2015 BMW X1

The X1 is a tall wagon on the outside, with the barest minimum of references to the SUV world. There's a bulge at the grille, some roof rails, and a little more ground clearance than you'd get in a sport wagon. The sides are curved and glassy, with its only straight edge at its sills.

Altogether, that extra height forces some visual tricks, yet through skillful management of proportions the X1 ends up looking much like a hatchback from most angles, despite large glass areas, a stubby rear end, and a high nose.

BMW lets X1 buyers upgrade to xLine and Sport Line trim packages. The former is more rugged, with matte-metallic trim for the front and rear, as well as some interior leather and trim, plus satin roof rails and glossy Dark Copper trim. The Sport Line blacks out those exterior trim pieces and wears unique alloy wheels, and gets red and aluminum trim inside. An M Sport Line pushes that further, with an Anthracite headliner, Shadowline exterior trim, high-gloss roof rails, dark-crosshatch aluminum trim, and a special leather steering wheel and shift knob.

Step right into the X1 from another vehicle, and you might need a tutorial. In the most complex of cases, there's an iDrive controller, pushbutton start, steering-wheel audio and phone controls, and dual climate controls--all black in finish, all competing for attention against a black-gloss background.

Expect BMW dynamic excellence here; you'll find very little body roll or dynamic misbehavior, and the X1 doesn't feel flustered being driven like a sport sedan, or by brittle, broken Michigan byroads. Skip the M Sport package and it's capable of soaking up all kinds of small imperfections without skittering over them in unimpressive ways.

Off paved roads, the X1 is surprisingly deft--more so, at least, than you might expect given its off-road performance. While it doesn't have the sort of wheel articulation you need for rutted trails, it has enough toughness and ground clearance for gravel roads or snowy driveways. 

With the four, the X1 feels perky and plenty strong, with 240 horsepower at 5000 rpm and peak torque of 260 pound-feet at 1250 rpm through 4800 rpm. It's coupled only with an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shift controls and stop/start.

A little perspective could help here: Just this base X1 is as fast to 60 mph as the first E30 M3.

The xDrive all-wheel drive system works with stability control to split torque front to rear (variable to 20:80, with an available Performance Control option); it requires the X1 to retain BMW's former hydraulic steering unit--while the rear-drive sDrive28i can be packaged with a more efficient electric power steering system, hence the gas-mileage differences.

While we haven't driven a rear-wheel-drive X1 and thus can't comment on its electric power steering, the hydraulic systems in the xDrive versions are excellent. It's not particularly quick, but it's a pleasure to wind and unwind. If there's one standout impression of the X1's performance, it's of fluidity at speed--not something that crossovers typically excel at.

The last X1 we fully tested, a X1 xDrive28i, came equipped with a Sport package including 18-inch wheels and tires, Servotronic variable-ratio steering, but without the M Sport Package and Performance Control. The package hasn't been as well-reviewed as we'd expected, with understeer a big complaint--as much at issue as the base X1's electric power steering. And the brakes pour out more pedal feel than the entire lineups of some automakers from half a world away.

The X1 is sized more like the subcompact crossovers available today than the compacts that are familiar to more buyers. By rough comparison, it's more Escape, Countryman, and Evoque, than X3, GLK or Q5, with a suitably tall roofline that also makes it something of a last-generation BMW 3-Series wagon.

Inside, that comparison makes sense, because the X1's interior space measures up for most adults. Headroom is never really in question, and neither is elbow room. The center console isn't so wide that it claims too much space, but it does make solid contact with front-passenger legs on a regular basis.

The back seat does its best to overcome the short wheelbase span. It reclines for long-distance comfort and flips forward for cargo flexibility. Even when four adults are seated, there's enough legroom, but clearly not enough space for three across. For children, that's no problem.

It's from the center console back where you start noticing the X1's shorter cabin. Some difficult storage choices have obviously been made, as the USB port carves out a lump of its own from the bin that lies ahead of the shifter, leaving room for one cupholder behind the lever--which forces a second cupholder to hang precariously off the right side of the console. It's at times like these where you feel for a culture not raised on 64-ounce beverages--but front passengers who repeatedly bang their knees against the cupholder when getting in won't make these choices seem all that forgivable. Door pockets do help make up the difference for other items though.

With a rack of switches, knobs, and pushbuttons, each with their own haptics and intents, the instrument panel can appear a bit cluttered. The joystick shifter needs its own walk-through, too, unless you equate the "park" button with the "fire" button on a video game controller. The volume knob on the radio's small, and almost out of reach.

Across either of these versions, you do hear the engines a fair amount--a coarse thrum with the four-cylinder engine, or more of a bellowing note with the six; in either case, it's not the sweet note that was produced by BMW's former naturally aspirated sixes.

Visibility is good for the driver, even with the X1's relatively small rear hatch glass and tall headrests.

Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, or lane-departure warning systems aren't available either. That's technology we think has some limited application for safety, too. 

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn't rated the BMW X1—and likely won't—the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given the X1 top 'good' tests for frontal, side, and rear impact, as well as a 'good' score for roof strength. But it earned a potentially worrisome 'marginal' score in the new, more rigorous small overlap frontal test—a test that simulates a collision with a pole or tree.

Standard features are mostly good. Every X1 comes standard with power windows, locks, and heated mirrors; automatic climate control; LED taillights; AM/FM/HD radio with a CD player, a USB port and an auxiliary jack; a leather-wrapped steering wheel with multi-function controls; roof rails; and automatic headlights. The six-cylinder X1 adds on more features--standard power front seats, panoramic sunroof, variable-ratio power steering, adaptive headlights, and automatic high beams--which are available on the four-cylinder model as options.

All models can be fitted with satellite radio, a chrome package, and a Harmon Kardon surround-sound system.

If you're used to more advanced voice-control systems, you'll find the one associated with iDrive to be a bit muddled. In sampling a few destinations, we were able to drill down to a certain level of navigation--say, to local parks--by voice, when we were directed to the iDrive controller for further action. Systems such as MyFord Touch or Cadillac CUE allow more voice control to select on-screen options, but we're unaware of a similar mode on this BMW.

Enthusiasts should look long and hard at the M Sport package, which tightens up the X1's suspension and adds 18-inch wheels with staggered rear tires--or swaps out the package for 19-inch wheels. It includes sport seats and a sport steering wheel, a choice of interior trim, body add-ons, and on all-wheel-drive models, variable-torque-split xDrive.

The more efficient versions are the sDrive28i and xDrive28i models, which have the turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The rear-drive X1 gets 24 miles per gallon city, and 34 miles per gallon highway, the agency reports, with a combined rating of 28 mpg; with all-wheel drive, the turbo-four X1 is scored at 22/33 mpg and 26 mpg combined.

Four-cylinder models come equipped with an ECO PRO function and stop/start. ECO PRO maps the X1's throttle and eight-speed automatic transmission shift points, as well as its climate-control settings, to help with small, discrete gains in fuel economy. Stop/start offers more measurable differences, and although the system can be unexpectedly jarring at times, it's smoother than the one we've observed in BMW's six-cylinder-powered cars.