Thanks for all your feedback on options folks. I have discussed it all with the boss, including which features would we miss or could easily live without. Subject to seeing the car on Monday I think we have ended up with the following;
BMW X1 xDrive20i xLine AP £2,849 less £500 discount = £2,349
Mineral Grey metallic (we were originally thinking Storm Bay, but think we prefer the darker grey as it suits the two tone alloys and contrasts better with the chrome highlights).
Oyster Dakota leather (we tend to like either dark cars with light interiors or light cars with dark interiors – again, a contrast thing).
Having read and watched countless reviews of the X1, there seem to be just two fairly constant criticisms. First is the fact that the interior is a bit dated now. It is, especially without a fully digital dash, but I prefer the fact that it still has buttons and dials for many things, rather than the distracting ‘touch screen for everything’ approach that is so distracting when driving. The second is road noise. We are hoping that the combination of a petrol engine, standard 18” alloys (which we like the look of) and the Harman/Kardon Surround Sound system (£600) will combine to lessen the din! Feedback on the standard fit sound system is mixed. Some say it’s good, others say it’s weak. Although I am no audiophile, I deeply regret not opting for it on my last 5 Series and frankly have always found the standard fit BMW sound systems to be poor. I don’t want to risk making the same mistake again.
We would add Sun Protection Glazing (£300), purely for styling reasons (looks good with the dark grey paintwork). The only other option would be the £900 Technology Pack 1. I have had fully adaptive headlights and high beam assist on my last 3 or 4 cars and although we rarely drive at night now, I think that they are brilliant and I would miss them. However, this pack also comes with a Reversing Camera which we would miss on a daily basis, so that makes swallowing the price easier.
After much debate, we decided that the other options were superfluous for our needs or simply not worth the cost. The 3 selected options come to £1,800, so £1,620 after discount. This makes the total outlay £3,965 (plus, of course the £10k sacrificed benefits over the 3 years) which I guess isn’t too bad for a car knocking on the door of £40k. We will also be able to retain a 190PS car with 4WD, both rapidly disappearing breeds on the Motability scheme. It will be our first petrol car in many years, so hopefully the engine won’t feel too short on oomph for overtaking etc
Of course, all of this is dependent on us liking the X1 when we sit in it on Monday. In 2018 we dismissed it fairly quickly due primarily to the seats, which have since been changed. As I am ‘of generous proportions’ and my wife has to reverse in to the car and sit on the seat edge before pivoting around, we think that the standard seats will be better than the sports ones. I also need to check that the wheelchair will fit in the boot easily without the need for the sliding rear seats.
I will report back after we look at the car. We may, of course, be back to the drawing board ?