UPDATE – 2nd X1 Test Drive
Due to the question mark over the seats in the X1 (see previous posts), I was given a brand new X1 18d xDrive M-Sport today for 4 hours, so that we could see how we found the sport seats. By way of background, there was a lot that we liked about the xLine version that we test drove for a few hours in the week, but the three negatives were road noise (noticeably noisier than our current VW Tiguan on concrete roads), the lack of auto-hold and the standard seats, which my wife felt were poor and lacked under thigh support.
We have decided that, assuming that we go ahead with the order (because we have a test drive in the Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge on Wednesday), we will definitely spec the sport seats. Even with the extendable under thigh pad retracted they are 4cm longer than the standard seats and with the addition of the tilt function (which comes with the sport seats but isn’t on the standard ones) we could both get far more comfortable. They are firm (a bit too much for my liking), but definitely better for us. I would still swap them for the standard seats in our Tiguan though, which are excellent.
The road noise on concrete surfaces was still bad (as expected) and behind class standards. The lack of auto hold was just as much of a pain as last time and will take some getting used to. Whilst I can live without a digital dashboard, it is very difficult to get the whole of the instrument binnacle visible between the gap in the top of the steering wheel, even though it’s very small. I either had the bottom text (sat nav turn instructions or digital speed read out) partially obscured or the top of the Speedo and Rev counter. I went for the latter, but it’s a bit irritating.
In spite of these negatives, I’m quite taken with the car. It’s an absolute joy to drive. Great fun and, as with most BMW’s, you can drive it in a ‘spirited’ manner yet still get great fuel economy. The two X1’s we had were both 18d’s and it’s a shame that engine isn’t available through Motability. Although it’s 148bhp, it felt quicker than our 190bhp Tiguan and on the long mixed driving route we averaged 48mpg. The Tiguan would have been at least 10mpg worse than that and, in comparison, is as dull as ditch water to drive.
Although only a tiny bit smaller than the Tiguan, the X1 feels a class below it, size wise. The interior feels much smaller but the foreword visibility is better as the dash is lower than in the Tiguan and the windscreen seems to be deeper as a result. The boot in the X1 is also a better shape for my wife’s wheelchair. Quality is a definite class up from the Tiguan, although the door bins in the Tiguan are carpeted, so things don’t rattle around. Those in the X1 are not and are the one area where cheap hard plastic is used. A small detail but shows that BMW still cost-cut with the X1 (as they do with soundproofing).
Aside from interior space in the cabin, the X1 trounces the Tiguan in terms of drivability, suspension, gearbox, in-car entertainment, engine refinement, performance, fuel economy etc, so we won’t be getting another Tiguan. We discounted the Q3, as we can’t see the sense in getting a 1.5i 2WD Audi when we can get a 2.0i 4WD BMW. Ditto the Mercedes GLA which has a 1.3 litre engine and is also 2WD. The Ford Kuga PHEV appealed in some respects, but the CVT transmission and comparatively low rent interior scored it down. That just leaves the Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge and we have a test drive booked for Wednesday.