Just one day before its Paris Motor Show debut, BMW has taken the wraps off the X1.
The small 4x4 is officially a concept car at the moment, but the X1 unveiled in Paris will hit showrooms in Autumn 2009 virtually unchanged.
The X1 SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) shares its underpinnings with another diminutive 4x4 on the horizon – the MINI Crossman. The chassis is actually a reworked version of the current BMW 3-Series’s, which means the X1 will be able to accommodate a wide range of petrol and diesel engines.
All X1s will come with BMW's xDrive four-wheel drive system, and petrol power will start with a 170bhp 2.0-litre unit called the xDrive20i, topping out with a six-cylinder xDrive30i developing 272bhp.
The diminutive 4x4 crossover will also get diesel power, most likely starting with the 2.0-litre, 143bhp engine found in the 118d and including BMW’s planet-saving efficient dynamics programme. xDrive20d and xDrive 23d variants will also appear.
Prices will start at around £20,000 for the 2.0-litre version, rising up to £30,000 for a range-topping xDrive30i. A hot X1 tii is rumoured to be in the pipeline, too.
Despite being the smallest 4x4 in BMW’s stable, the X1 isn’t dramatically smaller than the X3 – it’s only 108mm shorter than its big brother!
However, the X1 is billed as a crossover vehicle capable of carrying four in comfort, so BMW designers have created a look aimed at making the car appear smaller.
The German maker expects sales in excess of 100,000 per year, which is not unrealistic given that the X1 will have no direct rivals – Audi’s Q3 is at least two years away, and the MINI Crossman will be pitched at a different target market by BMW chiefs.
We’ll have more details tomorrow when the X1 is officially unveiled in Paris, so make sure you come back for more on this exciting new 4x4.
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