[ChuckyUK]

Ok, so finally collected my 25d yesterday from JCT600 BMW in Bradford yesterday.

Just to recap, I ordered a BMW xDrive25d xLine on Friday 8th April and took delivery on Sunday 12th June 2016. My sales person kept in touch on a weekly basis giving me the latest updates. I was initially concerned about the Mineral White i chose as part of me wanted Mineral Grey - but settled on white in the end as that is what is on the brochure. I have a thing for ordering the same colour as advertised on the brochure as I believe that is what BMW think shows the car off best!

Anyway, lets talk about spec. My car came with standard leather seats, but I ordered the sports seats as i didn't feel the standard ones were comfortable or supportive enough particularly when cornering. In addition to the standard spec of the xLine model (Navigation, LED Headlights, heated seats, sliding seats, etc) i also ordered the Comfort Pack (Extended Lighting, Cruise Control, Park Assist inc front parking sensors), the reversing camera (an absolute essential on any car!), and heated steering. I regret not going for the HUD but as it comes part of the Professional Navigation Pack at £1490, it worked out a little too expensive for my liking.
Anyway moving onto the vehicle itself. Soon as i sat in it - i don't know why - but the car seemed so much bigger, nicer, and spacious than my Gran Tourer I had just walked out of it. The windscreen seems really large and airy. It is unbelievable, that the car built on the same platform, and roughly the same dimensions as the 2GT, could feel so roomy and spacious. The driving position felt much higher than i initially expected. Ok, the seat was set high in the first place, but I felt right at home. I've got to say the Mineral White in the show room looked really great on the car giving a nice silky pearly look, but with the heavy rain outside i knew that was the last time i was going to appreciate that for the day! I know my young nephew in Birmingham will love the exterior!

So i reset the trip computer and tried to adjust my seating position and mirrors etc. Plenty of space in the cockpit to move and twist, and my left knee no longer felt cramped or dig into the side of the centre console trim(great thinking there design wise!). So off we go!

Driving out of the dealership we had road works. Didn't want that tar on my car so crept out very slowly. The engine still felt a little rattly/noisy/ tractor like., but then again i have come from a whisper quiet sewing machine like 218i petrol so what did i expect. My plan was to hit the M606 and go down the M62/M1 to the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in a bid to check out the vehicle dynamics and economy, making my mother feel she was out for a shopping treat. I was only after the drive and no interest in the shopping!. After all, the main reason i swapped over from my 2GT 218i was the appalling economy figures it returned, driving at very modest speeds with a granny pedal. The best the 2GT would do on a similar day with similar traffic to Meadowhall and back was 37mpg (82 miles). Anyway, the car seemed it little noisy moving off from standstill at speeds less than 15mph and seemed to hold the lower gears longer (i thought i'd keep it in comfort). Once i hit the main road - WOW. Just WOW!! The sound of the engine completely disappeared! How smooth and slick - absolutely amazing. A tap of the throttle and this car wants to MOVE with absolutely no effort! I have had a 320d F30 back In 2012 to 2014 but I've got to say this machine is lovely. The car seems to know exactly what gear it needs to be in. I'm still watching those mpg figures. took my 5 mins to get to the motorway. As soon i reached the M606 i could not believe how effortlessly the car joined the motorway - before i knew it I was doing 85!!! it felt like I was doing about 60. This car is soon effortless and smooth.

During the drive to meadowhall we had some very heavy rain. I can't believe how great the visibility remained. There was a lot of surface water on the M1 but it didn't seem to make a thing of a difference in this new machine. It effortlessly glided over the water and though the rain without any problem. Wind noise you say ? I say what wind noise!! The car is whisper quiet - in fact i'd say its noticeably quieter than my previous F30 which i thought was the best I've had. I'd now have to put this above it in terms of sheer comfort. The car feels so solid and planted its unbelievable! Getting to and back from Meadowhall, the car returned 59.8 mpg. I am absolutely gobstonkingly amazed - even my 320D ED would return about 53-54.

I did about 82 miles to Meadowhall and back. But then spent the late afternoon driving around Bradford, Leeds, Keighley, Bingley, Huddersfield. I just didn't want to get out of the car. I reset the trip computer after returning from meadowhall to see what i would get around general urban driving. Well, wait for it, the car somehow very easily with out any effort in driving was returning 51-52. I am lost for words on how a 4 wheel drive relatively heavy 230 bhp could achieve such astonishing figures. Now I have had 320ED, Audi A4 , Golf GT TDI, 2GT 218i ,and I have never achieved above 40 mpg driving the same routes in the same style with similar traffic. I have been getting 24 mpg on my Gran Tourer 218i.

I am still in so much awe of this motor. I absolutely love it. The car is so much more than i expected even after i test drove one 8 weeks ago, and came away thinking its ok. Now then I am looking forward to trying out the LED Headlights as i heard they are meant to be awesome - problem is a hit bed around 8 and am in deep sleep around 9 with sunset around 9.40 - so may have to force myself to keep awake!!

I hope i didn't bore you with my write-up. This is the first time I have given my impressions of a vehicle and Ive tried to be as honest as possible. I haven't been able to find any faults yet (apart from the mechanical stick shifter - why not the 3 series electronic one BMW???).

I will try and post some pics once I figure out how to. Hope my mini review will help those on the fence and reassures those that have ordered the same model.

Thank you for reading.

[Bluezed]

Thanks for your write up. I agree that the power 'on tap' is great. You don't have to push the loud pedal, just tensing your foot muscle is enough.
Mine seems to have got a lot quieter recently. To start with I was worried about the engine noise but now, when it's warm, I find myself looking at the rev counter to make sure it hasn't auto shut off. (I turn mine off as a matter of habit as soon as I start the engine).
I find that the space, ride hide and comfort are all excellent. I can't say I find it whisper quiet but it isn't exactly noisy either. Not sure if that may be to do with the pano roof or tyres? (What tyres do you have fitted?)
My only issue is a slight hesitation when pulling out of junctions or roundabouts while in Comfort mode. If a junction is busy I always move the selector across to sport auto mode which gets rid of the problem and invariably gets me a bit too close to boot of the car in front.
Apart from that, I am amazed to say that this is the only new car I've owned that hasn't had to go back to the dealers with one problem or another within the first six months. That's even more amazing when you think it's a new model which nearly always have some teething problems. (still keeping my fingers crossed though )

[xerox77]

Hi,

Thanks for your review, it is inspiring
I will pick mine on Wednesday and it is also a 25d, mineral white, but MSport. I know how is it with the color, I was also struggling to decide, my last two BMWs been aöpine white and I liked them a lot, so I kept the trend just added some metal to it for a change
I am trading in my 2-years old 220d, because I wanted to have something which can accommodate 2 ppl + a dog easily and also can support us going for hiking here in Switzerland.
Now with the 220d I have my consumption around 50mpg (5.5l/100km), based on your review I do not expect big change in this figure.

[simon.]

Great review & cheers for posting it up . I have a LONG wait until mid September for my 25D MSport X1 & my 335D is going this weekend. I am glad that you say the power is pretty impressive as that was a worry for me but even driving the 20D, it felt sprighty enough & not lacking.

Quick Q. Whats the base stereo like? I have HK in my current car & had business in my F21 1 series before. Not a real turn it up load kind of chap but do like it to sound decent enough & not tinny?

[Bill_P]

Great review and thank you for sharing.

Although I have a 20i petrol I drove a diesel on test drive as petrol versions were not available at all. It certainly seemed very quiet for a diesel (and it only had 6 miles on the clock) had plenty of urge and hardly could feel the gearchanges at all.

I am very pleased with the Petrol version - don't really have a good take on fuel consumption yet (about 850 miles now) as I have only filled up twice and the last one did not get really full as pump was cutting out.

The space and feel of the cabin is really impressive - decision to buy X1 was really made within a few minutes of sitting in stationary vehicle in dealers yard - Jag XE, Audi Q3 and 3 series did not even make it to test drive stage.

[Saintsman]

Glad you have picked it up Chucky, enjoy it.
I assumed you went for a decent drive yesterday as your posting stopped early morning then nothing for the rest of the day.
Great write up.

[ChuckyUK]

Originally Posted by Saintsman

Glad you have picked it up Chucky, enjoy it.
I assumed you went for a decent drive yesterday as your posting stopped early morning then nothing for the rest of the day.
Great write up.

Yep!! Couldn't get out of it all day - just drove around everywhere where i could. My day off work today and the tank is nearly empty - i intend to get some V-Power Diesel in there to see if it can make it more smooth!!
In response to some questions above - the audio system quality is very decent! Its definitely better than my Gran Tourer. I hope its not placebo but the bass seems deeper and and subtle and mids are great. If anything it lacks a little sharpness but overall great. I have only been streaming music via bluetooth on my iPhone - ill try connecting via USB and will let you know.

The other thing i forgot to mention was the suspension. In a lot of the reviews i have noted comments about the suspension being too firm and that you can feel every pothole/bump/pebble on the road. I feel the car is very comfortable over uneven roads and bumps and soaks them in quiet well. Bradford does not have the best roads in the country imho and the X1 has surpassed my expectations for road comfort and noise insulation. BTW i am riding on standard 569 alloys running Bridgestone Turanza T001 tyres at 225/50/R18 XL. I wasn't expecting great noise performance from these after reading their reviews but so far they have been excellent.

[Saintsman]

Originally Posted by xerox77

Hi,

Thanks for your review, it is inspiring
I will pick mine on Wednesday and it is also a 25d, mineral white, but MSport. I know how is it with the color, I was also struggling to decide, my last two BMWs been aöpine white and I liked them a lot, so I kept the trend just added some metal to it for a change
I am trading in my 2-years old 220d, because I wanted to have something which can accommodate 2 ppl + a dog easily and also can support us going for hiking here in Switzerland.
Now with the 220d I have my consumption around 50mpg (5.5l/100km), based on your review I do not expect big change in this figure.

I'll be driving mine through Die Schweiz in July on my way to Italy and Slovenia. I thought about the St. Bernards pass as it's a great scenic road, but this year its going to be the San Bernadino pass,(especially after the 2 hour delay at the Gotthard tunnel on our return last year) I can't wait to try it out on that wonderful alpine road. (Top Gear vid on youtube).

[Ant802]

What a great review. I collect mine on Thursday and your review has just made me a whole lot more excited! Enjoy it mate and put some pictures on when you get chance

[DJ Orange]

Excellent, candid write up for those of us waiting for our new X1s over the coming weeks and months. Hope to see more of these and will put one up myself. Mine is due mid July and having read some of the reviews here feel like I should have ended up getting the Comfort Pack for the front parking sensors as I've got them on my Golf but I don't use the cruise control, parking assist or a fan on the extended lighting. Nevertheless, extremely excited and look forward to a further review and update from you to hear more positive news!