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A bigger body, greater interior space, cutting-edge multimedia tech, better handling and an all-electric option are the headline changes for BMW’s incoming third-generation X1, set to launch in the final quarter of 2022 as the brand’s SUV entry point.
Available initially with the choice of two petrol engines, the 2023 BMW X1 range will open with the $53,900 before on-road costs front-wheel-drive X1 sDrive 18i and be capped off by the $65,900 all-wheel-drive X1 xDrive20i. A diesel variant won’t be part of the range, but the pure-electric iX1 xDrive30 will take its place when it joins the line-up in the first quarter of 2023, with pricing and features for BMW’s first battery-powered X1 to be unveiled closer to its arrival.
Versus the outgoing second-gen X1, the new X1 costs $5000 more for the base sDrive18i and $7300 more for the 20i – though it should be pointed out that the range-topping petrol now comes with all-wheel drive as standard (the current 20i variant is strictly a front-driver).
Compensating for the price jump is the fact you’ll be getting more metal for your money: at 4500mm long and 1845mm wide, the new X1 occupies a footprint that’s 53mm longer and 24mm wider than the second-generation X1, with a 22mm stretch to its wheelbase that, BMW says, translates into more generous passenger accommodation on the inside. Height has also grown by 44mm, benefiting headroom and cargo capacity.
Visually, the new X1 looks more substantial than its predecessor, with the side profile revealing a higher bonnet leading edge and a more upright tailgate, giving the new X1 a squarer look and a roofline that’s more wagon-like than before. Up front, BMW’s signature kidney grille has grown larger and occupies a greater percentage of the fascia, while the headlamp housings have a sleeker, tidier outline.
Yet while the exterior generally follows the same themes as the car it replaces, the new X1’s interior has been changed wholesale. A twin-screen combined instrument panel and multimedia cluster takes up around half of the dash’s width, with air vents now housed in a chrome-finished strip that bisects the top and bottom halves of the dash. The transmission selector and parking brake button have been reduced to flush-fit buttons and toggles and relocated from the centre console up onto an extension of the centre armrest, which now projects over the centre storage tray and twin cupholders, with the new vertically-oriented wireless phone charging pad at the bottom of the centre stack.
Fans of BMW’s customizable shortcut buttons – often used for radio presets but able to be programmed for other functions, like navigating to a saved destination, or calling a specific phone number – may be disappointed: that entire switch block is deleted, as are the physical heating and ventilation controls. The bulk of those functions are likely now accessed via the 10.7-inch curved multimedia display, though a physical volume control does at least still exist – albeit relocated down to the armrest, where it sits next to the transmission selector.
Balancing that out is a feature list that’s considerably thicker, even for the base X1 sDrive18i. Alongside carryover standard features like sat-nav, wireless phone charging and a digital radio tuner, the new X1 sDrive18i will flaunt dual-zone climate control, adaptive LED headlamps, a head-up display, active cruise control with blind spot monitoring and Stop&Go, Parking Assistant Plus with BMW’s Surround View 360-degree parking camera, reversing assistant, augmented reality for the navigation system and wireless Android Auto (wireless Apple Carplay is already standard on the second-gen model).
Moving up to the xDrive 20i nets you the wet-weather grip of all-wheel drive (as well as a more powerful engine), alongside 19-inch alloys instead of the 18i’s 18-inchers, heated and power-adjustable front seats, and BMW’s steering and lane-keep assist system – as well as all of the new-for-2023 features that the 18i gets, as detailed above.
BMW’s controversial ‘Feature on Demand’ subscription service will be introduced on the X1, allowing certain features to be activated on a pay-as-you-go basis. To begin with, heated seats on the X1 sDrive18i and a heated steering wheel for both models can be enabled under the subscription scheme, with the hardware already installed on every car, but not able to be used until the owner enables them by activating a subscription. Pricing has yet to be announced for the scheme.
Mechanically, the new X1 makes use of familiar powerplants. The 2023 X1 sDrive18i is powered by a 115kW/230Nm 1.5-litre turbo petrol inline-three, sending power to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and consuming a claimed 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle. Compared to the current 18i, the 2023 model generates 12kW and 10Nm more, but consumes 0.2L/100km more fuel on average.
The 2023 X1 xDrive20i makes 150kW and 300Nm from its 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder, with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto diving that power between all four wheels. Power is up by 9kW and torque improves by a significant 20Nm, though fuel consumption is substantially higher at 7.4L/100km on the combined cycle, compared to the 6.5L100km figure of the outgoing model – arguably a side effect of the extra weight and mechanical drag of the new car’s all-wheel drive hardware.
While a proper assessment will have to wait until the X1’s local launch at the end of this year, BMW says handling dynamics have been given a boost with the new model, with engineers specifically seeking to deliver a better balance of agility and long-distance ride comfort. An optional M suspension can also be specced, bringing frequency-selective dampers and a 15mm lower ride height.
Beyond larger cabin proportions that boost cabin space for the X1’s five occupants, the new car also features a bigger rump – thanks to the aforementioned dimensional growth, luggage space has swelled by 35 litres to 540 litres with the second row in place, and 1600 litres with the rear seats folded flat.
Unlike one of its key rivals, the Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class, the X1 doesn’t have provision for a third row of seats, but its new proportions put the new X1 above the GLA-Class in terms of length, and just a smidge ahead of Audi’s Q3 and the Lexus UX.
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