by "sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
Published 01/27/2017 at 19:37
by "sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
Published 01/27/2017 at 19:37
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STARS: 5
Here in enthusiast land, we love to bitch about three things: crossovers, entry-level luxury cars, and the people who drive either one. But does the BMW X1 really deserve the same level of disdain as an Equinox or an ILX? I think not. For two years only, you could get BMW’s little wagon in an SUV suit with the delicious 300hp, 300lb-ft of torque turbo I6 found in the 135i, and many bigger Bimmer models. If forced induction ain’t your cup of tea, the naturally aspirated N52 I6 was offered for 2009 and 2010, with the xDrive35i having a slightly longer ‘13-’15 run.
Being marketed as a crossover and not a wagon means that you won’t be welcomed by the W123 diesel wagon and slammed Legacy estate owners at Cars and Coffee, but other than that this car pretty much walks and talks like an E91, Except of course, the E91 can’t be had here with that glorious turbocharged I6. And I know entry-level luxury cars allegedly made out of recycled Solo cups and designed for people who would otherwise have an Accord but want to impress their neighbors. However, I’ve been in an X1, and it’s pretty much just a small-scale version of the X3 we’ve got, which itself feels like a medium-scale version of the big X5.
Essentially, you can get a reasonably priced used BMW that is relatively spacious for its size, can be pretty well-equipped, rides and drives like a BMW should thanks to hydraulic power steering and the basic platform of an E90, handles most any weather with competence thanks to xDrive, retains BMW’s lovely driver-oriented interior, and still blasts to 60 in just over 5 seconds. You think a V70R is a sleeper? Look at this thing. It screams “blocking the left lane at two under the limit” yet will run with a period Audi S4 or Subaru WRX.
The late Margin of Error may have turned out to be something of a troll account, but he was right about one thing: the E84 X1 was one of the last traditional BMWs , and is not deserving of the scorn we heap upon it.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
01/27/2017 at 19:46, STARS: 3
had one as a rental for a bit with the 4 banger/8 speed.
drive line was okay...but good LORD did the interior feel shitty. I’m going to chalk it up to it being a base spec rental car, but still. I was horrified by what I saw and felt in there.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
01/27/2017 at 20:30, STARS: 1
This made me go and check their cargo space, and it’s bigger than I thought. I’m gonna add this to the list of cars to consider for the family.
"Jack Does Cars" (jackdoescars)
01/27/2017 at 20:48, STARS: 1
There’s a 35i X-Drive X1 for sale near us for $18,000, and my mother said that if she wasn’t so underwater on her Equinox, she’d consider it.
My father, who lives out of state, had an X1 as a loaner while his X5 was in the shop and said it was, “pretty good.”
"DFW's cars, Ferrari Dave’s thoughts on cars." (dfwscars)
01/27/2017 at 20:55, STARS: 2
I also had a loaner don’t recall if it was AWD or RWD but it was a blast and a half. It was the n54 one too which made it even more fun. Woulda made a great review but I didn’t do reviews back then
Of course the X (whatever # replaced it) although based on a FWD platform as I recall is nicer inside but doesn’t quite drive as nice even with the AWD.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
01/27/2017 at 21:04, STARS: 1
I own a ‘13 X1 and it handles like a car and is much more fun to drive than most other CUVs. I still think it is ugly with bad proportions, but my wife loves it. It’s also been the most reliable modern BMW I’ve owned so that’s been nice.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
01/27/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 1
I like these on paper but in reality they don’t quite live up to the promise.
The 35i is stuck with the old 6-speed Steptronic automatic that’s just not very good. It can be improved with the Alpina transmission flash but only so much.
Also the back seat is too small. It fails the sit-behind-myself test and I’m 5'11".
I very much prefer the X3, especially in M Sport trim with the adaptive shocks. It’s got the 8-speed ZF and an actually-roomy back seat.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
01/27/2017 at 22:17, STARS: 1
Holy shit I actually gave consumer advice!
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
01/27/2017 at 22:21, STARS: 0
Yeah it’s not a great looker. I get why they did the long good but it doesn’t work.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
01/27/2017 at 22:22, STARS: 0
So do I, that’s why we’ve got one.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
01/27/2017 at 23:56, STARS: 1
I think they need to long hood to fit the straight six. I have to four banger and there’s a bunch of space up front, but it makes engine work easy.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
01/28/2017 at 13:40, STARS: 2
Yeah, I had the 3 series gt on my radar, but this actually looks more tempting, a little more compact and way more availability, and I searched and this popped up and I quite like it
"Tazio, Count Fouroff" (tazio0625)
02/02/2017 at 11:39, STARS: 1
Shhhh don’t tell anybody
"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock)
02/02/2017 at 11:42, STARS: 0
I guess i just don’t want one. Its probably perfectly capable and most of my driving is sedate enough that i wouldn’t notice the different between this and a nicely specced 1 or 3 series. But at this price point, it’s all about desire. I can get a capable hatchback for much less money, but you buy from BMW because you want it and what it offers. Yeah on paper it seems good, but at the end of the day it’s just another crossover. Some people love them and that’s fine, but I sure don’t.
"for Michigan" (formichigan)
02/02/2017 at 11:42, STARS: 0
What’s wrong with the ILX? I know it’s a Civic, but those aren’t bad bones and the Acura is actually pleasant to look at.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 11:45, STARS: 0
That’s fair enough. I can’t convince anyone to buy something they don’t like. There are a bajillion and one excellent cars out there, some which come very close to what I like, but I would never spend a cent on them because I don’t desire them.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
02/02/2017 at 11:46, STARS: 2
I have no scorn for Crossovers in a vacuum. It
’
s the fact that so many of them have no reason to exist when either a wagon or SUV would serve the needs of the owner. We should have gotten the 1
-
series 5
-
door from the start (to better differentiate it from the 3
-
series), but it will never have a reason to exist with the X1 around. Further, why is there an X1 when the X3 does the same exact job? Same with the Honda CR
-
V and HR
-
V. It
’
s getting out of hand.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 11:47, STARS: 0
It’s pleasant to look at, but those bones are barely covered up. It just feels like a top-trim Civic.
"for Michigan" (formichigan)
02/02/2017 at 11:48, STARS: 0
And that’s a problem?
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 11:49, STARS: 0
Because why would you pay more for a top-trim Civic with an Acura badge than for a normal top-trim Civic?
"for Michigan" (formichigan)
02/02/2017 at 11:56, STARS: 0
Because it’s not butt-ugly, has an 8-speed DCT, and a 201 HP NA 2.4L engine.
It may have Civic bones, but it’s not just a Civic with an Acura badge.
"Bourbon&JellyBeans" (bourbonandjellybeans)
02/02/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 2
Consumer Reports found it to be the car that owners regretted buying the most. I know, its CR, but FWIW... http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/7-cars-owners-regret-buying/
"Bytemite" (bytemite)
02/02/2017 at 12:37, STARS: 0
It’s that time of the year again when someone tries to be edgy and defend the crossovers. Anything good that can be said about them could have been said about the car it is based on. These things are what keeps good wagons and hatches from coming to the US.
Take a good car, lift it up 3 inches, put plastic body cladding on the horrendous wheel gap, use more steel or plastic to give it a higher belt line and more weight, and what you end up with is what you are arguing for, which is a good car with worse mpg, acceleration, top speed, handling, and braking. And what do you get in return? The same interior volume, and the same “off-road capability” (which is at most a gravel driveway) as the hatchback or wagon.
Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but we don’t all just collectively hate on something for no good reason.
"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock)
02/02/2017 at 12:40, STARS: 1
Thats the thing. Im starting a job soon which means I can afford quite a nice car. I was sizing up a 120d m sport or similar, then find myself wanting a Suzuki ignis more. I’m an odd one but the heart wants what it wants.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 0
Edgey is making a comment to try and be controversial and get views. My family has the big brother to this car, so I’m speaking with some experience and reason here.
Here’s my case: BMW does not offer a 3-Series wagon with the engine we wanted, the aforementioned Turbo I6. Rather than limit ourselves to what random few wagons the Europeans do let us have (basically the 328i/d, the Mercedes E-Class, and some Volvos) we bought an X3. Would we have purchased a 335i xDrive wagon if such a thing existed here? Quite possibly. But it’s not like every time I drive the X3 I feel like, “Oh, I could’ve taken that corner so much better if the center of gravity were lower!” or “Damn, I could’ve forded that stream if I only had more ground clearance and a locking diff!” I mostly just think, “This is a nice car to drive. I like this car.”
Basically, I do prefer wagons, but I am not prepared to boycott crossovers and buy only body-on-frame SUVs or one of the limited supply of wagons just out of the principal of “They won’t sell us the wagons and I refuse to buy into their compromise.” Because even when you add up all the things the fanboys complain about (extra weight, tall ride, plastic cladding) you don’t always end up with some horrendous monster of a car. If you really can’t stand the idea of driving such a compromised car because they won’t sell you the one you want, I’m not going to convince you otherwise. All I’m here to say is that, as compromises go, the X1 and its siblings aren’t some horrible cancer like many imply.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 13:47, STARS: 0
It’s not CR, it’s the customers saying that.
"Bytemite" (bytemite)
02/02/2017 at 14:20, STARS: 1
Would we have purchased a 335i xDrive wagon if such a thing existed here? Quite possibly.
That’s all I’m trying to say. I don’t doubt it is a good vehicle—that BMW I6 twin turbo can make most cars awesome—just that it has been slightly worsened from what we could be driving.
Anyways, neither of us need to convince each other of anything. I respect you and your decision and you can respect the reasons for the disapproval of these crossovers from a vehicle dynamics standpoint. Crossover-ing a car does it no favors.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 14:24, STARS: 1
That is the sort of reasonable and sane conclusion you don’t often find on the internet, and one I am happy to accept.
"Bytemite" (bytemite)
02/02/2017 at 14:33, STARS: 0
Agreed. It seems to me based on how people respond to my comments, that I sound confrontational? But really, my comments are meant to be like a lighthearted banter with a nice cup of a coffee. It’s just really hard to express that over the internet.
"Bytemite" (bytemite)
02/02/2017 at 14:35, STARS: 0
Isn’t it just a Civic with a DCT? The Si also got the 2.4L engine.
"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
02/02/2017 at 18:02, STARS: 0
N52? No thanks. I like to keep my oil and coolant separate.
"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
02/02/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 0
So get the N55.
"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
02/02/2017 at 20:21, STARS: 1
Or the M113