Because Bimmerfest is such a resourceful site for many, including myself, I decided to join and create a three year blog highlighting my wife's new 2014 BMW X1 sDrive28i. My intention is to detail our impression(s) of the vehicle throughout our lease - this way many of you can read/review our experience, and I can use this thread as a historical journal.
I'm not an expert when it comes to reviewing cars, but please feel free to ask questions and share ideas. By the way, I do not work for any automotive company, including sales or mechanics. My profession is very distant from the automotive industry, so I hope to present an unbiased review.
Day 1:
Day 1 Impressions:
Exterior: Love it, or hate it. I tried to convince my wife to get a 3 series instead (perhaps the wagon), but she insisted on a SUV. She was shattered when I told her she's essentially driving a peculiar station wagon/SUV hybrid. We specifically did not want the Lighting Package. The projector lamps do an excellent job illuminating the road ahead, and if we do decide to purchase later on down the road, we'll have one less maintenance cost to worry about - although we've got a long time to even begin considering that proposition.
Interior: Typically BMW. We do prefer in in-dash navigation system over the newer "tablet" like screens in other models. The seats feel relatively nice and the cockpit has plenty of room for each of us. The view through the windshield is very nice, and no major blind spots. The passenger side cup holder is are very basic, (arguably cheap), but if you're one of BMW's cheapest models, and expecting top-line luxury, then your preconceptions are entirely messed up. I consider this a "brand" car, where it is priced just above domestic models that are entirely loaded. So, would you rather drive a loaded Ford Fusion, or a base model BMW? That being said, the driver side cup holder, and respective "storage" underneath the armrest is pretty basic for some, however I find it to be just the right size. We tend to keep the interior of our vehicles very empty, basic, and clean. Only disappointment? The mats seem very cheap, even for an entry BMW. Lastly, Max AC is wicked loud relative to past cars we've owned. It does get the job done, especially in 100 degree Texas. Thankfully, the vehicle is garage kept and is rarely in direct UV exposure. When we do park outside, we always use a sun visor to protect the dash and limit heat transfer.
Electronics: First, pairing the Bluetooth was slightly annoying. Once we paired it up, we had to go out of our way to select "audio" for Bluetooth audio streaming. This seems a bit redundant since most people pair their phone to talk or stream audio anyways, right? Why did I need to find this "hidden" option? Oh well - it works great now. Second, we love the gear shift. Some people find it odd, but it seems pretty intuitive, and its identical to our X5. Third, the navigation screen is excellent. We really enjoy the newer iDrive interface.
Ride/Drive: Many of you may disagree/agree, but the ride is not like the 3 series feel we tend to think of. Perhaps it is because we got the Servotronic steering assist package, although my wife loves this feature? We definitely feel connected to the road, body roll is very minimal, even for this "SAV" model, and it is a blast to drive on curvy roads. The suspension feels great too, granted the X1 doesn't hide the road bumps that's for sure. I've read online it may soften up with age, but I'm not buying into that. Tires? I'm not a huge fan of run-flat tires, but I'm sure the ride would improve significantly with some Michelin Pilot Super Sports instead.
Engine: We specifically wanted the N20 engine paired up with the RWD. Here in Texas, we rarely need AWD. Plus, I'm a firm believer in keeping it simple. The more complicated the drive train, the more likely things are to fail and/or need maintenance. If you didn't know otherwise, some people might be fooled into thinking it has a larger engine underneath the hood. For our needs, the engine has plenty of pep for merging, passing, and accelerating off the line. Now . . . if the car is in EcoPro, everything I just said is a lie.
Maintenance: None thus far, obviously. Although I'm going to personally change the oil once we hit 5,000 miles. I know today's oil technology is significantly advanced compared to years past, but I refuse to wait for BMW to cover the tab for the first oil change. The intervals seems ridiculous. Personally, I think BMW should schedule the first oil change after 6,000 miles, and then perhaps extend it out to 12,000 mile intervals. Regardless, since we may or may not keep this vehicle for years my intentions are to treat it as my own until the day comes. Matter of fact, I refuse to let anyone detail/clean any of our vehicles besides myself. As of now, my wife's X1 has already been hand waxed and sealed, including the rims (makes it significantly easier to clean brake dust off).
Gas mileage: As expected, or better. We're averaging 24 m.p.g. in the city and 33 m.p.g. on the highway. I have an extremely light foot, and always fill up with 100% ethanol free gas where I can. Nevertheless, I keep every gas receipt in the glove box verifying 91 octane or better. Since we live directly across the street from our employer, we average an unheard 400 miles a month here in the Dallas-FW metroplex.
Ignore the typos and errors, but if you have any questions please let me know! Otherwise, I'll check back in a month or so.
Thanks!
I'm not an expert when it comes to reviewing cars, but please feel free to ask questions and share ideas. By the way, I do not work for any automotive company, including sales or mechanics. My profession is very distant from the automotive industry, so I hope to present an unbiased review.
Day 1:
Day 1 Impressions:
Exterior: Love it, or hate it. I tried to convince my wife to get a 3 series instead (perhaps the wagon), but she insisted on a SUV. She was shattered when I told her she's essentially driving a peculiar station wagon/SUV hybrid. We specifically did not want the Lighting Package. The projector lamps do an excellent job illuminating the road ahead, and if we do decide to purchase later on down the road, we'll have one less maintenance cost to worry about - although we've got a long time to even begin considering that proposition.
Interior: Typically BMW. We do prefer in in-dash navigation system over the newer "tablet" like screens in other models. The seats feel relatively nice and the cockpit has plenty of room for each of us. The view through the windshield is very nice, and no major blind spots. The passenger side cup holder is are very basic, (arguably cheap), but if you're one of BMW's cheapest models, and expecting top-line luxury, then your preconceptions are entirely messed up. I consider this a "brand" car, where it is priced just above domestic models that are entirely loaded. So, would you rather drive a loaded Ford Fusion, or a base model BMW? That being said, the driver side cup holder, and respective "storage" underneath the armrest is pretty basic for some, however I find it to be just the right size. We tend to keep the interior of our vehicles very empty, basic, and clean. Only disappointment? The mats seem very cheap, even for an entry BMW. Lastly, Max AC is wicked loud relative to past cars we've owned. It does get the job done, especially in 100 degree Texas. Thankfully, the vehicle is garage kept and is rarely in direct UV exposure. When we do park outside, we always use a sun visor to protect the dash and limit heat transfer.
Electronics: First, pairing the Bluetooth was slightly annoying. Once we paired it up, we had to go out of our way to select "audio" for Bluetooth audio streaming. This seems a bit redundant since most people pair their phone to talk or stream audio anyways, right? Why did I need to find this "hidden" option? Oh well - it works great now. Second, we love the gear shift. Some people find it odd, but it seems pretty intuitive, and its identical to our X5. Third, the navigation screen is excellent. We really enjoy the newer iDrive interface.
Ride/Drive: Many of you may disagree/agree, but the ride is not like the 3 series feel we tend to think of. Perhaps it is because we got the Servotronic steering assist package, although my wife loves this feature? We definitely feel connected to the road, body roll is very minimal, even for this "SAV" model, and it is a blast to drive on curvy roads. The suspension feels great too, granted the X1 doesn't hide the road bumps that's for sure. I've read online it may soften up with age, but I'm not buying into that. Tires? I'm not a huge fan of run-flat tires, but I'm sure the ride would improve significantly with some Michelin Pilot Super Sports instead.
Engine: We specifically wanted the N20 engine paired up with the RWD. Here in Texas, we rarely need AWD. Plus, I'm a firm believer in keeping it simple. The more complicated the drive train, the more likely things are to fail and/or need maintenance. If you didn't know otherwise, some people might be fooled into thinking it has a larger engine underneath the hood. For our needs, the engine has plenty of pep for merging, passing, and accelerating off the line. Now . . . if the car is in EcoPro, everything I just said is a lie.
Maintenance: None thus far, obviously. Although I'm going to personally change the oil once we hit 5,000 miles. I know today's oil technology is significantly advanced compared to years past, but I refuse to wait for BMW to cover the tab for the first oil change. The intervals seems ridiculous. Personally, I think BMW should schedule the first oil change after 6,000 miles, and then perhaps extend it out to 12,000 mile intervals. Regardless, since we may or may not keep this vehicle for years my intentions are to treat it as my own until the day comes. Matter of fact, I refuse to let anyone detail/clean any of our vehicles besides myself. As of now, my wife's X1 has already been hand waxed and sealed, including the rims (makes it significantly easier to clean brake dust off).
Gas mileage: As expected, or better. We're averaging 24 m.p.g. in the city and 33 m.p.g. on the highway. I have an extremely light foot, and always fill up with 100% ethanol free gas where I can. Nevertheless, I keep every gas receipt in the glove box verifying 91 octane or better. Since we live directly across the street from our employer, we average an unheard 400 miles a month here in the Dallas-FW metroplex.
Ignore the typos and errors, but if you have any questions please let me know! Otherwise, I'll check back in a month or so.
Thanks!