Yahoo Autos 2023 BMW X1 First Drive Review: The sporty one among subcompact luxury SUVs
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The 2023 BMW X1 has changed in meaningful ways for its third generation. BMW decided bigger is better for this subcompact crossover, and has expanded it in length, width, height and track, making it not just more spacious, but more solid going down the road. Bolder is better for gen 3, too, with a redesigned exterior that gives the X1 more presence while still being kind to the eyes, and an interior that feels interesting and inviting, but also modern in both design and technology. And the cherry on top for 2023 is more power, which, ultimately, means this X1 is faster than last year’s xDrive28i. Not a bad formula, at least at first glance.
To specifically enumerate that added size, the new X1 is 1.7 inches longer overall with a 0.9-inch increase in wheelbase. It’s also 0.9 inches wider and 1.7 inches taller. Finally, the tracks of the front and rear wheels have expanded by 0.8 inches.
In addition to growing in size, the exterior grows in style. Let’s address the elephant in every BMW showroom first. The X1’s double kidney grille is big, yes, but its squared-off shape is considerably more palatable than the prominent, oversized nostrils on other Bimmer faces. And the chunky nose has a nice slant to it, with the sleek headlights tucked under the hood line at the top. The profile has a decidedly better silhouette, with more muscular proportions and longer hood. The lines on the rear have been tucked in nicely, and we like the streamlined look of the taillights and the squared-off corners of the bumper. Overall, it looks bigger, because it is, but the design is also more chiseled and structural, which better suits its sporty demeanor.
Inside, that step up in size gives the occupants more room, but the subcompact segment limitations remain: The passenger seat still needs to be moved forward quite a bit to put a rear-facing child seat behind it. The optional sport front seats are quite comfortable, offering great lower back and shoulder support. The rear cargo area is smaller on paper, down from 27.1 cubic feet in 2022 to 25.7 cubes in 2023, but we’ll have to wait for West Coast Editor James Riswick to perform one of his luggage tests before we’re willing to declare it any less useful (he can at least say at this moment that BMW cargo numbers are rarely comparable to the industry at large). We do appreciate the versatility that the 40/20/40-split rear seats afford.
The overall interior design is much more interesting, too, with lots of visual intricacies — interesting materials and textures — that make it fun to explore with your eyes, without looking too busy, overwrought or under-thought. A wide, curved display houses both the infotainment screen and the driver’s instrument panel. We wouldn’t mind a secondary controller for the infotainment system as BMW used for years (the familiar and affective iDrive knob is gone), but it helps that the touchscreen is slightly canted toward the driver. The floating center armrest is a clever design element, as is the smaller toggle-style gear selector atop it, and there’s useful storage below. At the bottom of the center stack is an almost upright plane on which to rest and wirelessly charge (if so equipped) your phone, putting it where it can easily be seen if you’re using it for directions. A hinged bar across the bottom keeps it from sliding out of place. It’s appreciated that this area doesn’t invite storage of other detritus that could clutter the cabin and block the charger.
So far, the new X1 is only offered in one flavor: xDrive28i. This employs a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine sending power to four wheels via a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that replaces the outgoing eight-speed traditional automatic. We have no word on the possibility of a sportier M version, but we’ve got our fingers crossed, as this generation seems more suited to it. As the name suggests, xDrive all-wheel-drive is standard, but just like the last X1 (and unlike the original), gen 3 is underpinned by a front-wheel-drive-based platform.
Stepping onto the right pedal, it takes a beat for much to happen, but then the 2.0-liter engine wakes up and charges to life. From then on, it shows itself to be a good fit for the X1. With 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, up from 228 hp and 258 from 2022, that extra power pays dividends as BMW didn’t add significant weight to the X1 (curb weight is up a trivial 24 pounds for 2023). BMW quotes a 0-to-60 time of 6.2 seconds (down from 6.3), but we wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a conservative estimate. Yet, the fuel economy has improved — the 2023 xDrive28i gets 25 miles per gallon in the city, 34 mpg highway and 28 mpg combined, up from 23/31/26 mpg in 2022.
