ALBundy
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- Dec 4, 2004
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AS many of you would have know, the X1 will be officially launched in Malaysia on the 7th of April 2010. The cars are here, some of us (BMW Driving Instructors) and the sales advisors from the local dealer have been given an introduction on the key features of the car and a driving session to go along with. I have seen the X1 last year during my visit at The Welt in Munich. Well, I just glanced through and snap some photos, and was more interested in the 5 series GT and shopped at the lifestyle section instead! Well, now that I have been given a chance to drive it, and also there were the VW Tiguan and a CRV for comparison test, I would like to post some of my impression of this car/SUV. The X1 shares similar platform with the E91 (E90 touring) and weights around 1.5tonnes with multilink suspension at the rear and 50-50 weight distribution. Initial impression of the exterior is the massive presence due to the huge and vertical kidney grilles together with the six lines flowing on the front bonnet towards the kidney grilles. 1. The 6 flowing lines on the bonnet
2. Rear section of the car, every bit as you expect from BMW
The exterior of the X1 looks really good, more so with a darker colored unit as it really shows the flame surfacing work that is incorporated into the body design. As for the interior, high quality plastics are used throughout and it is very similar to the E90. In terms of space, there is sufficient head and legroom even for someone that is close to 6 feet, and that is with the driver having a proper and comfortable sitting position at the front. As a comparison, the E90 would have a slightly better legroom but not by much. 3. Rear seats, with center arm rest and cupholders (there are 8 of them in total!)
As for rear boot space, without any alteration or tilting the rear seats, a total of 420 liters of usable space is available and one could easily put in a golf bag with other luggages. If the center seat is folded down, then another golf bag could fit in, in a T configuration. 4. Rear boot space
Now the interesting part for the petrol heads, or should I say the oil heads as well since the initial offering will be mainly consist of Xdrive 2.0D and the Sdrive 18i (petrol version). As the names suggest, the 2 liter oil burner will be equipped with Xdrive and that means it will have Hill Descent Control (HDC) and ADBX which gives you better traction around bends with an indigenous way of transfering more torque or power between the right and left side of the wheels (different from DPC (Dynamic Performance Control) in the X6). The Sdrive is basically a full RWD unit and the advantage is a lighter car but given that it's a petrol powered unit, the oil burner still wins hands down with its performance and fuel consumption. 5. Vrroommm.....
My initial impression when I took off, is how agile this car is. It is almost saloon like in terms of handling and the suspension setting is softer compared to the X5, and hence it is comfortable and rode over the road imperfections with ease. Driving along cyberjaya, with plenty of straights and smooth flowing corners gave the X1 a chance on what it is all about. The proven 2 liter oil burner has no problems getting the 1.5 tonne X1 up to speed, and the steering feel is direct with more weight to it, compared to the X5 which I have always find to be a little light. The X1 is pretty neutral unless it is pushed hard and one could feel it will start to understeer a little, but with DSC on, the electronics will ensure it is back on the intended path in no time. (will upload a video later). 6. Front dashboard, a refreshing change from the sand dune design seen on the E90 and E60 which I find to be a tad conservative. It is slightly tilted to the driver (and I hope it will be tilted more like the older e46, E39 and etc)
The Xdrive 2.0D will go for slightly less than 300k, while the Sdrive 18i will retail for about Rm263k. Given the better features in the former (leather seats, X drive, diesel engine, chrome bars at the top and etc), the diesel powered unit should outsell the petrol unit. Cheers,Albundy p/s all pictures taken with Iphone 
