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BMW X1 and X3
By
Tim Pollard
08 November 2007 10:45
BMW X1: the lowdown
BMW knows a good thing when it sees it, and booming sales of its 4x4s have convinced the board to grow the X-rated SUV family. This is one of the first sightings of the X1, that will slot into the range under the X3 and X5 in 2010. Our artist's impression above, and scoop shots on the next pages, reveal a mini-me soft-roader with shrunken looks borrowed from its suprisingly familiar bigger brothers. It'll be aimed squarely at the mass-market (Toyota RAV4, Land Rover Freelander) as well as the burgeoning premium 4x4 sector (forthcoming Audi Q3, Merc's BLK). BMWs in wellington boots might offend purists, but under chairman Norbert Reithofer's new regime anything that sparks profitable growth is positively encouraged. So expect gaps in the range to be plugged and new niches sniffed out. Busy times in Munich...
What the hell's that? The armoured BMW brick?!
This, ladies and gentlemen, is called a chassis mule. It's what the engineers test in the early days of a vehicle development programme before they have fully fledged prototypes to test. So under the boxy Meccano-style makeshift body of this hack lie the innards of the X1. It will have a four-wheel drive system shared with the forthcoming Mini SUV, and is expected to use engines borrowed from the 1-series range. So power outputs will stretch from 145bhp to 220bhp, with a broad spread of petrols and diesels. At around 4300mm long, it mirrors the footprint of a RAV4.
