Kia has finally joined the booming city-SUV class.
Pros Modern design Perky economical engine Runs on regular unleaded Long list of standard equipment Roomy boot Seven-year warranty
Cons Service intervals are short at 10,000km Service costs a touch on the high side Rear camera is fuzzy at night Lacks rear cross-traffic alert and blind zone warning
Pros Easy to drive Reassuring seven-year warranty Colourful personalisation options
Cons Cramped back seats Rather noisy at speed Cabin feels cheap in places
PROS It's a great-looking little thing Well-sorted steering and handling Seven-year warranty wth no strings attached
CONS Gets a bit rowdy on coarse roads Cheap and reflective dash plastic $5000 hike over related Rio GT-Line
By going transverse-engined the X1 has become technically less distinctive, but more useful in the real world.This is the second-generation BMW X1. The smallest BMW SUV. And this time around there’s been a big change. It’s based not on the natively rear-drive platform of the last one, but on the same front-drive/4WD setup as the 2 Series Active Tourer MPV, Mini Countryman and so-on.
Pros Performance, chassis and space, much-improved style
Cons Not cheap, interior a bit old-feeling, slightly brittle ride
"The BMW X1 is an economical, practical and good-to-drive compact SUV that’s better-looking than the model it replaced"There are two petrol engines to choose from, a 138bhp three-cylinder, 1.5-litre petrol engine is offered in the front-wheel drive X1 sDrive18i, while the sDrive20i sits on the next rung of the ladder with a 2.0-litre, 189bhp engine, and the four-wheel drive xDrive20i sits above that. The latter is a quick car, reaching 62mph from rest in just over seven seconds, although its fuel economy can't match the less expensive model.
PROS Very good to drive Cheap to run Practical
CONS Expensive to buy Baffling list of optional extras Basic model is two-wheel-drive only
The BMW X1 is a fun-to-drive and well-built alternative to the likes of the Volvo XC40 and Audi Q3.
Pros Enjoyable to drive High-quality interior Decent cabin space
Cons A little noisy at speed Limited smartphone mirroring Alternatives have bigger boots
