Hi this is Joe Bruzek from cars.com we're here with the 2013 BMW x1
now the x1 is a brand-new SUV to the BMW lineup and it's the entry-level offering
and it has an entry-level sighs and an entry-level price but you can't really
think of the x1 as purely an SUV as it's more of a large hatchback and that has
its pros and cons the next one is smaller than the x3 in almost every
dimension and that makes it extremely easy to drive and very nimble to get
around the turning radius is also shorter
thanks one small exterior sighs his less noticeable on the inside especially up
front where I have plenty of room there's good legroom about six feet tall
and it's very comfortable very nicely sized that plenty of headroom as well
where the X 1 small size shows up is in the back in the rear seat room as well
as the cargo room at the back seat is pretty narrow in there is a large bump
for the rear wheel drive and all-wheel drive of the x1 and the cargo area is
considerably smaller than the x3 the one of the ways the X 1 shows that it is the
least expensive the smallest of the most hatchback like is the rear cargo with
gate you cannot get a power liftgate on the x1 you can on the x3
if you look around this particular X 1
you'll see some m badges now BMWs M division does not have a high
performance version of this but it's the M Sport Line
now the x1 can have a few different lines that are oriented towards luxury
sport or this M Sport & M Sport is what makes the x1 so fun to drive next one
comes in a few different flavors you can get the four-cylinder a six-cylinder
where we'll drive or all-wheel drive this x1 has a rear wheel drive in the
base four-cylinder engine and makes 240 horsepower
it may not seem like a lot but it is a potent engine that makes driving the x1
and
absolute blast and that pairs with an eight-speed automatic transmission
the m-sport package is a blast to drive but that comes at the sacrifice of
comfortable ride quality when you hit a bump you absolutely know it
the low profile tires and the stiff suspension are especially apparent to
rear passengers who will be jostling around over rough roads
the theme of not being entry level up front and its size continues to the
quality of the interior
it feels very much like the x3 with a very good-looking materials all over and
there's a mix of hard plastic and soft materials but the texture and the
patterns are nice enough to wear it doesn't feel like an entry level
experience
now if this were a sports car i wouldn't even mention the cup holders but being a
hatchback / SUV where you're going to have to commute in the mornings every
day
the cup holder situation is not a very good one
there's this removable cup holder here that doesn't hold a bottle of water
very well at all you definitely don't want to put something hot in there and
there's one cup holder with easy access
next to the emergency brake in the BMW x3 and other BMWs you have an electronic
parking brake that's activated by a button you kind of get the entry-level
feel in the x1 because it has this hand brake
instead of the electronic one I actually prefer the handbrake
but in a lot of premium SUVs you're seeing the electronic one and take over
the next one may be a hodgepodge of SUV and hatchback
but its price and gas mileage lean more towards the hatchback side you can get
up to 34 miles per gallon highway rating with the x1 it starts around thirty one
thousand dollars with destination now with the x3 starting at nearly forty
thousand dollars
now that's with standard all-wheel drive if you can give up a little bit of room
and you want that fun to drive experience the x1 is an extremely
compelling option
and
yeah