BMW X1 LWB review, first drive: Enhancing the luxury quotient

BMW's X1 LWB brings more rear-seat space, extra power and familiar driving dynamics, strengthening BMW's long-wheelbase strategy in India's increasingly competitive luxury SUV market.

India’s luxury car market has seen a surge from BMW, enough that it overtook its chief rival when sales of the BMW and Mini brands were combined. And one of the key highlights of this sales performance is the performance of BMW’s LWB or long wheelbase models, that comprises the 5 Series LWB, 3 Series LWB, and the iX1 LWB, and made up for half of the brand’s total sales in the first half of this year. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that yet another car joins the BMW LWB family, and this time it's the X1.

The X1 has been one of the star performers for BMW, and is a leader in the entry-level luxury segment, but it has been overshadowed by the fame of its electric sibling, the iX1 LWB, that benefits from the low-running cost electric propulsion and the extra legroom in the rear. So the car you see on these pages is the BMW X1 sDrive18Li, and it is quite difficult to differentiate it from the standard X1 that we have seen till now. And that's because BMW has decided to not change much with the SUV at all, it still has the crossover-ish stance, the oversized grille, thankfully in a normal shape, the sculpted headlamps, all continue as before.

It isn’t until one moves to the sides, that something starts looking different and that is the size of the rear door, and the overall length of the SUV itself. Compared to the standard car, the LWB measures 4,616mm in length, making it 116mm longer and has a 108mm longer wheelbase at 2,600mm. And most of this stretching has been done to the rear cabin, hence the rear doors are elongated. As far as the effect is concerned, the X1 LWB looks pretty normal, and the elongated rear section doesn’t seem odd at all. It rides on 18-inch alloys, that are the same too, and add sportiness to this otherwise tame looking BMW.

The rear is the best angle of the X1, the sculpted 3D effect taillamps still look cool, even after three years. The sloping roof-mounted spoiler, the sculpted tailgate and the chunky lower bumper all make the rear the sportiest side of the X1.

The X1 has one of the most stylish interiors in the segment, leaning heavily towards a tech showcase. The dashboard is layered, and houses the widescreen curved display. The aircon situation is unique, as there is a singular aircon vent in the centre, and two on the passengers side. BMW has mastered the art of button deletion, and except the defoggers, there is nothing on the dash at all.

One does find buttons on the central controller, along with the drive controller and a volume scroll control. The aesthetic is still on point, the floating central console, the wireless charging dock with its ‘smartphone seatbelt’, the sculpted door handles, doesn’t make it feel like the first step into the world of BMW at all, feels much better. Features are plenty, powered seats, dual-zone climate control, panoramic glass roof, really cool ambient lighting, Harman Kardon audio that sounds brilliant, and several Type-C charging ports. But despite its really attractive design, the lower half of the cabin suffers from lower quality plastics.

Coming to the reason to drive this car at all, the LWB name, the elongated wheelbase. Now BMW is no stranger to LWB cars, the 7 Series has always been the long wheelbase here, the 5 GT and the 6 GT used the longer 7 Series platform, the 3 GT and the later 3 GL too were longer, and more recently the iX1 and the 5 Series LWB. Each of these cars have provided a different flavour to what BMW has traditionally been associated with, divulging from pure sportiness to a focus on rear seat, space and comfort.

The X1 LWB follows the same principle, and the majority of the extra space is for the rear passengers, and it is substantial. Even with the front seats positioned far back, there is more than enough kneeroom and legroom, one can really stretch in these seats. And speaking of the seats themselves, they’ve been upgraded, with better thigh support with 15mm of extra squab, and softer foam. It feels pretty comfortable, and will even be more than sufficient for taller passengers. Passengers in the rear get aircon vents and Type-C ports, but for a car of this stature, does miss out on window blinds and this feels like a miss.

Despite its clear focus on rear seat space and passenger comfort, this still carries the famed badge from Bavaria, and that means it does have some standards to live up to. Now the power comes from the same B38 1.5-litre inline-3 turbo petrol engine as the standard X1, but this is a higher state of tune, with access to 156bhp, up from 136bhp, but the twisting force is the same at 230Nm. This power is sent to the front only, and it uses a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The gain in power feels a bit more apt for the X1, and it is mostly effortless driving, and open the taps and the SUV gains momentum very easily, and its quite refined. One thing did bother me, the paddle shifters from the X1 haven’t made their way to the LWB, this is a sign as to just what kind of customer the LWB has been targeted at.

The ride quality is great for the most part, it has the confident, planted ride that Germans are known for but have a slightly uneven surface and the tautness starts to show. It does handle potholes and other undulations pretty well, albeit with a slight harshness. This is mostly nitpicking, because the X1 LWB despite its gain in length does handle pretty well, give it a line, and it will stick to it, and the only thing one wants is the xDrive AWD to keep it all together a bit better, and safer. Some bodyroll does creep in compared to its shorter sibling, but is still very well masked.

Verdict

The X1 LWB is for BMW a step in the right direction. The extended wheelbase, the space, and slight gain in power, all make the LWB a very complete package. Add to that, the BMW driving behavior which is diluted ever so slightly and you’re looking at the finest SUV in its class as far as the Indian consumer is concerned, for now. The new Audi Q3 is arriving very soon, and the newest Mercedes-Benz GLA too will be here in a few months to give the now ‘old’ X1 a tough competition.

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