[Wanderers]

Took the test drive of 18d M sports. 18i would only be available from Jun-23 onwards even for test drive. You can book one though. Since we also own previous generation 20d M sports, this one accelerate well till 60-70 K/h but looses steam thereafter (low on torque) unless you use paddle shift which has a boost mode built into it as you can really hear a loud exhaust sound and car behaves aggressively but you are limited by redline. So you may feel a boost but actually not great show like a swift overtaking which is normally expected in such cases.
Low speed is as good as old one. No problem there. The car has 3-4 modes including sports mode but did not find any noticeable difference. Need to drive for a longer distance to find the true benefit of sports mode.

In terms of cabin quality it looks really good except for window switches on doors. Seats are excellent and massage function is noteworthy. Rear seats have more legroom now but only 2 can sit comfortably. No change in boot.
The touchscreen is fantastic but large curve layout has brought dashboard closer to driver and so the cabin looked smaller than previous generation. Centre armrest and gear selector switches are all good but will never forgive BMW for not changing the side for right hand driven market such as ours. Some of the switches are angled towards co passenger and even storage space opens on the co passenger side. Music system is good but not great as I guess woofer is missing (did not check)

Outside design looked excellent but more prominent in light colors. Our test drive car was the new color (storm bay I guess) which made the car look smaller than it is.

Overall summary, I am not buying and will wait for X3 facelift or new model.

For those who are interested, deliveries are available within a month, seemed to me even immediate. Discount- Yes there are. 3 year’s warranty worth 46K is offered as deal along with corporate discount- 50K to 100K depending on company. Exchange bonus of 35K and also BMW secure for tyres are offered free without much fuss. Add some discount on insurance as well. You can expect overall benefit of 2 lakhs and may be little more.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Took the test drive of 18d M sports. So you may feel a boost but actually not great show like a swift overtaking which is normally expected in such cases.

Launching BMW X1 in 18d is most dumb move made by BMW India. A Hyundai Verna with 1.5 GDi engine does 0-100 in 8.1 sec and cost less than half of X1 18d which accomplishes it in 8.9 sec.

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Overall summary, I am not buying and will wait for X3 facelift or new model.

X3 facelift is already launched in India. Expect all new next gen X3 in 2024. X3 M40i coming, that would be best VFM SAV.

Originally Posted by Wanderers

For those who are interested, deliveries are available within a month, seemed to me even immediate. Discount- Yes there are. 3 year’s warranty worth 46K is offered as deal along with corporate discount- 50K to 100K depending on company. Exchange bonus of 35K

Looks like new gen X1 is no mover at all with discount offered so soon. From best selling BMW to slowest selling one.

Originally Posted by Wanderers

and also BMW secure for tyres are offered free without much fuss.

BMW Secure is included in car Ex-Showroom price. So technically its free for 1st year.

[Geta]

The sales data for March 2023 is out for Mercedes and BMW.
Mercedes has been growing from strength to strength despite offering very little discounts.
BMW has become too greedy of late (case in point: the new X1; launched around January 30th, 2023) and the results are out for everyone to see.

The corresponding sales in the same month of the previous year has been given in brackets.

January 2023
Mercedes Benz: 1248 (1033) : +20%
BMW: 890 (915) : -3%

February 2023
Mercedes Benz: 1043 (1038) : + 0.5%
BMW: 610 (761) : - 20%

March 2023
Mercedes Benz: 1603 (1340) : +20%
BMW:. 838 (1034) : -20%

The fact that BMW has suffered a YoY decline of 20% for two consecutive months immediately upon launching their new bread-n-butter product, the new X1 speaks volumes of the level of sales disaster the new X1 is (i.e, leave alone any growth, the new X1 is not even able to maintain the same monthly sales as the outgoing model). In the same quarter Mercedes has shown a 20% YoY growth for 2 months is testimony to the fact that the luxury car market itself is alive and growing and the problem is not a general one but just specific to BMW alone.

From a 30% domination over BMW in March 2022 (1340 vs 1034) Mercedes has widened the gap to almost 100% over BMW in March 2023 (1640 vs 838)

BMW needs to address this soon with a price correction on X1 or by engine upgrades (very less likely). Mostly they will start giving steep discounts like Audi.

[one-77]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

BMW Secure is included in car Ex-Showroom price. So technically it’s free for 1st year.

BMW’s standard and extended warranties aren’t a patch on Mercedes’s. While BMW offers only a two year standard warranty and three years’ extension, Mercedes offers a standard warranty of three years on its cars and 8 years’ engine and powertrain warranty. Warranty extension is also possible upto 6 years and the price is much lower compared to BMW. I guess this is a great factor in allaying the worries of first time luxury car buyers with regards to repair costs.

All said, the frequent price increases, feature deletion, and engine downsizing is starting to reflect on the sales numbers of these brands, and rightly so. Even the C class is available with minimal wait periods now.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by one-77

BMW’s standard and extended warranties aren’t a patch on Mercedes’s. While BMW offers only a two year standard warranty and three years’ extension, Mercedes offers a standard warranty of three years on its cars and 8 years’ engine and powertrain warranty. Warranty extension is also possible upto 6 years and the price is much lower compared to BMW. I guess this is a great factor in allaying the worries of first time luxury car buyers with regards to repair costs.

This is true.

Previously BMW offered extended warranty till 6 years and service pack till 10 years/2 Lkah kms which are now down to 5 years extended warranty and service pack max upto 6 years/1.2 Lakh kms.

Entry level X1 & 3 series bring in the sales and when one becomes a dud product accompanied with poor warranty & service pack; no matter how good your other lineup is; sales numbers would decline.

Either BMW India reverts back to its previous policy or will become a laggard.

Hopefully declining sales number hasten the decision.

[gursartaj]

BMW has just announced a further 3L price increase in the diesel variant.
I'm struggling to understand the logic behind this. Diesel is generally not being preferred as a fuel type, and taking an underpowered entry level to effectively 60+ on road.
Are there people that crazy in india?

With current inflation trends, macro environments and high interest rates. I'm baffled as to what is going on.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by gursartaj

BMW has just announced a further 3L price increase in the diesel variant.
I'm struggling to understand the logic behind this. Diesel is generally not being preferred as a fuel type, and taking an underpowered entry level to effectively 60+ on road.
Are there people that crazy in india?

With current inflation trends, macro environments and high interest rates. I'm baffled as to what is going on.

Have they even delivered a car at old price? This car will now cost around 64 lacs on road. Friend picked a 530i for 62.5 lacs just two years back.

This Industry is just busy ripping off the customers, even Hector price was increased by 40K before even delivering a handful of cars!

[gursartaj]

Don't think they have delivered yet or just started delivery. The report said that deliveries being made in April and may will not have to worry.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Have they even delivered a car at old price? This car will now cost around 64 lacs on road. Friend picked a 530i for 62.5 lacs just two years back.

This Industry is just busy ripping off the customers, even Hector price was increased by 40K before even delivering a handful of cars!

They have. A family member picked up the diesel M sport in the last week of March.

[UD17]

Originally Posted by Geta

Mercedes has been growing from strength to strength despite offering very little discounts.

Thanks for the stats. Mercedes numbers bumped up but BMW's are down and the gap is quite significant. Do you have numbers of X1 alone and i guess march X1 sales would be old Gen.

This gap could further go up moving forward as the buyers of new X1 would switch to GLA or Q3, all thanks to goof up by BMW in X1 powertrains. Certainly the batch is not sufficient when you mess up an important aspect a brand offer 'driving pleasure'.

[jaaz]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

They have. A family member picked up the diesel M sport in the last week of March.

Please do update the initial experience, particularly about the performance from your family and friends.

We are not looking for outright performance, but drivability in city and highways with the reduced power and torque figures.

[one-77]

Did a long test drive of the X1 today over city roads and Kerala highways. These are my impressions:

Positives
- Design. It’s cleaner and to my eyes nicer than the last gen car. The interior also looks very modern and minimalist, but more on that below.
- Best front seats probably in the class, with a rather strong massage function. The rear seats also have recline and adequate legroom, and will be more comfortable than in the GLA.
- The holder for your smartphone. Unique and practical.
- Organ type pedals.
- Wireless Apple car play, and it fills the whole screen nicely.
- Bigger boot than the competitors.
- Level 1 ADAS features.

Neutrals
- The floating centre console. Though it looks modern, it’s less practical in terms of closed storage space. All your belongings will be visible to prying eyes.
- The key looks very cool, but it’ll stay that way only for the first week. By then the glossy plastic will be all scratched up, unless you put a silicone cover over it. Can set up a NFC key on your phone, though.
- The graphics and colour themes of the screens. Personally I like the Mercedes graphics and colours .
- Flap type door handles. Simply don’t feel as nice as the conventional ones or as cool as the flush-fitting ones in the Land Rover cars. Thankfully they do have some weight and damping, and don’t feel too cheap.
- Suspension. It’s on the firmer side. I feel the GLA is softer and more comfortable.
- Wish BMW had given the option of tan (like in the X3) or black seat colour instead of the mocha. Would have looked a lot classier/ sportier.

Negatives
- Powertrain. While the everyday drivability is okay, this is THE least powerful car in its class (and a class or two below), and the difference is quite perceptible when compared to the GLA. You really need that “boost” function to pull off a high speed overtake. The “drive modes” don’t make too much of a difference either. The shifts too aren’t very smooth.
- Price. BMW just increased the price of the diesel by a whopping 3 lacs! That’s 6.25% in just 3 months of launch.
- Left hand drive orientation of the centre console. The engine start button, gear selector, etc are on the passenger side, while the driver gets the volume rocker. Even the small storage box opens towards the passenger!
- Everything has to operated through the touch screen. Even the AC. And the drive mode switch just opens up the menu on the touch screen. Quite unintuitive.
- The idle start stop is very sensitive. To turn off the idle start stop, one has to dig into the menus in the touch screen. Every single time you drive the car.
- Some visible signs of cost cutting like the cheap front cup holders (better ones available internationally), the pull tabs to recline and fold the rear seat, etc.
- BMW’s standard warranty is only for two years. It can extended only up to 5 years. Mercedes is much better in this regard, with 8 year warranty for the engine and powertrain, and a much cheaper full 6 year extension.

Overall, with the revised pricing, and extended warranty and 5 year full maintenance pack, this car will be almost 69 lacs OTR in Kerala and it’s horribly overpriced. I haven’t negotiated on anything as I’m not sure of going ahead.

However, for those getting the cars delivered in April/ May, BMW will honour the “introductory” price.

[84.monsoon]

My read is that the dip in BMW's sales numbers in Q1 is attributed to product line changeover. Remember that they stopped selling the pre-LCI 3 series in December and fully launched the extended wheelbase variants only during Q1. Similarly the new X1 is not fully available for dispatches during the quarter - the petrol ones are not ready for delivery till June. The 3-series and the X1 are the bread and butter models of BMW and bring in the bulk of the volume. With both products going through a product line transition and changeover in Q1, it is natural that sales have dropped in the quarter.

I expect that as the LCI extended wheelbase versions of the 3 series get established, that product will be a major success. It has all the right ingredients - oodles of space for the chauffeur-driven, fresh new looks inside and out, that massive touchscreen that rivals a Tesla, and great drive-trains in the 20D and 30i.

The X1 on the other hand, will struggle to match the volumes of the previous generation. There was a time when a young yuppie would buy a BMW just based on the brand, but in these days of intense social media activity with VLOGs and BLOGs everywhere, I hear even obvious non-enthusiasts professing aloud about horsepower, torque, 0-100 times etc. although their knowledge is only about 5-6 facts deep. A potential buyer cannot but listen to such talk and get influenced. Even if he or she does not need the 190 HP, they will still want it, so that they do not appear ignorant in front of colleagues who are half-baked influencers.

[SPB_drives]

Drive impressions of BMW X1 (2023 model)

Considering that its been 6 solid years of owning the Jeep Compass, an itch to finally upgrade from it has started to creep in. I have been making time to test drive the viable options and generally been driving different cars (ahhh, SUVs ) to understand the latest and greatest money can buy when someone is willing to invest around INR 55-60 Lakhs in this day and age.

BMW X1

Given that the X1 is the latest launch from the Bavarian automaker which is likely to be its main-stay and mass selling product for at least a year or two, arranging for a test drive for it can be an uphill task. The D-day arrived and the dark grey diesel X1 pulled up at my residence for a much-awaited test drive. The sales man tried launching into its sales pitch only to understand that the prospective buyer with him is better left on his own.

Exteriors
Lets just agree that the latest X1 is a looker? I would even go on a limb and say its been done so well that this design will age well and continue to delight the on-lookers. It looks mature and big enough for an X1 but still maneuverable and nimble for zipping around in the city.

Interiors
The wow-factor continues in the interiors and the new floating arm rest and bigger screen makes for a future proof design. The ergonomics are on point and overall you get your moneys worth. The roof lining is in black color and the overall dark color palette made the cabin feel not too airy. The seat cushioning is on the harder side and some may not like it. Like I know for a fact, that this hard seat cushioning will be a tough sell to my folks at home who are likely to immediately term this vehicle as ‘uncomfortable’. Also the harmon kardon sound system gets the job done and had adequate thump. Last but not the least, the massaging function on the driver’s seat is a welcome feature addition. The boot is well shaped and will swallow-up 4 member’s small luggage items well.

Engine + gearbox
I don’t want to even initiate a discussion on why they have chosen to put 1.5 litre turbo petrol engine as an option. It’s downright unacceptable and unworthy by any stretch of imagination. While I’m hoping that they would have done some sorcery to mask its abysmal power figures, but its unlikely in my opinion to cover the lack in displacement. This is a bit saddening for me as I have been looking to get a petrol-powered vehicle, mostly for its silent vibration free operation. This variant is still not available for test drive and will come only in June’23. Now let’s come to the 2-litre diesel power mill which I drove. In one word – this engine is “acceptable” or I can say “likable”. Its mostly silent, unless you push it hard which is when it makes some sweet noises, but overall, it definitely gets the job done and feels par for the course. I did not feel the power delivery to be as urgent as it is in say, a Compass (BS IV manual variant). But yes, this engine and the TC gearbox pair-up well to deliver an experience which feels effortless. The steering is precise (while not too directly connected with the road) and weighs up well with speed and is nimble in the city at slower speeds. This clearly is the engine of choice to be opting for IMO. I cannot not mention the gear toggle switch which made for a precise and neat addition to the cabin than the old-school gear selectors.

Drive
The suspension was, as expected, firm but still not bone jarring. It is very much acceptable in my books. But what I didn’t like was the way it took over deeper potholes. You can certainly hear the thud in the cabin, much less feel it. Also, surprisingly, the road noise crept into the cabin a bit too much, making me ask the sales-person twice on whether BMW is still using the run-flat tyres. I received a response in the negative, which made me wonder whether the insulation in the wheel wells is not optimum.

Missed opportunity
With the recent price hike, the kind of money this SUV wants you to wire in may end up making you feel a little unsatisfied. While the BMW loyalists will say that a car needs to drive well and not be a gadget-showroom on wheels, but we all now do appreciate a little helping hand from the latest gadgetry. Missing 360-degree camera is almost criminal in my opinion in this otherwise well decked car. No, I won’t even mention the seat ventilation because this is unthinkable from BMW in this price bracket, or also in the next segment, i.e., in X3. Other than these, I choose not to put a laundry list of missing features in this otherwise well put together car.

Mercedes Benz GLA (diesel 4x2)

Hot on the heels with this overall satisfactory experience from the BMW, I decided to also test drive the GLA and compare the two. I felt the GLA, probably due to its DCT transmission, was a bit too caught up and engaged with the engine. It never felt free flowing and the constant hum from the engine does find a receptive audience in the cabin. The steering felt just fine, nothing to write home about, it’s a typical Merc in this regard. The suspension soaked in the potholes much better compared to our new Bimmer and the ride overall was pleasant. I felt the cabin to be overall well-appointed and par for the course.

The Dilemma
After having test driven the two most viable options for an upgrade from the Jeep, I’m left a bit puzzled and would like all of you to weigh in with your thoughts. I found both these cars, demanding around INR 58-62 Lakhs (on road) to be a disappointment. Heck, the latest Compass Model S, is actually not too far behind these German super-models. Should I even consider upgrading to another Jeep – I just don’t know? I have test driven a Hyundai Tuscon as well, and but cannot get savvy with its design. I look forward to checking out the Kodiaq, but Skoda as a brand does not still feel very dependable to me. Please do let me know what you all think.

Cheers,

SPB

Some pictures from the spin

[Deathmaster]

@SPB_drives - Very will worded and written review of the BMW X1.

In my opinion, these cars are no longer worthy of the price tag they carry currently. You should try checking out the Jeep Meridian , Skoda Kodiaq and Hyundai Tucson given they offer much more at a smaller price tag than these cars.

If the choice is for a german luxury, I would suggest taking up an used examples from their own pre-owned catalogue. The higher maintenance is very well compensated by the way bigger, better engines they offer. Even the last gen X1 could be a worthwhile choice.

If body on frame is not an option - have a look at used Endeavour, maybe the new Fortuner (I personally feel it to be overpriced as well), MG Gloster ?