BMW X1

Introduction:

The German luxury automaker, BMW follows its trend to amaze the world with its each new innovation, and this time the company gives it a shape of a car, christened as BMW X1. The car is a luxury compact crossover first produced in 2009. The car is marketed as a rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive worldwide and shares a similar platform with the BMW X3, based on the platform of the BMW 3 Series (E91) Touring (wagon). The car was introduced in the Sri Lankan markets to target a particular section of buyers who crave a modern and ultra-stylish luxury crossover.

Engine, mileage and variants:

The company respects your individuality by letting you choose between the wide range of 11 variants to choose from. Among the engine range available the most ferocious 4-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine fitted in the BMW X1 xDrive28i variant churns out a power output of 245hp between 5000 to 6500 rpm and a maximum torque output of 350Nm between 1250 to 4800 rpm. This perfectly-engineered power plant catapults the crossover to establish a speed of 100km/h from standstill in just 6.4 seconds. Other than this, the most efficient 1995cc 4-cylinder engine encased in the BMW X1 sDrive20d EfficientDynamics variant owing to its fully variable valve control Valvetronic and High Precision Injection technologies presents a purely economic mileage of 4.5 litres/100km.

Exterior:

Strength, elegance and robustness all capsuled to give the car a confident and sophisticated exterior design. The athletic and trendy front look of the car is a function of the strengthened and well-sculpted bonnet design, the signature kidney-shaped radiator grille, impressive adaptive headlights and the tweaked front bumper. The sportiness that the car features is a product of attributes like the dazzling rear lamps, shark fin antenna, rear spoiler and the stylish roof rails. The main attraction point of the car are the tough and sporty light-alloy 17” and 18” wheel designs. The wide and robust exterior look of the car are crafted upon the dimensions reading 4454mm x 1798mm x 1545mm (L x W x H) with a long wheelbase of 2760mm. While, the SUV extends its off-road capability with a ground clearance of 177mm.

Interior:

The interior designers of the car recall the sportiness of the exteriors in the interiors. The cockpit of the car is configured to display pure ergonomics with features like the compact and perfectly configured control panel, the well-lit and precisely detailed infotainment system with Navigation system Professional and the leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel with optional Servotronic type steering. The large leather seats, the front and rear armrests, the high quality air-conditioning system and sound system add to the comfort part of the car. The crossover manages to buy you a cargo volume of 419 litres.

Safety, braking and miscellaneous:

The interiors of the car pampers and cocoons its occupants in a all-surround safety envelop. The Dynamic Traction Control and the Dynamic Stability Control system employed in the SUV provides definite handling proportions for each unit of dynamism the car features. The safety envelop equipped in the car consists of ABS (Antilock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), front and full-length side curtain airbags, auto-braking, parking assist, BMW Assist e-Call which automatically notifies a BMW call center in case of a crash and 3-point seatbelts. With this the efficient braking system employed in the SUV consists of four wheel disc brakes.

Verdict:

Be it style, luxury, looks, performance or efficiency the car wholeheartedly adds all these spices to your feast and expects you to ignore the price and space issues where this crossover falls a little weak.