard holds the two large displays – a 10.7-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 10.25-inch driver’s display. Both are clear and simple enough to navigate, and you can alter the design of the instrument display to show what you need.

You can also configure the infotainment screen, where you can drag and drop the different tiles to make a layout to suit you. The system can be a little laggy though, so you may be better off using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – which can show their navigation apps in the driver’s display if you so choose.

There are some options to choose from, including the comfort pack, a Harmon Kardon sound system and the Driving Assistant pack – although you also need to also tick the box for the Technology pack to even have that included.

The X1 has the choice of petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid petrol – all of which have their own merits. For those wanting to get decent tax breaks and spend a lot of time in town, one of the PHEVs – the 25e and 30e – is a good choice, while the petrols – 20i and 23i – are better for shorter stints but are still great over long distances for efficiency. The diesels – 18d and 23d – are definitely for those doing longer journeys consistently.

Both the PHEVs come with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. The 25e has 245hp, while the 30e has 326hp. Both get over 50 miles of electric range and emissions of 20g/km CO2 or below. Official fuel efficiency is also at over 300mpg for both models, though you’re unlikely to see anything near that unless you charge the electrical system regularly.

When comparing similarly powered diesels to the petrol options, you get around 10mpg of advantage. The diesels come with figures in the mid 50s, while the petrol engines range from the low to mid 40s for efficiency, and the diesel is only £1,000 more than the comparatively powered petrol option. Emissions do also lean in the favour of the diesel engines, but the lower-powered versions of both are quite close. The higher-powered petrol emits significantly more CO2, but has the performance edge.

As mentioned earlier, the PHEV models will likely get you favourable tax breaks if you get one as a company car. But otherwise, the least expensive PHEV starts from more than £40,000, so you’ll need to pay more road tax as a result – even if the emissions are well down compared to the petrol and diesel models.

Through the stringent Euro NCAP testing process, the X1 scored five stars. It scored well in safety assist (92%), child occupant (89%) and adult occupant (86%), while the vulnerable road user level was a little down (75%).

As standard, the X1 gets parking sensors with a reversing camera, attentiveness assist, BMW’s active guard emergency braking system and cruise control, while you can add further assistance systems. You can only add those if you choose the Technology Pack though.

You also get ISOFIX points – with one on the front passenger seat and two on the back row – alongside all-round airbags and alarm system.

The previous version of the X1 suffered from many issues, which puts BMW’s reputation as one of the most reliable brands out there into question. We’ll have to see if this latest X1 suffers from the same fate.

With each new BMW you get a three-year/unlimited mileage warranty, and as you can get the X1 as a PHEV, you can get a specific warranty for the battery too. The plug-in also gets a better warranty than the petrol and diesel cars, up to 74,500 miles, up to a maximum of eight years.