BMW X1 Review (2022-present)
BMW X1 cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Beautifully appointed interior
Brilliant on space and practicality
Pleasant to drive
Cons
Ride slightly firmer than some rivals
Higher-end models are expensive
Too much desirable kit costs extra
The CarGurus verdict
The BMW X1 isn’t the fun, sporty SUV that some may expect it to be given BMW’s well-known reputation for building everyday cars that retain a ‘joy of driving’ ethos. But it is satisfyingly confident on the road, there’s an engine for every lifestyle, great roominess and practicality, and one of the classiest interiors of any premium family SUV. Even in such a competitive class, the X1 stacks up as one of the best all-rounders if you’re after a premium family SUV.
What is the BMW X1?
This is the third generation of BMW’s family crossover. It sits on an all-new platform with rafts of new hi-tech features and a broad range of mild-hybrid and electric powertrains to choose from.
However, while the BMW X1 is a small SUV in the context of BMW’s lineup, it’s not really that small anymore. With this generation, it’s grown to 4.5m long – up by 53mm in length and 22mm in wheelbase over the previous generation BMW X1. That doesn’t sound like much, but the result is that the X1 is now only 60mm shorter than a BMW X3. Basically, don’t go thinking that this is a compact ‘urban’ crossover simply because it’s the entry-level car in BMW’s SUV range; it’s actually slightly bigger than a Nissan Qashqai.
The range-topping BMW iX1 is a pure-electric offering, which we’ll talk about in a separate review. There are also two petrol-electric plug-in hybrids; they offer a choice of power outputs, but both have official pure electric range of around 55 miles. Two diesels and two petrols – all mild-hybrid engines - make up the rest of the range. All have an automatic transmission as standard: there’s no manual gearbox option in the BMW X1 range.
How practical is it?
The BMW X1 is more practical than many other premium alternatives, as its rear bench slides and reclines in a 60/40 split so that you can prioritise passenger legroom or boot space. The seatbacks fold flat in a 40/20/40 split, too, which is really handy for through-loading. However, it’s worth pointing out that rivals such as the Skoda Karoq are more versatile, as you can remove the rear seats altogether for van-like loading capacity.
Still, in the context of its rivals, the BMW X1 is roomy and versatile. You’ll get two tall adults or three children across the rear bench, and it’s more than spacious enough to cope easily with a couple of chunky car seats. It has two sets of Isofix, and the centre seat squab is narrower and quite firm, so you won’t easily get three car seats in here; for that you’ll realistically need bigger cars with three individual middle-row seats, such as the Peugeot 5008. But for most family needs, the X1’s rear seats, which have a charging port, air vents and a centre armrest with cupholders, will be more than comfortable enough.
Lift the hatchback tailgate, and you’ll find that the boot in the BMW X1 is a really good size, too, essential for a family car. At 540 litres it’s usefully bigger than the boot in the Audi Q3, Volvo XC40 and Mercedes GLA. Even if you go for one of the BMW X1 PHEV models then you only lose 10 litres of boot space to the battery, compared with the standard non plug-in versions.
There’s loads of space in the X1’s front seats, too, plus this is one of the classiest interiors of any family SUV. All the materials feel plush and tactile, the perceived build quality is excellent and the clean but modern design makes it feel trendy but user-friendly.
What's it like to drive?
The BMW X1 sDrive18d is the entry-level model in the range, and gets a 148bhp, four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel engine and front-wheel drive, and does 0-62mph in 8.9sec. The other diesel option is the four-wheel drive xDrive23d, which gets 208bhp and will do the same sprint in 7.4sec.
Petrol options start with the front-wheel drive sDrive20i, which has a 168bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine and will hit 62mph in 8.3sec, and you then step up to the 215bhp, all-wheel drive xDrive23i with its 7.1sec 0-62mph time. All are mild-hybrids, which means that they have a small battery and electric motor that is used to boost performance, and can even power the car on its own for a few moments at slow-speed manoeuvring speeds. You can’t plug these models in, and the electric aspect is just there to boost efficiency from the petrol or diesel engine; you drive and fuel the car just as you would any normal combustion-engined car.
If you do want more electric power than that, there’s always the plug-in hybrids. Both are four-wheel drive and use the 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine that also features in the xDrive 23i and sDrive 20i. The 241bhp xDrive 25e manages 0-62mph in 6.8sec, while the xDrive30e has 322bhp and shaves the 0-62mph time to 5.7sec.
There isn’t a bad engine in the X1 range, but the sDrive18d does feel quite laboured and a bit noisy if you accelerate hard. In everyday driving it feels responsive enough and the eight-speed automatic gearbox blurs shifts smoothly, so this will be a perfectly pleasant car even for long distance journeys with a full complement of passengers.
The only other BMW X1 that we’ve driven is the xDrive 23i, which is a really nice, punchy petrol engine. It gives the X1 an almost hot-hatch like feel if you want to really make the most of its performance, and there’s even a ‘Boost’ function that you activate via the paddle on the steering wheel for a few seconds of full performance. That’s a bit unnecessary, to be honest, although the kids will like it for a bit of a party trick occasionally. More importantly, it’s generally a smooth, flexible and quiet engine that’s great for everyday driving.
There are two different suspension setups in the X1, a standard ‘passive’ setup that can’t be adjusted, or the M Sport Adaptive that allows you to change the suspension response via the car’s settings or drive mode buttons. Even with the adaptive suspension that we’ve tried, the X1 can be a bit firm and jarring, especially at slower speeds around town. It does smooth out at higher speeds for calm, comfortable progress. We haven’t tried a car on standard non-adaptive suspension yet, but we’re confident in saying that the Volvo XC40, Mercedes-Benz GLA and Range Rover Evoque are more comfortable if it’s a really cushy, pliant ride that you’re after.
Handling is good in the BMW X1. It has something of a sporty edge in the way it’s keen to turn into corners and gives you an ample sense of how much grip it’s got as you accelerate out of the other side. It’s planted and confident, rather than very exciting, but by family SUV standards it’s rather satisfying on a good road, just as you’d expect from a BMW.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
The BMW X1 comes in three main trim levels: Sport, xLine and M Sport. Sport is reasonably equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, all-round parking sensors and reversing camera, LED headlights, powered bootlid, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, a large, configurable digital driver’s display and a touchscreen infotainment system.
That curved touchscreen is a really smart-looking centrepiece, too. It features BMW’s latest Operating System 8, which we saw first on the BMW iX, and benefits from superb graphics and all the features that you want including sat-nav, Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It doesn’t have the iDrive rotary controller that the BMW iX has, and that we favour for the easiest control when you’re driving, but the touchscreen is responsive and isn’t too badly affected by glare.
The xLine trim adds mostly style upgrades, while M Sport gets 19-inch alloy wheels, sports seats, ‘shadowline’ exterior trim (which is darker than normal chrome), part Alcantara seats and adaptive dampers amongst various other style upgrades.
However, it is disappointing that some of the key comforts and luxuries that most buyers will want are only available in pricey options packs.
The Technology Pack will be a popular option on the lower two trims, or is standard on M Sport: It includes folding wing mirrors (which should clearly be standard on a car this expensive), keyless entry, heated seats, a nifty wireless charging cubby for your phone and adaptive LED headlights (that give high beam illumination without dazzling oncoming traffic). The Technology Plus Pack may well be even more popular as it adds all of the above, plus a head-up display, an upgraded sound system and semi-autonomous parking system.
The Comfort Pack, which brings electric seat adjustment with memory function and a heated steering wheel will be another big seller. A panoramic glass roof is also an option.
M Sport cars also have the option of the M Sport Pro Pack, which adds a Harman/Kardon sound system, privacy glass and even sportier styling tweaks.
Every BMW X1 gets adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking, but the Driving Assistant Professional Pack is yet another option pack that you may want to consider, as it adds traffic sign recognition, blind spot assist, lane-keep assist and a semi-autonomous drive mode.
BMW X1 running costs
The BMW X1 is comparable to most of its rivals on list price, but that hardly means that it’s cheap since this entire class of car is now rather expensive. Still, you can get one of the entry-level engines in a decent spec and with the options you want for around the £40- to £42,000 mark, or for roughly £500 per month on PCP finance with a reasonable deposit. The top-spec trims and more performance-oriented models can very easily creep up towards £50,000, though.
Fuel economy is very competitive in all of the BMW X1s when it comes to official WLTP mpg and CO2 emissions, and the plug-in hybrids have some of the longest pure electric range of any PHEV, so have astonishingly high official mpg. You’ll only achieve anything like those figures if you seldom wake up the petrol engine, though, so it’s best to really consider your typical usage and how easily you can charge if you’re considering the PHEV for its efficiency. If you’re likely to do a lot of very long journeys without charging, the diesels may well be cheaper to fuel and run overall.
Servicing typically comes in at around £900 - £1000 for three years, and three services, and you can get a fixed-price servicing deal for £911, which spreads the cost into monthly payments. Insurance groups vary from around Group 26 up to 35, which is very reasonable for this level of family SUV.
BMW X1 reliability
The BMW X1 is too new for there to be any useful feedback on real-world reliability, as is the the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer that shares its new platform and many of its powertrains. As an overall brand, BMW came a middling 16th out of 32 brands included in the 2022 What Car? Used Car Reliability Survey. It returned an identical 16th place out of 29 brands included in the 2022 Driver Power Survey, which considers new car reliability as well as customer service and customer satisfaction with the vehicle.
A three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty applies to the BMW X1, and the hybrids also have their batteries warrantied for six years and 60,000 miles. If you’re keen on having a longer warranty and better reliability, do look to the Lexus NX, which is available as a plug-in hybrid or full hybrid and – with a main dealer service every year – is warrantied as standard for up to 10 years and 100,000 miles.
- The four-wheel drive X1 variants can tow up to 2000kg (an electronically retractable tow bar is optional) with a braked trailer, which is a fair towing capacity in this class. The sDrive18d manages a maximum 1800kg.
- The BMW X1 plug-in hybrids get a 14.2kWh usable battery capacity, and can charge at up to 7.4kW, which means that they’ll be fully charged in around 2.5 hours from a standard home wallbox. There is no rapid charging on the X1 plug-in hybrids, but its Type 2 socket will be compatible with just about every AC public charging point if you want to take advantage of the slow, ‘destination’ public charging stations that are often found in town centres, gym car parks and the like.
- Standard white and black paint are the standard paint options, and there’s a really good palette of optional metallic paints including a bright copper and darker green that’s a refreshing change from the usual monochrome options.
- If you want the best value: Stick with the BMW X1 sDrive 20i Sport, which is the cheapest BMW X1 but still promises to be good to drive and reasonably equipped. Add the Technology- and Comfort Packs if you can, as it’ll make the car more enjoyable to live with and will also improve resale values.
- If you want the best company car: The plug-in hybrid BMW x1 xDrive 25e xLine is a great bet for company car users, as the long electric range and very low CO2 emissions keeps Benefit in Kind costs much lower than they would be on comparable non plug-in petrol or diesel rivals. Again, add the Technology- and Comfort Packs if you want the best ownership experience and resale values with the X1.
- If you want the best high mileage commuter: The BMW X1 sDrive 18d will be really efficient on a long run, and is also fairly affordable to purchase by the standards of these premium family SUVs. However, if you’re a company car user, the plug-in hybrid BMW X1 xDrive 25e is a great option. It’ll cover the average UK commute on battery power alone, and it will also be efficient on longer runs, too. Go for xLine and add the Technology Plus Pack, as the head-up display and electric seat adjustment will be well worth it. The Driving Assistant Professional may well be worth it, too, given that the blind-spot assist and lane-keep assist can be useful safety aids on motorway journeys.
- If you want the sportiest one: The BMW X1 xDrive30e PHEV is the fastest model in the range, with a hot hatch-style 0-62mph time of 5.6sec. We haven’t driven it, but it does promise to deliver properly fizzy acceleration and is a no-brainer if you’re a company car user after big performance. Otherwise, do have a look at the xDrive23i, as this has a nice balance and response, the slightly OTT but fun ‘Boost’ mode, and a general sense of being a bit sporty while being much cheaper to buy than the PHEVs. As for trim, M Sport is worth it for the styling and adaptive dampers if you’re after a high-end BMW X1.
