A 1.5-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine, an electric motor producing around 80 or 90 horsepower, and an electrical range of around 50 kilometres.
Both this BMW X1 xDrive 25e and our Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge longterm have those kind of figures. But today, it's all about the differences.
The first difference is found in the boot. Volvo kind of has it going for them that they have lots of luggage space.
Also, it has a more square body. However, surprisingly this isn't as spacious as the X1. It can hold 405 litres, which is 45 litres less than in the X1.
That's also 45 litres less than in a regular XC40, but there is space for a spare wheel. A rare given with plug-in hybrids.
In the back, you can immediately see the advantages of a square body. Especially for a car in this segment. My feet have enough room,
my knees have enough room and the headroom is decent. All in all, you're pretty good back here as an adult.
A few things that stand out. Next to the rear seat, you've got a small compartment. That can be handy, but it makes the rear seat...
is narrower than it could be. There's vents over here and the rear seat is heated. Of course, there's an arm rest and you're able to fold...
down the seat in two parts, as is the case in lots of other cars.
Compared to the regular X1, you're down 55 litres when it comes to luggage space with this plug-in. However, like I already said, it offers...
more room than a XC40. The only difference being that the X1 doesn't come with a spare wheel, but with handy compartments for your cables.
In this case, it even has a towing hook.
And when you get on the backseat, there isn't a lot of space really. That's because of this folding table, which takes up all of my legroom.
Luckily, there's a trick. You can raise the table, and even remove it altogether so you'll be able to take along taller people.
So that's a handy feature. What else stands out? Well, you're in some sort of theatre-setup, because you're higher up than the front...
two seats. That means your headroom is slightly compromised. Without the table, there's more than enough legroom again...
and what the BMW does have and the Volvo doesn't, is an adjustable back rest. If you want, you can adjust your seating position back here.
Also, the rear seat folds down in three parts.
That the X1 has more luggage space than the XC40, is pretty strange, considering this is the four-wheel drive version. It has an electric...
motor on the rear axle. That's connected to a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder, which is an engine we can find in lots of other BMW's as well.
Usually, it's found in cars which have the 18i-badge. However, this version produces much more horsepower because of the electric motor.
In total, it produces 220 horsepower. If that sounds familiar to you, you could be right. The drivetrain isn't new.
It's new for the X1, but we've known it for some years now in the Mini Countryman Cooper SE plug-in and the BMW 225xE,
on which you could get tax advantages. And if it's because of those earlier models, I can't see, but BMW has really done a good job with this...
drivetrain. Plug-in hybrids usually are difficult cars, because a lot of systems have to work together.
Sometimes, that means you don't always have the throttle response you'd expect, or that it's a tad shocky.
In this car however, there's barely any problems. It all goes very smoothly, and what's exceptional is the 3-cylinder in this drivetrain.
Usually, 3-cylinders don't run as smoothly, but it's not annoying at all in here. The same goes for the non-hybrid-versions of this car.
It's a very smooth and economical engine. Also, such a smooth engine is very handy in a plug-in, because it seemlessly...
transitions power between electricity and combustion. It's all good underneath the hood.
Of course, the car is pretty rapid with this drivetrain. It's called 25e for a reason. It's pretty heavy as well, which is inevitable with a...
drivetrain like this. On the other hand, it still does 0-100 km/h in seven seconds, so there's nothing to be ashamed about.
Right. A compact crossover with a transversely mounted 3-cylinder in the nose, doesn't really feel sound a traditional BMW. But that's exactly what...
it feels like. That's because of the steering. It communicates nicely and you'll know exactly what you're doing. It's precise, but not in a...
annoying or sticky way. The steering is just heavy enough, which gives you the feeling you're involved in the drive. Something you miss in a lot...
of cars in this segment. The chassis is pretty sturdy as well, which is partly because of BMW's personality and because of the added weight.
And it's something you like or you don't. Anyway, it'll remain rock steady when you're driving at higher speeds.
I do have to admit, in this specific car, it's noticeable that they've added weight to the rear in post-production.
So if you drive over a speedbump too fast, the rear bounces a bit more than on a balanced car, so that's a small drawback.
Another typical BMW-thing is the seating position. Both compared to the rest of the interior and the position relative to the steering wheel.
It's sporty and it might not be what you expect it to be when you get into an SUV. It does make sure you really get in the car,
and get involved with the car. Another typical BMW-feature is the interior. It's not extremely 'out there', but more executive-like.
Because of it, it's timeless. Also, you can easily find what you're looking for. And that's something BMW has gotten very good at.
Compared with competitors who install more and more touchscreens and touch buttons. BMW doesn't do that, they still have regular buttons.
Both for the radio and the climate control. You can easily find everything. The same goes for the iDrive. Just a regular turning knob.
The screen on the dashboard actually is a touchscreen, but you're still able to use the turning knob with all kinds of shortcuts.
It's just not as distracting when you're driving, and having your finger in front of a screen is.
I do have to complain about a small, X1-specific iDrive-flaw in here. This car doesn't have a high middle console, because it's basically a...
front-wheel drive car. That means the knob is slightly too low so you have to reach a bit too far. But I'm nagging.
The Volvo doesn't have such a turning knob, because Volvo does use touchscreens. Even the climate control is incorporated in the screen.
So it seems to be going all wrong for Volvo, but Volvo doesn't let us down. They've done it very nicely. The climate control is always...
in frame so you can easily reach it. It's easy to setup as well. The same goes for the heated seats, which are always in frame.
That means it never becomes annoying. Actually, it works pretty well. It reacts quickly, the vertical orientation is very nice because it...
allows you to have different information above each other. Your music information above your satnav for example.
Also, you can configure it to your liking through all kinds of tiles. This car comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
whilst the BMW doesn't have the latter. It will come in time, but this particular X1 doesn't have it yet.
What the Volvo also has and the BMW hasn't, is a digital instrument cluster. I do have to say, I don't really see the added value of it.
You can choose in the main menu if you want music or satnav inbetween your dials, but you can't make the dials disappear.
It's mostly a gimmick.
The things I've mentioned are features which are typically Volvo. The instrument cluster or the infotainment system is found in practically...
every modern Volvo. But it's not like this is a shrunk down version of the XC60. It's much more outspoken.
And that's something that has to be said. I don't want to say it looks good or bad, but from the inside and the outside the XC40 has a much...
more outspoken look than an X1. An X1 just is a smaller BMW SUV, but the XC40 is its whole own design.
And an XC40 has all kinds of funny details. The doors don't have speakers to increase the capacity in the door, it has some small hook...
in the glove compartment. It even comes with a bin. All kinds of practical things to equip it with.
Because of that, it looks a tad more playful than in the X1. The vents are vertically oriented, it has some kind of weird pattern...
on these strips. It's all a matter of taste, but it's different than anything else. Also, it comes with little Swedish flags.
That way, you'll know where Volvo is from. Something BMW shouldn't try, if you ask me.
Just like in the BMW, the base of the drivetrain is formed by the smallest petrol engine available in the XC40. And it's a new engine.
Again, this has a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder, which is entirely new for Volvo. However, they do have a lot of experience with plug-in hybrids.
Take the XC90 for example, or pretty much every other Volvo. The remarkable part is that it's front-wheel drive.
Usually, plug-in hybrids like the BMW have their electric motors on the rear axle. Not this one though, this is just a front-wheel drive car.
It does produce 262 horsepower, which is quite a lot more than the 220 horsepower the BMW produces. Not that it's able to do a lot with it,
because of the front-wheel drive it doesn't set off as easily as the BMW. It's even slower from 0-100 km/h than the BMW.
Or rather, less quick. This car is still very powerful. That's not the problem in this car, but the refinement in this drivetrain is.
Also, it's a tad clearer that this car is powered by a 3-cylinder. It's not like it's screaming its lungs out, but it doesn't sound as nice...
as the BMW. In theory, the Volvo doesn't get as far on a single charge. Only 45 kilometres for the Volvo whilst the BMW should be able...
to do 57 kilometres on a single charge. However, that's something we have to test, so we'll find out in the magazine.
Just like the BMW, this XC40 is pretty sturdy. It might feel a tad bumpy at times. But, just like the BMW, that's because of the added weight.
In the specific case of our longterm-car, it also has the biggest wheels available on the XC40. Despite all that, it doesn't feel sporty at all.
That's because it just doesn't involve you in the drive as much, which in turn is the result of the pretty light and senseless steering.
It's a weird way of approaching things, but if you want to spend a lot of money on a car with a 3-cylinder, you should look at these two.
The Volvo starts at €44.500, whilst the X1 won't do it for anything less than €50.000.
If you start going crazy on the options list, another price will appear. Take this particular X1 for example, which costs more than €67.000.
Having said that, an XC40 is cheaper, but I think the X1 is more car for your money. And that's mostly because of the refinement,
because if everything is the same on paper, it's the details that count.