What you’re looking at here is the all-new third-generation 2022 BMW X1, the Bavarian carmaker’s latest entry point to its SUV (or Sports Activity Vehicle in BMW-speak) line-up. And while it’s still supposed to be a compact model, the all-new X1 has grown in every dimension to now look almost like a shrunk down X5.
In terms of appearance, we think that the all-new U11 2022 BMW X1 actually looks a lot more proportionate compared to the outgoing model. There’s a taller front face accented by a new square-ish kidney grille, while the bootlid is also more raked than before, with its roofline extended by a prominent spoiler hanging on top of the narrow rear window.
Speaking of the kidney grille, it is definitely quite a bit larger than before. But weirdly, it still looks proportionate here – maybe the XM has skewed our perception somewhat. Flanking it are the new trapezoidal headlights with a twin inverted-L-shaped daytime-running light signature, while the taillights at the back get a three-dimensional soft lighting effect.
The rest of the car’s surfaces have been cleaned up with less brazen character lines, but the bumpers are almost the polar opposite, with sharp angular elements that look like they’ve been chiselled out with an X-Acto knife. To help with the stance, the rear haunches are also more prominent before, while the lower edges of the car – which taper upwards towards the rear – are clad in gloss black plastic.
Alongside the regular X1, the U11-generation model will also spawn a new fully-electric model dubbed the iX1, replacing the iX3 as the new entry point to BMW’s electrified line-up. To distinguish between the two, the iX1 gets additional blue highlights all along its exterior, alongside a closed-off front grille to further help bring its drag coefficient down to just 0.26 Cd.
Inside, the dashboard of the all-new 2022 BMW X1 looks to be taken directly from the 2 Series Active Tourer, with a minimal layout characterised by the litter of air vents all across the dashboard. The BMW Curved Display panel takes centrestage on the dashboard, with two screens measuring 10.25-inches for the instrument cluster and 10.7-inch for the infotainment display.
The Curved Display runs on BMW’s latest iDrive 8.0 system, which also means physical control buttons are a luxury in the all-new X1. The buttons are mostly located on the floating centre console ahead of the armrest, where you’ll find the toggle-style gear lever, and a large rotary wheel for volume control – no rotary iDrive controller here, sadly.
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With the increased dimension, BMW says that the all-new X1 is now more accommodating for passengers, particulary in terms of shoulder and elbow room for both the front and back seat occupants. Boot space is rated at 540 litres (expandable to 1,600L with the seats folded down), although the iX1 does get a 50 litre reduction in cargo room, despite its batteries being located in the floor of the cabin.
Comfort is also said to be improved here, with noise reduction being a top priority in the all-new BMW X1 thanks to its improved door and tailgate sealing, alongside a new wing mirror design and quieter tyres. The fully-electric iX1 also gets specific mounting for its drivetrain for reduced noise, as well as a soundproofed and double-decoupled air-conditioning compressor.
At launch, the all-new 2022 BMW X1 will be offered with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, starting with the sDrive18i which packs a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine for 136 hp and 230 Nm of torque, while xDrive23i bookends the top-end of the petrol offerings with a 2.0-litre inline-four turbocharged engine with 48V mild-hybrid system, making 204 hp and 320 Nm.
The oil burners options meanwhile include the sDrive18d with 150 hp and 360 Nm, as well as a xDrive23d with a 48V mild-hybrid-augmented 2.0-litre turbodiesel inline-four with 211 hp and 400 Nm.
All of these engines are paired to a seven-speed Steptronic dual-clutch transmission as standard, with drive sent to the front wheels on the sDrive models, and all four wheels on the xDrive.
Shortly after the launch, BMW will also be introducing a pair of plug-in hybrid models to the X1’s line-up, both utilising the same three-cylinder mill from the sDrive18i. With the addition of an electric drive motor, the xDrive25e gets a total system output of 245 hp and 477 Nm, while the xDrive 30e boasts an output of 326 hp and 477 Nm of torque.
As for the fully-electric iX1, it will currently only be offered in the sole xDrive30 configuration, with two eDrive motors making a combined output of 200 kW (272 hp) and 494 Nm of torque on normal driving conditions, which can be boosted up to 230 kW (313 hp) temporarily under hard acceleration.
Performance wise, the all-new BMW iX1 sprints from 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds, onward to a top speed of 180 km/h. The electrons are fed from a 64.7 kWh battery pack located underneath the floor for a range of up to 438 km based on the WLTP test cycle.
Using the standard 11 kW on-board AC charger, filling up the battery takes roughly 6.5 hours. Although, an optional 22 kW charger drops the number down to just three hours and 45 minutes. Alternatively, the car also accepts DC fast charging at up to 130 kW, enabling a 10-80% charge in 29 minutes.
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