The BMW X1 was born in 2009, and it was the first luxury brand to experiment with the compact SUV market. The first-generation X1 was actually based on the E91 platform of the BMW 3 Series wagon, and it retained the characteristics of the previous generation 3 Series sedan, including sports tuning, rear-wheel drive, and a long nose (this was to fit the top-of-the-line 3.0-liter inline-6 engine). The BMW X1 was locally produced by BMW Brilliance in December 2011, and the entry-level version uses a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine and a ZF 6AT powertrain, and the price has been reduced to 282,000 yuan.
 
The second-generation BMW X1 did not continue to share the same platform as the 3 Series sedan, but used BMW's UKL platform, which stands for Untere Klasse (German can be translated as entry-level), which is BMW's entry-level and compact front-engine front-wheel drive model development platform. In addition to the second-generation X1, there are also MINI, BMW 2 Series Wagon and BMW 1 Series Sedan, which are currently available on the UKL platform.
 
The second-generation X1 with a shortened nose has a transverse engine layout, the low-spec model uses a B38 three-cylinder engine with an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission, and the high-spec model uses the Aisin 8AT, as for the ZF 8AT, which is commonly used by BMW, it cannot be used because of the transverse layout.
 
The performance of Aisin 6AT is as always, smooth and quiet, and the shift logic is also very clear, but the performance of the three-cylinder engine is too poor, and the shake suppression is very unsatisfactory, and there will be obvious shake into the cabin in a variety of daily driving conditions, such as low-speed starting, speeding up and overtaking, etc., and the engine noise is also very obvious. Although the sales of this generation X1 are dominated by three-cylinder engines, it is very discouraged for consumers to buy them.
 
The 8AT gearbox with the four-cylinder engine is indeed not so "sporty", it shows strong fuel-saving characteristics, the upshift is very aggressive, and the engine speed is basically controlled within 1500 rpm at high speeds, which is another aspect of the X1's compromise on practicality in addition to space.
 
The second-generation X1's "conformity" is not only in terms of space, but also the solid and tight suspension of the previous generation has disappeared, and if you change lanes quickly at high speeds, it will even give the driver a feeling of wandering, and driving it no longer feels like driving a BMW sedan. Its ease of everyday driving, chassis and steering comfort, and spacious rear space all prove that it is no longer the same as previous cars in this class, with an emphasis on selling to young people and an emphasis on nimble handling. It's now a family-oriented SUV, and it's good to think of it as another CR-V or X-Trail.
 
BMW's non-high-end models have always been considered to be relatively simple among luxury brands in terms of interior, and the X1 is of course the same, and the X1 is not a very cost-effective model in terms of configuration, so the "sense of quality" may be a minus point for the X1, but in fact, although its interior lacks freshness, the cabin function is very easy to use.
 
Although it seems that the platform of origin has been "downgraded", the space of the second-generation X1 has been greatly upgraded as a result. The front-wheel drive layout can optimize the interior space of the vehicle and improve the practicality of the vehicle, so the problem of large wheelbase and small space caused by the long front of the previous generation X1 has also been completely corrected - not to mention, its domestic version has also lengthened the wheelbase again, and the rear space is completely cross-class compared with the Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA.
 
There is no doubt that BMW X1 has successfully embarked on the road, it is a product power of life all-rounder, and the previous generation X1 brought into the "young, fashionable, niche" ditch of Mercedes-Benz GLA, Audi Q3, do not know when to climb out of the ditch.
 
In terms of quality, the previous generation X1 has a pretty good quality record in the United States, and there are not many quality defects and vulnerable links to be found in it, although its quality control is hardly comparable to that of Toyota Honda's mainstream models, and there is still a certain small glitch failure rate, but it is also reassuring to have it.
 
As one of the BMW brand's most important global models, the second-generation X1 passed the Australian A-NCAP crash test in 2015 and received a five-star rating. In the US IIHS crash test, the BMW X1 scored excellent results in frontal small-angle overlap collisions, frontal moderate overlap collisions, side impacts, top impacts, headrests, and seats, but the lights only received Marginal. In September 2016, the X1 Li with an extended wheelbase passed the C-NCAP crash test of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center and received a five-star score again.
BMW X1 test report