2010 BMW X1

BMW’s baby SUV does not have the stance of an SUV

Published on Feb 16, 2011 08:00:00 AM

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The 2.0-litre common rail diesel motor under the hood of the X1 is familiar as well. Similar to the motor that powers the 320d, this well-specced motor has an all-aluminium crank case, a variable geometry turbo, piezo electric injectors and a fuel rail pressure of 1800 bar. The power output of 177bhp is impressive too. The headline figure however is the torque output of 35.69kgm, which really is a serious amount of twist.

Performance is pretty good as a result, and the X1 comfortably ducks under 10 seconds to do the 100kph sprint. If you keep your foot down for 20.9 seconds, you cross a real speed of 150kph. To put things in perspective, the 2-litre Skoda Yeti takes a full seven seconds longer to get to 150. And that’s with a quicker manual gearbox. This motor however doesn’t spin as fast as the 320d’s, which pulls to 5000rpm against 4600rpm for the X1. Still a top speed of 205kph is pretty impressive.

The diesel X1 also works really well in city traffic. There’s plenty of punch in the midrange and BMW’s baby delivers a good-sized surge of power when you tap the throttle. Progress is very rapid even if the gearbox upshifts early. The six-speed automatic ‘box however isn’t the quickest and blunts the X1’s eagerness a bit. There’s a bit of lag when you floor the throttle and this is noticeable on the highway when you want to make a quick overtaking manoeuvre. It’s best to switch to manual mode for sharper throttle response or when you want to drive in a hurry.

Compared to the 3-series saloon however, this motor feels loud. There is some rattle at start-up, insulation is not as good and though the motor smoothens out once it warms up, it still intrudes at times. The six-speed automatic gearbox though works pretty well on the X1. Up-shifts are executed with a quick flick of the tacho needle, and downshifts, unless you are driving really hard, are reasonably quick too.

BMW diesels have always been frugal and the X1 is no different.The X1 managed to stretch the litre of diesel for an average of 9.8kpl in the city, impressive for a car of this weight. What helps is that it’s geared very similarly to the 320d, which is a very efficient car itself.It’s not as efficient on the highway however, the greater drag supposedly affecting efficiency here.