[2thdr]

Noticed that some members were chiming in on their thoughts after a year or so. I thought I would share some of my observations.

I picked mine up in November as a replacement for a Countryman All4. In terms of fit and finish, I would say it is excellent. I am very happy with the interior layout and believe that I got what I payed for. By that, I notice that the doors do not have the solid thud that one finds with an X3 or X5.

Drivetrain wise, I can't say that I have driven another BMW automatic that works better or is better suited to an engine than this one. I have the 4 cyl N20 petrol/gas engine and in DS mode, the vehicle's shift points just seem to be so well suited to the engine. I can't say that the sound is as endearing as an inline 6. Fuel economy wise, I have to say that for my drive cycle, I am only getting about 480km to a tank. Most of my commute to work each day is on an expressway at about 110km/hr, so I am holding out that this will get better over time, especially during warmer seasons.

Heat wise (for us people in the land of snow), I find that the X1 throws out warm air following a cold start very very quickly. I am very impressed with that. The seat heaters, on the other hand, are slow. I am not sure why that is so, considering that the E70 X5 and e92 M3 are both equally fast. It would be nice if there was consistency across the line.

Other things...I have a pretty loaded model with the sports package/seats, etc. Love the panoramic roof. A simple Apple USB charge cable plugged into the USB port charges my iPhone/iPod and provides integration. Handling pretty good, but I definitely think this vehicle would benefit from a strut bar in the front. I opted for the BMW factory winter tire package with run flat Dunlop M3s. They are amazing in the snow and on ice.

That is it for now. I will write some more as time goes, likely once I we hit spring and the summer wheels go on.