[suman]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I guess you must be missing "slamming" into the potholes as you did with the Safari.

Tell me about it, I've become a Master-Pothole-Dodger in the past 4 months

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I have heard that if you do not run the runflats, and change to normal tires(even if same size) your suspension warranty goes for a toss? Is it true?

Yup, they are very sticky about that & kick up a huge fuss at the mention of the terms "regular tubeless" . They also give a whole lot of Marketing speil about how the BMW suspension is built around the Runflats & how I'd miss out on the BMW driving experience if I changed to regular tubeless! Considering that some of the suspension components are bloody expensive, not many people would take a risk after hearing all that!

I've decided to keep the RFTs for a year & then switch to tubeless. Although the problem is, if I do that, I'll have to buy a space saver rim as well, which will eventually lead to rattles in the luggage compartment! Siggghhhh.....

[deetjohn]

Thanks for a great report Suman. And wish you many happy miles on the X1.

That blue looks stunning under the sun. The car would have looked amazing with Corona rings on. Is it prohibitively expensive to get from outside?

[avishar]

Thats a beautiful car,and that shade suits the X1 perfectly.Its exactly what the doctor ordered for Indian road conditions,a 3 series with higher GC.

The absence of corona rings is a real bummer,i believe you can get examples in the aftermarket,but that might void warranty(?).

Do you miss the absence of an Idrive or the instrument console read-outs are sufficient enough?Its was quite scary to read ABS had activated on a couple of occasions, modern brakes are good enough for normal hard braking,ABS would activated on really hard panic braking.

There is a Tiptronic option?do you use it often?

Eitherways congratulations and happy driving.

[nilanjanray]

Congratulations. The blue looks beautiful.

One needs good roads to enjoy this racehorse...but staying in the NCR region, I guess you have lots of options.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by suman

When I took this crazy decision to buy a vehicle at more than double my original budget, the biggest question in our minds was - How on earth would this fancy vehicle be able to replace the Safari? My daily commute is around 120 kms through a mix of largely good & some absolutely HORRIBLE road surfaces (those familiar with Gurgaon's cratered moonscape will know what I'm talking about). Would I be able to make the two most radical changes required to my driving style -

1. No more driving flat out over bad surfaces. Forget about flat-out, I'd have to really slow down to a crawl the minute a rough patch appeared. In the process, all & sundry would zoom past me - the autos, the altos, maybe even an enterprising cycle rickshaw puller or two!
2. No more "in your face" driving as far as call center cabs, DTC buses, trucks & MUVs were concerned & no more of trying to push them off the road if they misbehaved. In fact, I'd have to patiently put up with all that these vehicles threw my way, be it black smoke or lane cutting or whatever!

Most importantly, would it be fair to a Bimmer to treat it like a daily drive & take it everywhere I took the Safari to? Well, considering that insanity had made an appearance big time, I really had no choice but to say "Yes" to all of the above! And thus, our journey began.........
However, I do miss the Safari whenever there is a bad or broken stretch to be covered. Or when there is a jam & I can see that I could go off the road on the extreme left lane & go over some loose earth or grass or cobbled stones - but dare not take a chance ruining the RFTs! And, of course, I have adopted my driving style for the occasion. That doesn't mean that I cower in a corner - I do zip through the openings but I don't carve my way through as had been the practice in the past.

Congratulations Suman. A dream fullfilled is worth every effort, every money and every compromise. I can understand the shift in the mindset from driving the safari to this wonderful bimmer. Very few have dared to dream like you, my total respects to you buddy. The best part is this report has come after a few months of ownership which means that this is not JUST from the heart, it is from the head as well.

Your family must be so thrilled (and I must say they look great), now is the time to take the long trip down south so that I can organise a meet in "Honour of the BMW_lover".

[Durango Dude]

Congrats on the X1, great color and best entry level BMW for our roads. Happy tip toeing in your X1. I bet you didn't have to ask you family to pose they'd been more than happy to.

[unni.ak]

At last the log is up and running . Keep this thread updated, like you said, this is a potential all-in-all thread for the X1. Congrats and let the X1 Journeys begin!

[SS-Traveller]

Been looking forward to this thread for quite a while now, Suman. Really liked the name : D2SB in short! Look forward to reading about your service experience and what happened to prompt the change of tyres.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by suman

Four months plus & close to 7k kms later, I thought it was time to put my thoughts & observations on paper (Viddy, for one, will heave a sigh of satisfaction!). I hope this thread serves as a handy referencer for the X1 - while I may not post everything under the sun as far as my ownership experience is concerned, I would encourage readers to ask questions & I will try & answer them to the best of my knowledge. These Chronicles may not be the most structured ones out there & I may not necessarily follow a fixed pattern, hence please bear with me.

4 months late but what a fantastic review Suman.

The colour looks absolutely brilliant. I am yet to see this shade on the X1 in Bangalore. That mud brown and white seems to be more popular here.

You mentioned the ground clearance was decent. Any scrapes or does it sail over the indian roads with ease?

Why were the Pirelli's changed to Potenzas?

How do you find the AT transmission? Does it take some of the fun out of the driving feel or is it equally good to cope up with the demands of the right foot?

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Congrats on owning 1 of the big Teutons. Having the time of your life i am sure
God, that colour...its literally to die for. Whenever i see it on a 5 series it really makes me wish Audi offered something like this. Unfortunately most Audis spotted are only seen in normal,boring blacks/whites.
Anyway, happy mile munching

[GTO]

Awesome review & pictures! The family clearly looks elated with the latest acquisition. Congrats, and thanks for sharing. This report will greatly help prospective X1 owners (and God knows, there are so many of them ).

Originally Posted by suman

177 bhp of pure driving nirvana, as my signature says, put it on an open road

Diesels is what the Germans do best. That is amongst the best 4-cylinder diesels I know of.

The Runflat tyres - sheesh, enough said! Just can't figure why BMW India are not offering the tubeless options, when BMW Singapore apparently are. Its probably more to do with space for the fifth wheel & tyre

Truly. In my books, this is the single largest error on the part of BMW India.

Absence of Rain sensing wipers, Auto headlamps & DRLs on this version - just cannot understand why. If our desi Arias & XUV500s can offer this, I think it should be made COMPULSORY on all vehicles in the 15+ lacs category.

Not so much about cost, as it is to differentiate the top-end variant from the others.

You're going to love the pampering by BMW's service department, after the Safari & Fiesta ownership. BTW, considering your high running, I think you should switch to the 5 year BSI package.

Drive safe!

[vaisakhr]

Nice car and great review. As you said the angel eyes is a big miss. Wish you many happy miles.

[46TheDoctor]

Congrats Suman! Nice car in a great color! I bought Silver Safari 4X4 by looking at your pics and travelog; now i wish to follow in your footsteps again.

[Dragonov]

Finally the fantastic review of a fantastic vehicle is here !! Am sure you must be enjoying every moment behind the wheel. Here's wishing you many many more happy miles

Btw, I did not see any of the Team BHP stickers yet on the Beemer. Guess you want to keep it sticker free

[ashis89]

Congrats on your Beemer purchase. The car looks awesome in the Blue shade,suits it to the T. The whole family seems very happy with your decision.
Wishing you many happy miles in it....

PS: Mind sharing the service costs, even if it wasn't paid by you?