2016 BMW X1 revealed

BMw has taken the wraps of the all-new next generation X1, four months before its official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new X1 is based on the new front wheel drive UKL platform that also underpins a few Minis. Expect the new X1 to come to India in the first half of 2016.

The design of the X1 is evolutionary, but looks a lot smarter than its predecessor. Angular headlamps and a larger kidney grille are prominent front end elements. Form in profile doesn’t change and the rear gets sleeker taillamps like the facelifted X3. 

Instead of the longitudinally mounted engine sending power to the rear wheels, the new X1 gets a transversely mounted unit that is a lot more compact are frees up more cabin space. It sends power to the front wheels now by a set of latest generation 4-cylinder engines from the BMW group. BMW says that efficiency has improved by about 17 percent to the previous model that sold over 7.3 lakh units during its tenure.

Internationally, the car will be launched in October 2015 with a choice of two petrol and three diesel engine options. All four-cylinder units, the petrol 2.0-litre unit is available in two states of tune – 192PS for the X1 sDrive20i or 231PS for the X1 xDrive25i. The ‘xDrive’ variants are the all-wheel drive versions placed higher over the entry spec models. The 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel units will be sold in 148PS sDrive18d, 189PS xDrive20dand 230PS xDrive25d guise. A few months later, BMW will introduce new entry level 3-cylinders borrowed from Mini.

BMW says that the new generation is lighter and more agile than before. For example, the base variant has shed about 135kg to its predecessor. The X1 will be offered with adjustable dampers as an optional feature that will enable changing your suspension settings in addition to changing driving modes.