2023 BMW X1 xDrive28i | SUV Review

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The X1 is built at the BMW’s Regensburg plant in Bavaria. This factory was opened in 1987, designed to handle the load of producing BMW’s then most-popular offering: the 3-Series. It built both the E30 and E36 chassis cars, two machines that started the love affair for many a BMW fan. In the X1, we thus have a boxy little crossover with the most impeccable bloodlines. Can it live up to them?

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The German proverb is: ni fell zygwyz aval o avall. “The apple does not fall far from the tree.” However, eyeing up this particular potential strudel-filler, some doubts emerge. BMWs can live up to their sporting heritage when the options are just right, but here the performance-oriented M-package is missing. Further, as it’s winter, this BMW X1 is rolling on an 18” winter wheel-and-tire package. The tires are just 205 mm wide — the same width you get on a much lighter vehicle like a base model MX-5. Surely, some suitably steamroller-spec rubber is required for a BMW crossover to defy physics.

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We’ll get to that in a bit, but first, a better look at BMW’s smallest crossover. You can only get the X1 in one powertrain offering in North America — more on that, too, in a bit — so basically, it’s just choose your wheels and colour. The signature big kidney grilles aren’t as warthog-nosed as in the X1’s bigger siblings, and are balanced by how squared-off the rest of the design is. This model’s optional satin aluminum trim glows up the curb presence. Small but premium effect achieved.

Not that small, either. The X1 is nearly as long as the first-generation X3 was, and even closer in width. Presumably, if BMW wants to keep growing the size of its range, it’s going to need to introduce a sub-X1 truly compact crossover. What’s it going to call that, the X0.5? X-and-a-half?

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Either way, the X1’s growing size and square shape results in a cabin that’s roomy for its class. Chief rival Mercedes-Benz GLB-class offers an available third row of seats — the X1 is five seater only. Also, being even more square, the GLB has a touch more personality, a bit like a boxy old Forester; the X1 is more the crossover you expect.

The 2023 BMW X1 pricing very slightly undercuts the Mercedes, at $45,800 to start. This week’s tester was optioned up to $55,645, and while some of the cosmetic options could be left out, the $600 sport seats and $6,250 bundle that includes a surround-view camera are worthwhile.

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Cargo space out back is excellent at 736L, with a large space under the tray for everyday carry items. Rear passenger space is comfortable enough for adults or kids in booster seats — shoppers might find rear-facing seats might be a little too bulky.

Front seats are well bolstered laterally, a good sign on a BMW. Both front and rear seats are on the firmer side; competitors may be a little cushier here. There’s plenty of storage up front, including a large central tray clearly designed to accommodate a handbag under a floating bridge containing the gearshifter.

That gearshifter is a combination toggle-and-push-button affair that’s actually not that unintuitive. However, despite the X1 now getting a slick new dual-clutch gearbox, the only way to manually shift the X1’s gears is if you’ve ordered the M-package — no paddle-shifters on other trims. It seems like a quibble but c’mon, this is a BMW. You even get paddle shifters on minivans these days.

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The dashboard is dominated by a curved single piece of glass which contains all the instrumentation and infotainment. Underneath, two screens combine for 21” of unbroken, high-resolution display. It looks very sharp and, taken together with the rest of the cabin, makes the X1 at least as modern-looking as its newest rivals.

Regrettably, the touchscreen main interface means the loss of physical buttons for air-conditioning and heated seats, as well as the loss of BMW’s rotary controller. Like all touchscreens, this one picks up fingerprints and dust, looking a bit untidy at the end of just a week’s use. However, functionality is quick and intuitive, apart from occasional connectivity glitches with the wireless CarPlay. Those glitches could possibly be laid at the feet of an iPhone that’s needing replacement. BMW has future-proofed the X1 in this regard with a huge vertical charging pad that looks large enough to house a tablet, let alone a phone. If phones keep getting bigger, the X1 won’t have issue.

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While all-wheel-drive is standard in Canadian models, the BMW X1 is front-wheel-drive biased, and can be bought with just two front-driven wheels in other markets. The proliferation of FWD through the entry-level BMW range has, as expected, made for some pearly-clutching by the purists. They should calm down and remember how good the first generation of BMW-built Mini Coopers were.

The X1 is not quite as zippy as one of those little supercharged pocket rockets, but it’s plenty quick. The new turbocharged four-cylinder engine is good for 241 hp at 4,500 rpm, and a muscular 295 lb-ft of torque from 1,500 rpm. The seven speed dual-clutch gearbox snaps off quick shifts, and in sport mode, the driving experience is brisk enough to be worthy of the badge on the nose.

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In normal driving mode, the dual-clutch is a bit less good than the old eight-speed automatic was. Coming to a full stop and then accelerating away again, there’s always a bit of a lag that combines with the start-stop system. Jerky take-offs get a bit tiresome.

The steering is predictably numb, as has become common in all modern BMWs, but it’s still fun to chuck the X1 about on a windy road. Most of BMW’s crossover range feel smaller to drive than they actually are, and as the X1 is the smallest of them, it does come off as genuinely nimble. Those skinny little tires turn out to be up to the task, and an M-Sport version on stickier rubber would be genuinely very quick.

Although perhaps not actually more fun. The X1 does indeed live up to its 3-series forebears in that even this mildly-specced version drives like a “real” BMW. You got that with the old E30s, whether the car was an M3 or an automatic-transmission 318i. It’s a practical and roomy crossover, but still enjoyable to drive.

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But you really only get the one choice. Elsewhere, you can get the iX1, BMW’s smallest full EV. It’s heavier than the X1 we get (and would be more expensive), but this usefully-sized and fun crossover would be a hoot with electric power delivery. The iX we do get is very well polished, but not exactly lively. Having said that, the X1’s rated fuel economy of 9.6 L/100 km city and 7.0 L/100 km highway is quite good for a turbocharged engine.

As it is, the X1 turns out to be an apple that hasn’t rolled too far from the tree. On paper, it’s a long way from the attributes of the Bavarian ancestors that were built on the same line. It does, however, still cleave to another adage: the smallest Bimmers are usually the best ones.

Check out the latest BMW X1 model.