[ketantendulkar]

Congrats Suman!

That is surely one head-turner. Thanks for all the details; enjoyed all the posts.

The Deep Sea Blue is turning out into becoming my favourite car color.




P.S.: A 320d from Haryana seems to be permanently parked in our society. So much so that kids think it is part of an extended "play area" and see them climbing all over the car till someone shooes them away.



For another "Deep Sea Blue" Saga that I am currently enjoying turn to this page:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...beautiful.html

[himavanth_m]

Congrats on your vehicle. It indeed looks lovely.
In one of the pics I see that there is no insulation under the bonnet. Is it the same for BMW 3 series as well? OR is it just specific to X1?
The reason I am asking this is because many diesels do have the insulation under the bonnet and those vehicles belong to many segments below the X1

[Sahil]

Congrats !!

In the fourth pic are you using your left foot to press the brakes !?!? I sure hope not !!

[SedatedDrive]

Congratulations on an excellent choice! The X1 would be my personal choice too, for suiting erratic Indian conditions and affordability. Thank you for your ownership report. Wish you many safe miles in her!

[androdev]

Congrats Suman! Fantastic colour choice. X1 is one of the BMW's sensible and practical car for India.

Man, I envy any car with good GC these days

[gaurav_chopra04]

Congrats Suman Sir, Finally the long awaited ownership report is up. The car looks excellent and I am sure the family has no reason to complain even if the ride is a lil stiffer compared to Safari. I know its hard to resist going flat out over bumps, especially when most people in that part of the city dont give a damn about the potholes. I could so much relate, driving hard on expressway and slowing down as soon as you come of it.

I must say, you have been able to keep the vehicle in top shape and your driving style will certainly help in prolonged reliability of the vehicle.

I too believe that you should have taken 5 year BSI plan as your running is high and you do a lac kms in 4-5 years..

Wish you miles of happiness and thanks for sharing this wonderful review. I am sure this will yet again become the most comprehensive ownership review couple of years down the line and help lesser mortals like me to choose the right car .

regards
Gaurav

[suman]

Thanks guys for your wonderful comments, feels good!

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The car would have looked amazing with Corona rings on. Is it prohibitively expensive to get from outside?

Originally Posted by avishar

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

To be honest, I would be very wary of going the aftermarket route on this vehicle, even if options are available.

Originally Posted by avishar

Do you miss the absence of an Idrive or the instrument console read-outs are sufficient enough?

Well, some of the console read-outs could probably have been a little more detailed (for example, there is a runflat indicator but no tyre pressure readout). The basic stuff is all there, average speed, range, mileage, service interval indicators etc.

Originally Posted by avishar

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.

Well, one instance was really hard braking - I was coming round a nice fast curve near my home at about 80 kmph & there was this idiot who was crossing the left carriageway (from left to right) but looking left instead of right! And that too, in the laziest manner possible, even after I leaned on the horn button & he saw me! I slammed on the brakes when I saw that his reactions were slightly retarded.

The other occasion was on the ramp leading to the basement parking at my Office, I may have pressed the brakes a tad too hard & because it was a slightly cobbled approach, the ABS may have sensed a lockup & activated.

Originally Posted by avishar

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

Nope, haven't used the Steptronic on this one, though had tried it on the TD vehicle. It doesn't have integrated buttons on the steering wheel though & you flip the gear lever up or down to flip through the gears, once you select Manual mode.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

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

Yup, roads are pretty good except in some patches in Gurgaon & that's what ruins the beauty of the commute! Can be bloody frustrating I can tell you. HUDA (Haryana Urban Development Authority) does patchwork on potholes in a number of places, instead of doing a complete retarmacing. As a result, technically, the road surface is "good" whereas, in reality, it is bumpy all the way because of small rectangular, square or round patches of stone chips & bitumen!

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

now is the time to take the long trip down south so that I can organise a meet in "Honour of the BMW_lover".

LOL John, but will take you up on your offer & make that trip someday, hopefully not too far down the line in the near future!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Look forward to reading about your service experience and what happened to prompt the change of tyres.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Why were the Pirelli's changed to Potenzas?

Details coming up soon, hopefully over the weekend but it was primarily due to issues with Pirellis on the X1s (in India), a fact recognized & acknowledged by BMW.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

4 months late

Yup, but wanted to cover some mileage & experience some of the stuff before jumping in with a review

Originally Posted by Vid6639

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

With ease so far, absolutely no scrapes. In fact, on my commute, just before the Delhi-Gurgaon border, there is a place where the NHAI (for usual inexplicable reasons) have not leveled two stretches of road they have "repaired". As a result, there is a huge dip (broken) & I often hear the cars in front make a crunchhhh kinda noise as they drop from the high stretch to the low (underbelly or wheel arch scraping?). The first coupla times, as you can imagine, I was extra careful & went over that so so gingerly. But no problems at all, I guess that 193 mm makes a huge difference!

Originally Posted by Vid6639

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?

I'm new to ATs but I feel no such handicap. There is a very marginal lag at the outset (And that can be partly controlled by how you move from a standstill) but it just takes off thereafter & that "pushed back in the seat" feeling is simply awesome

Originally Posted by unni.ak

let the X1 Journeys begin!

Amen to that, Unni!

Originally Posted by GTO

This report will greatly help prospective X1 owners (and God knows, there are so many of them ).

I certainly hope so!

Originally Posted by GTO

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

Yes, you have a valid point. Although I could have digested that logic for the DRLs, not so much for the auto lights & rain sensing wipers.

Originally Posted by GTO

BTW, considering your high running, I think you should switch to the 5 year BSI package.

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

I too believe that you should have taken 5 year BSI plan as your running is high and you do a lac kms in 4-5 years..

You know, I had given it a thought - at that point, I wasn't sure if I would keep the vehicle beyond three years, plus the cost was just going up & up & up, so I resisted. Let me revisit this a year on (I need to check with them whether I can add this on later, though)

Originally Posted by Dragonov

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

Yah, that's the general idea Ajay. And how's your latest acquisiton treating you, behaving itself? When is the Leh trip happening or have you done that already?

Originally Posted by ashis89

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

No idea Ashis, BMW do not issue an invoice if its a "NIL" charge. I guess the details would be there somewhere in their system but I don't have them on me. In any case, as of now, no servicing has happened.

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

In one of the pics I see that there is no insulation under the bonnet. Is it the same for BMW 3 series as well? OR is it just specific to X1?

Hmmm, no idea about the 3 series, we'll have to ask Flyingspur or Akshay1234 for their inputs. I thought the insulation was primarily to keep the noise levels down, correct?

Originally Posted by Sahil

In the fourth pic are you using your left foot to press the brakes !?!? I sure hope not !!

LOL! I had just got in (the dealership driver had brought it out of the showroom) & was looking at the narrow path between the vehicles, trying to figure if I'd get through when I absent-mindedly pressed the brake with my left foot & was about to release the handbrake. A slight jerk brought me back to my senses, I put it back to P, changed feet & back to D! Haven't repeated the mistake so far.

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

I am sure this will yet again become the most comprehensive ownership review couple of years down the line and help lesser mortals like me to choose the right car .

Gaurav, if this review eventually makes you decide to buy a BMW, rest assured that I will take that extra care to make it convincing enough!

Originally Posted by anekho

Cars like these make long drives a pleasure, hope to see some threads in the travelogues section with your new beauty

Originally Posted by 46TheDoctor

I bought Silver Safari 4X4 by looking at your pics and travelog; now i wish to follow in your footsteps again.

I have this crazy plan at the back of my mind that I was sharing with my wife. If that piece of insanity eventually takes shape, maybe there will be another "interesting" travelogue from my end, a couple of years later!

[Dragonov]

And how's your latest acquisiton treating you, behaving itself? When is the Leh trip happening or have you done that already?

Yes sir, the latest acquisition is behaving perfectly well, after all it has been well taken care of The Leh trip is still a distant dream, hopefully should make it sometime next year.

I have this crazy plan at the back of my mind that I was sharing with my wife. If that piece of insanity eventually takes shape, maybe there will be another "interesting" travelogue from my end, a couple of years later!

I surely am looking forward to it even if its couple of years away !!

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by suman

You know, I had given it a thought - at that point, I wasn't sure if I would keep the vehicle beyond three years, plus the cost was just going up & up & up, so I resisted. Let me revisit this a year on (I need to check with them whether I can add this on later, though)

I'd say upgrade the package if you can, because, if you sell the car in 3 years, you will be loosing a lot of money on depreciation. May be you can give this car to your son and get yourself a new one .

Gaurav, if this review eventually makes you decide to buy a BMW, rest assured that I'd will take that extra care to make it convincing enough!

Thanks Sir, I am sure that this review will help many prospective BMW buyers, as GTO said. But I am not too sure if I will be able to buy one in couple of years, because hypothetically speaking, the way property prices are increasing in Gurgaon, I will have to give 2 EXTRA BMWs to Emmar only... But eventually, yes, I like one parked in my garage..may be an outlander before a beemer would do..

[suman]

A little over a couple of weeks into my ownership experience, I heard an irritating plasticky rattle from the rear tailgate whenever I went over a rut in the road or a pothole or an undulating patch, even at slow speeds. Opening the tailgate & banging it shut a couple of times made me realize that it was the silly number plate bracket! Although it wasn’t that loud or anything, it was still annoying in an otherwise silent car. When the carrier boy came to fix the permanent number plates a month down the line (Oh yes, with BMW, you don’t need to drive to the workshop to get the plates fixed. They send it home, the guy unclips the bracket, removes the old plates & puts in the new ones), I mentioned it to him but he obviously wasn’t carrying any tools so he suggested that I take it to the workshop & they would tighten it up.

In the meantime, I also noticed that the vehicle had a tendency to pull slightly towards the left. Initially, I put it down to the messy sector roads but then I realized that it was happening on the Expressway as well. Knowing that Indian expressways may not be perfect, I experimented in each of the four lanes, including the two center ones – it would still meander towards the left when I let go the steering wheel. Hmmmm, maybe it was my Safari days coming back to haunt me, LOL!

I thought it would be a good idea to check out the workshop (same location as the showroom) so I called up the GM After Sales (had met him during delivery) & he asked me to swing by, said no appointment was required. Landed up there & he asked the technician who had attended to the car during delivery (Sachin) to check it out. Sachin whisked the car off to their service area while I hung around in the waiting area – nice & swank & clean and they do keep pottering around you to ask if you need anything. They have a rack full of car magazines (Autocar, Overdrive etc) so you can peacefully while away time without feeling too restless. Half an hour later, Sachin came to tell me that they had done a temporary fix to the number plate (tightening & taping down) & asked me to drive it for a few days. If the fix didn’t work, they would have to look at removing the plate bracket & strengthening the packing/insulation. He also felt the car pulling towards the left & told me that I would have to leave the car for four or five hours for them to check the alignment out etc etc. I didn’t have the time so the GM After Sales told me to bring it back for alignment whenever it was convenient, You have a new car Sir, just enjoy the experience & don’t worry!

I drove off from the workshop with a pleasant feeling, they were courteous & decent after all. I always have this irrational fear about workshops till I manage to establish a relationship with a couple of people there. Well, that was still to be done as far as the Service Advisor/Technician was concerned (Sachin being responsible for new car PDIs only, I would not have the benefit of his being there the next time) but for that I could keep hounding the GM After Sales

(Coming up Next - The Devil stays Overnight)

[Guderian]

Hi Suman,
A very delightful report and great set of snaps.
The choice of colour - excellent.
X-1 was one of the vehicles very briefly evaluated by me early this year - but sadly had to drop it due to the cost factor and the lack of a 4X4 system as well as manual transmission.
Good luck and may you have many, many delightful miles with the Blue Devil.
Looking forward to your updates which...errr...even without the pictures of the weekly washing ritual is just fine !

[suman]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Looking forward to your updates which...errr...even without the pictures of the weekly washing ritual is just fine !

LOL & Welcome Back! Noticed that you haven't been very active of late, hope all is well

[vb-saan]

Great review Suman. Thanks for sharing! And that’s a happy family with the awesome blue beauty

[patil]

Hey congrats on the awsome, gorgeous beauty and the beast. I can see happiness, joy and pride on everyone's face. Great decision.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by suman

LOL & Welcome Back! Noticed that you haven't been very active of late, hope all is well

Chuckle !
All's well by and large except for a touch of bad back, now straightened up - but then the reason for silence is that there's nothing much to report really on the Admiral's thread. And have been a silent reader of the other threads.