Pros

• An excellent place to sit.
• There are several high-tech features offered.
• Quick speed up and short handling.

Cons

• The gearbox might take a long time to shift down.
• An engine stop-start system that looks like it can’t be trusted.
• Pricey add-on packages.

How do you move the X1? The 19-inch wheels and high-performance summer tires that came with the M Sport package on our test BMW X1 were part of the M Sport package. At our test track, it takes the X1 5.9 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, which is faster than the Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLB. The four-cylinder engine is smooth and powerful, but the car’s gearbox is set up strangely, keeping it in high gear most of the time. This makes the X1 feel unprepared when a burst of power is needed.

The X1 has excellent speed, is stable, and is easy to steer through turns. In this case, the M Sport package also comes with summer tires and a suspension that can be changed. When the car is in racing mode, the steering feels much more vital, making driving easier on narrow roads.

At city speeds, the X1 only sometimes works well. We like how smoothly the brakes stop and how easy it is to turn. Also, it’s easy to park because the car is small and easy to hang. But the horrible engine stop-start technology makes it sometimes impossible to get through a red light. The engine turns off at bad times, and when it does turn back on, it does so in a jerky way that moves the car forward.

How comfortable is the X1? Even though they are a bit harder than they need to be, the M Sport seats are comfortable and keep you in the right places when you turn quickly. In the same way, the M Sport adaptive suspension is more robust, which adds to the bumpy ride that most people get when they drive every day. People who care more about comfort than anything else should not get the M Sport package to avoid these two things.

The front seats of the Mercedes GLB can be cooled, but the front seats of the BMW X1 cannot. A touchscreen also controls all climate settings on a BMW. Even though it makes the interior look more modern, using a touchscreen to control the temperature is more distracting than using traditional settings.

How does the inside look? For a luxury brand’s first SUV, the BMW X1 is well-equipped. Overall, this vehicle has a lot of room for its class, primarily due to its boxy shape. Compared to the other SUVs it goes up against, the BMW X1 has a lot of space in both seats, including a lot of room for your head and legs.

The height of the X1 makes it easy for most people to get in and out of doors. Once you’re in the driver’s seat, there are no major blind spots to worry about. We did notice, though, that some shorter drivers had trouble using the head-up display without moving their seats.

How good is the tech? To its credit, BMW’s iDrive infotainment system gets slightly better with each version. It is a significant improvement over the previous version, X1, in terms of how easy it is to use and how well it generally works. The only way to use it is by touching it, which is pretty good, but we wish it still had a rotary handle like the old iDrives. The new wireless integration of Apple CarPlay works just as well as a wired link. We were OK with Android Auto, which also has wifi. The Harman Kardon sound system was a choice for our test X1. It looks good, but nothing special. It’s wild that you can change the lighting and song settings for each drive mode. Even though there are a lot of USB-C ports, the wireless pad did more damage to our test phone than it did to charge it.

Adaptive cruise control should be standard on a luxury SUV, but not on our fully-loaded test X1. There needs to be more of something. At the very least, the blind-spot tracking and lane departure warning systems work well. Both methods are easy to use and don’t get in the way.

What about putting things away? Even though the X1 has less cargo space than its predecessor, its rivals think that 26 cubic feet is a lot. The middle row of seats can be broken up and folded down, giving you many options for cargo space. The cupholders are about average size, but the open space in the center console is perfect for big water bottles.

Does anyone live there? There is room for a car seat that faces backward in the back seat, which is made possible by hooks on the bench.

How well does it use gasoline? The EPA says the BMW X1 gets 28 mpg when going in the city and on the highway. This picture shows a standard extra-small, high-end SUV. Our X1 got 27.1 mpg out of its gas tank on the test trip. That’s alright, but we were hoping for more since most of the cars we test on our route do a little better than the EPA predicted.

Is the X1 a good purchase? When you add different features, the X1 can get pricey. It could be a better deal, but it’s a good buy because of its size and quality construction. Everything inside feels solid, and there are no places that matter where cheap plastics are used. Most expensive cars have warranties like BMW’s. The relatively high price is more than made up for by the three-year upkeep package, which is longer than average.

The X1 is fun to drive, especially if you get the M Sport package. It also has a clean outside and resembles BMW’s more significant, expensive SUVs. Overall, this car is fun and valuable, especially for its class.

The new M35i is worth the extra money if you want it to look and feel more sporty. But the regular xDrive28i is the one we suggest because most people can buy it for less money. It would help to consider getting an X1 and the Active Driving Assistant Pro package. It may make long journeys easier and less tiring because it has more features to assist the driver.

BMW makes the X1

The 2024 BMW X1 comes in the xDrive28i and the more powerful M35i xDrive. A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque powers the xDrive28i. The engine is the same as the one in the more powerful M35i xDrive, but it has been tuned to make 312 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Both of the engines in these small SUVs are connected to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The all-wheel-drive system is called “xDrive,” and both machines have it.