[shreyasMAX]

Got to know from one of my friend who works in BMW Showroom that the X1 will cost 22lacs for petrol 26lacs for lower diesel and 32 lacs for top end. Launch mostly in December. Price to be confirmed only after the launch, but BMW officals are expecting to keep it around this price range.

[S350L-E240]

I don't think 22 is possible but then BMW India could use it as a trump card to further enhance their foothold in the country. I know some people who work there and mostly 25 +/- is the figure I have heard but then I could be wrong.

About the leg space well I have sat in one and trust me it is not really a lot to talk about, I have not done side by side comparisons to the 3 but I can assure you like I have said in a few posts the X1 will disappoint quite a lot of you who are expecting a lot. Believe me the car has a lot of hard plastics etc. which unless you are prepared for will get you disappointed.

[avmaxfan]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

I spoke to someone very senior at BMW and he mentioned that the car will be priced below 25 Lakhs !! Im not too sure which model he was talking about though. I asked him whether the car would feature an idrive and he smiled. Theres only 1 X1 in the country at the moment and thats displayed at Bird Automotive in Gurgaon (the new showroom).

I don't think there is only 1 X1 in the country as there are pics of X1 undergoing testing in Pune, and I have personally spotted another X1 in Pune which was of a different color.

[FlyingSpur]

STILL not launched? I don't understand. When I went to take delivery of my car there was one on display. I checked it out thoroughly too. I don't quite remember correctly but the sales chap told me it would be priced around the same as the 320d Highline back then. I was under the impression that it much have launched by now. Strange.

[shreyasMAX]

The X1 is presently in Pune. Its begin going to all the BMW dealers in India for display.

[nik_kapur]

Originally Posted by avmaxfan

I don't think there is only 1 X1 in the country as there are pics of X1 undergoing testing in Pune, and I have personally spotted another X1 in Pune which was of a different color.

Im sure there are a couple of them being tested around the country. I was just talking about a display vehicle that they are moving around the country and was apparently brought in for some Auto Show. Anyways it was in Ggaon till last week and i dont know if its been moved to another city or showroom.

[GTO]

BMW won't price the X1 cheaper than the 3 series for sure (leaving aside the Corporate Ed too). Reason? There will be gross overlap with the 3, and profitability on sedans is thicker than on SUVs (that do cost more to make). The X1 shares a lot with the 3; same 2.0 diesel engine, same stiff ride quality and same (tight) rear bench space. At an equal price, Indians do seem to prefer SUVs over entry luxury sedans. It'll be interesting to see the patterns of cross-shopping between the X1 and the 3 / C.

Personally, I don't believe in crossovers at all. Classic case of "neither here nor there" vehicles.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by GTO

Personally, I don't believe in crossovers at all. Classic case of "neither here nor there" vehicles.

Even though I do agree with you on that. The Crossover's seem to make more sense these days.

I know a 5 series owner who has to take a longer route to work everyday cause of the speed breakers on the shorter route.

Same case with the 3. BMW guys take you for a TD in the road with no speed breakers. Around my house there are so many speed breakers they said it will be better if you come to our showroom.

The X1 makes more sense in those cases.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Even though I do agree with you on that. The Crossover's seem to make more sense these days.

I know a 5 series owner who has to take a longer route to work everyday cause of the speed breakers on the shorter route.

Same case with the 3. BMW guys take you for a TD in the road with no speed breakers. Around my house there are so many speed breakers they said it will be better if you come to our showroom.

The X1 makes more sense in those cases.

I beg to differ here. I own a 3 series and have taken her over speed breakers that are meant for trucks. The car has never bottomed or scrapped. None of the people i know owning 3,5 or 7 series have had speed breaker issues. This cannot be the primary reason for people shifting over to crossovers. I see them selling on the grounds of people wanting something different yet in the high end brand. The smaller yet at a hight would be a plus for parking and manuverbility in the city.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by speedy

I beg to differ here
....
I see them selling on the grounds of people wanting something different yet in the high end brand. The smaller yet at a hight would be a plus for parking and manuverbility in the city.

+1 to that. Crossovers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_(automobile)) combine the virtues of sedans and SUVs without sacrificing car like handling of the resultant vehicle.

For users like me, who just need a 4x4 for peace of mind (to wriggle out of any kind of city road/highway if required - pot-holed, water logged, under-construction - you name it), a crossover would make hell lot of sense over a full blown SUV. If indeed I intend to off-road at some stage of my life, I am sure, I would pick a gypsy/mahindra jeep under 3L rather than sacrifice my everyday driving comfort (not to mention the other creature comforts like AC , music system, cruise control, and last but not the least, cornering capabilities of my vehicle, er, crossover).

BTW, did I mention, I cornered my vehicle on a not so very sharp curve, sharp nonetheless, before Jhajjhar at 120+ on a rainy day last month and enjoyed every bit of it So did the unknown Captiva driver who gave me good company for most of the journey. SUVs anyone? ;-)

[ac 427]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

There will be a dent in sales of Fortuner as those buying Fortuner for image will prefer to go in for BMW badge. The pricing is going to affect VW passat also. Fortuner has its own strength like 7 seater capacity, relatively lower cost of spares ( this is an assumption as I have seen that spares cost of BMW, Merc and Audi are really high ) and availability of service centers.

I do not agree with you on this one. A SUV buyer is a SUV buyer, he wants to buy a SUV for whatever reason may be, but he is looking at a 7 seater or sorts. The x 1 will hardly make any dent in the fortuners sales. While the BMW badge has a high snob value, the x 1 looks like a go cart when placed next to the fortuner. Also the fact that the Fortuner is superb bang for the buck is in its favour. While the BMW will be made to fit a budget.

Originally Posted by 1-Testosterone

BMW < 20L will lose it's badge value. It just boils down to a brand with higher snob value.

I don't agree with you on this, just because BMW might makes a car which will retail less than 20 lacs will erode a part of its snob value ?

The point is in doing something well regardless of the price point, at 20 lacs they can still make a car which is full of innovations and is lovely to drive. The core values for which a bmw is known. Internationally a BMW fights against a Merc, they are known as a premium car makers, but they make the small 1 series, doesn't that erode their brand value ?

Its not about the price point, but its about what you provide at that price point.

Coming back to the point these crosovers according to me do not serve any purpose, they still seat only 5, they drive badly (don't know about the x1, so will not comment on it), cannot possibly go offroading..so i wonder why to buy them.

cheers,
ac

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by ac 427

A SUV buyer is a SUV buyer, he wants to buy a SUV for whatever reason may be, but he is looking at a 7 seater or sorts. The x 1 will hardly make any dent in the fortuners sales. While the BMW badge has a high snob value, the x 1 looks like a go cart when placed next to the fortuner.

Couldn't agree more on this.

Also the fact that the Fortuner is superb bang for the buck is in its favour.

There are mixed opinions on this. According to one school of thought, Fortuner is an Innova on stilts, whereas other one likes it for its butch/macho looks.

Its not about the price point, but its about what you provide at that price point.

Bull's eye.

Coming back to the point these crosovers according to me do not serve any purpose, they still seat only 5, they drive badly (don't know about the x1, so will not comment on it), cannot possibly go offroading..so i wonder why to buy them.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I respect that fact. However, could you please care explaining why and which crossover you drove was bad?

Reason why I am asking this question is globally crossovers are considered to be good handlers and SUVs the worst. We would surely like to know more about a perspective which is contrary to the globally accepted fact.

[Maverick1977]

More than the Fortuner the X1 might further hit sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander. Fortuner is not the best when it comes to rear seat comfort, this is where the Outlander scores to some extent. Now if BMW is able to offer even better comfort I for one would surely want to put my money on the X1.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

More than the Fortuner the X1 might further hit sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander.

How could you even think of this!! There should be significant numbers in the first place before they can be hit

As they say - mare hue ko kya maarna (can you kill someone who's already dead?) <<Some more ROFL emoticons here>>

Anyway, whether it is 3 or an X1 - neither are know for there rear bench comfort. And if you compare it with Fortuner, I am sure Fortuner would win hands down on this count (notwithstanding the fact that Fortuner's rear seat comfort is not too great).

Keeping in mind the fact we Indians buy expensive vehicles and promptly hand over they leys to chauffer, I am sure there would be some really good deals in preowned market on X3 in not so far future. <<Drooling>>

[Maverick1977]

The Outlander is still selling in the market my friend. Its not totally dead FYI and Mitsubishi are pulling every page in the book to ensure that it does not die. Visit any showroom of theirs, ask for details of the car and you will attended very nicely.