Re: 2016 BMW X1 Upgrade - Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi or another BMW? Quote:
Originally Posted by pedrolourenco Is the X1 that bad? I have heard a lot of people complaining. I have been using an X1 for little over a year now and neither my wife nor me has found the ride that bad. However this is our first luxury car so maybe we are finding it comfortable compared to our previous cars. |
It depends a lot on the kind of roads you have. On smooth highways and shallow potholes X1 on RFTs behave fine. Give it some rough highways and deeper potholes and the ride gets unbearable on RFTs. This is the first time we are upsizing tyres within an year of ownership so you can guess how bad it should be when compared to other cars at home. & I'm from Kerala where road conditions are a hit or miss. During Christmas time me and my family were travelling through some broken roads and I was really sweating it out due to the ride. I was slowing down to below 20kmph for every pothole but still the car was all over the place with loads of 'THUDS'. My dad was looking at me like why is this car "Thudding" everywhere. There was an impatient Vento guy following me and he was honking bad because of my driving. Let him pass and I see other cars moving ahead at a better pace while here I'm in a BMW startled. Quote:
Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12 Do understand what you're saying but theres more to the concern than the ride quality ie low seating position, less under thigh support, high levels of NVH, etc... |
As I said earlier Tubeless tyres can only iron out Tyre noise and rough ride. The new XC60 should be a good choice for you. I have spent some good time in my friends XC90 and its a solid, comfortable SUV with top notch materials and features put together with a very simplistic Swedish touch. But make sure you take your Grandpa on a long test drive because the Air suspension has polarised opinions. We loved it due to its ability to gobble up potholes but my friends dad hates it for the wallowy & wavy boat like feeling on the highway. Just giving you a heads up. Quote:
Originally Posted by shajufx Stiffness of the ride could be the RFTs, there is no other alternative as of now due to safety concerns. GLC backseat is not that great ! Anyway, my suggestion to your shortlist = XC60
I hope you are aware of the threads/posts that mentioned moving to tubeless and returning to RFTs due to heavy compromise on safety. RFTs are provided for a reason, there are plenty of discussions about it here as well as on international forums. Have a check !
Not at all !! Its an excellent car by any means. We love it and its a reliable car on highways so far. I will never move to tubeless after reading through plenty of people who moved and reversed. Bit of tire noise is better than compromising on safety and overall handling of the vehicle originally put in place by its engineers. And those engineers are some of the best in the industry ! |
I'm sorry for hijacking your thread AdisinghV12 but may be I can clear some air with respect to RFTs. Shaju I had done my homework with respect to RFTs vs tubeless safety concerns and this is what I have to say:
1. If I was to have a tyre blow out @ unmentionable triple digit speeds on the Autobahn, may be RFTs would be safer. Or if I was driving around in a dangerous place RFTs can help me limp back to a safer place. Now both these situations are irrelevant to me. If I was to exploit the sheer driving pleasure and speed thrills I would've probably gone for the 3GT. But I'm in India and we all know how unsafe higher speeds can be due to the surprises on the road. X1 is for practicality too.
2. The handling of the car has only improved after the tyre swap. With the Contis I felt even more confident on the corners than the low slung Jetta. With the comfy Yokohamas handling and stability is still better than Pirelli RFTs. May be the upsize(235/50) has a role here.
3. X1 is available in many countries with tubeless tyres as an option. And the suspension set up is same for both. Most of the M performance cars as well 'i' series comes with tubeless tyres. Whats more even Volvos are fitted with tubeless tyres. So I don't think there's too much to worry about safety.
4. We have been using tubeless tyres on cars for all these years and this is the first time I'm having a tyre burst. Thanks to RFT. You can't drive around easy with a flat RFT. It was making a heavy rubbing sound on the move. Anyone who loves his car will immediately use the space saver. Add to that RFTs once used flat can't be repaired.
Now I'm not someone from an engineering background. But I'm a curious guy who looks deeper into stuff added/missing on the car. BMW engineers has missed the following facts with the X1:
#RFTs instead of tubeless
#No front sensors (very useful in small roads and tight spaces)
#No headlamp washers (my Jetta has it and is useful in our driving conditions)
#Small seats. Good for people with average built only.
#No passenger seat belt warning(should I emphasize its importance in India?)
Despite these short comings its the best compact SUV out there for me (a fine blend of practicality & performance) atleast until XC40 shows up. There are so many pros which I'm not listing out here. Always wanted to write a detailed review but guess I'm lazy. Can't find enough time.
Last edited by SUPERSPORT : 1st February 2018 at 13:52.
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