Alternative review of BMW X1

It's taken the motor industry quite a time to realise that typical buyers like me don't want a fully-fledged 4x4 SUV, even in compact form. They're too expensive and pricey to run. However, we do want the high driving position and purposeful design cues associated with cars like these. We want the best of both worlds. Cars called 'Crossovers' have been developed to meet this need and it's at the top of this little group that the model I'm testing this week resides, BMW's X1. In principle, it'd be ideal for me - but in practice? Let's find out.

Rear seat accommodation will be fine for two adults once they've entered through the rather narrow door apertures and provided that they're under six feet tall. The seat backs also recline for greater comfort on longer journeys. On shorter trips, you can squash up to provide space for a third middle seat occupant provided they're not the whinging sort likely to object to the bulky central transmission tunnel. When trying to park, you'd probably appreciate the fact that this is slightly shorter than a 3 Series estate car were it not for the fact that rear view visibility is inferior. That marginally reduced length also means marginally reduced carrying capacity but 420-litres with the 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats up and 1350-litres with them flattened will likely be quite sufficient for most owners, even if it isn't much more than you'd get in a Focus-sized family hatchback.

So, get in: what's it like? Well, the driving position mirrors the drive itself: somewhere between a family hatchback and a proper SUV. So you sit higher than you would in a 1 Series or 3 Series but it's not like being in a RAV4. Which is no bad thing when it comes to throwing the car through a set of twisting corners. BMW claims this car provides 'supreme agility' in its class (whatever 'class' that is) and, true enough the experience, though a little soul-less, is more accomplished than that of any other Crossover or small SUV model I've driven, with little bodyroll, despite the substantial 1,670kg of weight this car must carry around. The ride quality is particularly good - better even than the 3 Series Touring estate the X1 is based on - making light work of even badly rutted tracks, though the steering is a little heavier than that which buyers of compact BMWs will normally be used to. Those people will also notice a little more road noise from the familiar 2.0-litre diesel engines that BMW has decided will be most appealing to the British market. This familiar common rail four cylinder turbo unit is supplied in three main states of tune: 141bhp in the X1 18d, 174bhp in the 20d and 201bhp in the twin-turbocharged 23d variant I'm driving here. All are pretty rapid, with this 23d model getting to sixty in 7.3s on the way to 127mph, courtesy of 400NM of torque. I'm struggling to think of many SUVs under £50,000 that are quicker than that. The 20d version is hardly any slower, provided you order it without the four-wheel drive and paddleshift automatic transmission that 23d buyers must have as standard. Both the most affordable diesels can be ordered in xDrive (4WD) and sDrive (rear wheel drive) guises. Go for xDrive and a quick-acting multi-plate clutch apportions power between front and rear wheels when needed, making offroad driving a theoretical possibility if it weren't for the limited ground clearance, tarmac tyres and lack of any kind of under-body protection. Of course, AWD is also nice to have in a cold snap but for the rest of the year you'll have to put up with marginal loses in economy and performance. For most buyers, a better use of the premium required for the xDrive layout would be to invest in BMW's Performance Control system which more accurately distributes power between the rear wheels.

There are plenty of people ready to be cynical about lifestyle SUVs and the Crossover models that copy them but reality is that without these kinds of models, the 4x4 market would have petered out here long ago. With the X1, BMW has looked carefully at this sector and produced a product carefully designed to suit. There are premium prices true, but it's better value than any previous car the brand has offered in this segment and provides most of what you get in a BMW 3 Series Touring for a lot less money. On that basis, it gets my vote.

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BMW X1 xDrive 20d SE 5dr Step Auto Diesel Estate
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