BMW has been talk off of the town because of the action because of all the changes. All the dramatic changes they’ve made on the inside and outside and the way they are putting it out to the customer as well there’s been a lot of things for the powertrain and there’s been a lot of change in the features list and the variant-ing. We find out how everything comes together as a package.
Let’s begin with the design, we’ve got a very nice big grill at the front as you can notice you don’t see the headlights moving in to the grill. The new 18-inch alloy wheels clearly don’t look that great, or there are Better designs on offer. The blue colour, the large windows and big doors is something new and something pleasant. The piano black finish is very pleasant and chunky. The edgy tail-lamps which looks really cool in the night. The X1 also has a spoiler and a diffuser in piano black finish at the back. The overall look of the side profile hasn’t changed much, so this is sort of continuing with the winning formula. The BMW X1 continues to look like mostly an SUV, but still, crossover elements are present on the car.
On the inside, the build and quality are good and so is the expansive feature list. You get every feature possible in the SUV. Right from automatic lights and wipers to reversing cameras, front and rear parking sensors, and projector lamps, the car has a large panoramic sunroof, wireless apple carplay and ambient lighting to speak of the top few features.
The Curved LCD screen area is welcome and a host of features on offer. The list includes, navigation and all fuel economy indicators and other bits can be seen with a touch of the toggle button on the left indicator stalk can be seen on the instrument cluster side of the screen. The new center console is welcome and frees a lot of space below it. As a result, it gets bigger cup holders, space to key stuff, a vertical wireless mobile charger which is so OCD friendly, it makes you feel awesome indeed. The new iDrive is clearly whole lot better in terms of looks, graphics, touch, fonts and layout. However, it can be a tad bit hard getting used to, but eventually, you will.
You can now use your mobile phone as an key to access the car in difficult times or when you want to use the spare key too. Active seats are on offer which means seats are highly adjustable in the lumbar part. Parking assist and reversing assist work beautifully as always. ADAS options such as evasion assist, active brake assist, manual speed limit and front collision warning makes things quite comprehensive enough. We say that because some ADAS features could be added to list too.
Space is more than sufficient with enough shoulder and knee room you expect, is here. Leg and headroom continue to be in good supply but as always it is a strict four-seater. The boot space is good enough and so is the overall practicality of the interior. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is also well-controlled thanks to massive insulation all around. Like any other BMW, it is still a pleasant place to be. Safety kit continues to be high with electronic stability control and eight airbags, Hill Hold Assist, ABS and EBD, and more come as standard.
All BMW engines are smooth, free-revving, and low on NVH and the one on the BMW X1 18d is no different. Be it in any part of the rev range. Low and mid-range are good on the diesel that now makes 150 PS and 360 Nm of torque going through the fantastic 7-speed dual clutch automatic. The engine is even peaky in Comfort and Eco pro mode showing how flexible and powerful this engine is. 0-100 km/hr under 9 seconds is mighty quick and electronically limited top speed of 210 km/hr is on offer.
Top-end is good enough for a diesel engine and it cruises at legal speeds and higher than that, quite easily. This makes it good enough for city and highway duties and makes driving comfortable enough thanks to the precision in every driving mode. 14 km/l for the diesel in the city and 20 km/l on the highway is what we got in our Mumbai-Pune run, which is incredible for a car with above usual performance number. The numbers are not overwhelming as before, but the remarkable fuel economy and much more focused mid-range is a new feeling we clearly like and think that this suits the car just right.
The ride quality is good at all speeds, and it does feel less stiff over the previous version and becoming more comfortable. High-speed stability is spot on thanks to the ideal balance of underlying stiffness and compliance. Steering is light, precise, and has just about enough feedback to offer, which makes the car fun and 100% confidence-inspiring to push harder in the twisties. Body roll exists while changing lanes at high speeds, but it is obviously, still, a very confidence-inspiring car to drive at any given speed. The length and weight is not apparent as it should be thanks to clever tuning. Brakes are good, with good pedal bite and more than enough stopping power. Overall, very easy-to-drive car, fun to drive car, despite its size, while being extremely comfortable and compact.
Priced at Rs 52.5 lakhs ex-showroom nationwide, the entry level SUV from the brand seems to have lowered it performance numbers but has added a whole lot of goodies inside the car, including ADAS. If you ask us, the move seems sensible and is aimed at someone and that someone is the first time buyer who looks for features and above the usual performance, nothing more in his car. Getting a diesel in 2026 in a segment like this is already a great option to begin with considering everything is electric and petrol only. Just look at the new X1 LWB itself, which is only petrol and electric. The BMW X1 fits the bill just right there and one of the reason why sales are reaching levels where BMW was once leader. BMW is set to change the market rules with strategy with options defined properly and trust us, there is even more to come!
