The New BMW X1 Brings Front-Wheel-Drive to the U.S.
Auto writer for New York Daily News, Jens Meiners, has a lot to say on the new BMW X1, calling it a “huge milestone” for the German automaker as the brand’s first front-wheel-drive vehicle in the U.S. market. This is true: BMW’s front-wheel-drive 2 Series Gran Tourer is available only in Europe.
The new X1 proves the brand – a historic powerhouse for all-wheel-drive racers – can do front-wheel-drive too. “In several ways, the switch makes a lot of sense,” Meiners writes. “First of all, it lowers manufacturing costs, which is especially good news for BMW’s bottom line. And switching from a rear-wheel-drive platform, with a longitudinally mounted four or straight-six engine, over to a front-wheel-drive platform, one with a transversally mounted three-or four-banger, allows for a much larger cabin” – something SUV and crossover buyers have been demanding for some time.
The new BMW X1 is taller than its predecessor by 2.6 inches and a bit more scrunched – the cabin starts right over the front wheels – and has a boxier nose than its predecessor, still with the double halo LED lights in front (as expected).
Meiners argues that the new features compensate for the less-than-stellar look: a quieter, roomier drive, and the new 228-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, which can punch from zero to 60 in just over 6 seconds. Sure, it may not be the 3.0-liter straight-six of its predecessor, but an engine that size would not fit under the new X1’s short hood, and BMW is clearly prioritizing cab space here.
“In a fast-growing and increasingly competitive segment, the new X1 is a capable contender that, in some ways, could actually be easier to live with than its predecessor,” Meiners writes. “But it’s not necessarily the performance choice in this class anymore. Despite the raised center of gravity, the dynamic capabilities of the platform are very good, if not exactly stunning.”
Interest piqued? Test-drive the new X1 and make your own assessment at BMW of Elmhurst.
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