Yahoo Finance The BMW X1 Is the Best Subcompact Luxury SUV – 2017 10Best Trucks and SUVs
In our recent comparison test of subcompact, premium-brand crossover SUVs, we referred to them as “haughty hatchbacks,” and to some extent that’s an accurate descriptor.
But with crossovers of all stripes surpassing sedans in popularity, this class is the new entrée into the luxury-brand arena. To create its latest baby SUV, the X1, BMW adopted a mechanical format (a transverse engine and a front-wheel-drive-based chassis) that’s quite different from the brand’s other offerings, not to mention its historical tradition. BMW did try to adapt its traditional-style layout to this genre with the first-generation X1, which was built on a rear-drive platform and offered (as an option) the brand’s signature inline six-cylinder engine. But shrunk to this segment’s dimensions, that blueprint was just too cramped and space inefficient. So the new X1 switches to a front-wheel-drive platform shared with the latest Minis.
It’s heresy for BMW purists—and, hey, we understand—but it also works really well. First of all, the X1 is one of the few subcompact crossovers with a genuinely spacious passenger compartment and a versatile cargo hold; this interior package gives away little to nothing compared with the larger X3. And while turbocharged 2.0-liter four-bangers are legion in this category, BMW’s is at or near the top of the heap in output and—paired with an excellent eight-speed automatic—fuel economy.
More than anything else, though, it’s the X1’s chassis that shines. Although this may be the BMW brand’s first front-wheel-drive architecture, the Mini brand—which shares this platform—has had plenty of experience making lively, sharp-handling cars, and that shows here. The X1 corners energetically and yet, unlike some Minis, its ride, although firm, never gets punishing. The X1 also is the unlikely home of BMW’s best steering, perfectly weighted and ultra precise—what was once a core attribute for this brand.
It doesn’t hurt that the X1 avoids the terminal dorkiness that’s rampant among these vehicles. Given their short overall lengths; tallish passenger compartments; and transverse-engine, front-drive-based powertrains, subcompact crossovers are never going to be classically proportioned. Still, the X1 manages to avoid the worst awkwardness, looking much like a BMW in the X3 and X5 mold. The same could be said of the interior, with its BMW-characteristic control layout and design. Granted, the materials are not 7-series quality—particularly the plastic-like leather that wraps the steering wheel—but neither is this car hampered by the gimmicky complexity of many top-end BMW offerings.
Delivering excellence in the nascent subcompact-luxury-SUV segment is more difficult than one might think, thanks to the inherent difficulty in marrying the often disparate notions of luxury and small size. The BMW X1, however, is one baby luxo-ute that lives up to the badge on its hood.
2017 BMW X1
VEHICLE TYPE:front-engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchbackBASE PRICE:$34,095–$36,095ENGINE:turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 228 hp, 258 lb-ftTRANSMISSION:8-speed automatic with manual shifting modeCURB WEIGHT (C/D EST):3550–3700 lbFUEL ECONOMY:EPA combined/city/highway driving: 25–26/22–23/31–32 mpg
2017 10Best Trucks and SUVs: Return to Overview
The Competition
As this year marks the inaugural 10Best Trucks and SUVs competition, we couldn’t follow our usual 10Best procedure of limiting the invitees to the previous year’s winners plus vehicles that are new or significantly updated. Therefore, we also invited some competitors based on our previous experiences, including (but not limited to) comparison-test results. As with 10Best Cars, a competing vehicle must have a base price under $80,000 and be on sale by January 31, 2017. Unlike 10Best Cars, our Trucks and SUVs awards are given out by category. Next year, we will invite the returning winners, new and/or significantly updated models, and the models which were unavailable for evaluation this year.
For the subcompact luxury SUV segment we invited the following:
BMW X1
Buick Encore
Infiniti QX30
Lexus NX
