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      07-07-2013, 07:02 AM   #1
Ameray
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Drives: X1 sDrive20i
Join Date: May 2013
Location: South Africa

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Observations on my sDrive20i

Here are some of my observations after 2 months and 3000km.

Main specs:

SDrive20i auto, 2013,
Midnight Blue, No-line, De-badged, Brushed aluminium, Black leather seats (non-sport), 17 inch wheels, Prof NAV, Zenon lights, Harman Kardon, Rear view camera, Auto lights and wipers, Cruise control, Comfort access, Servotronic, Anti-dazzle mirrors, Auto aircon, Run flats

Positives:
  • Smooth flexible engine and brilliant gearbox. Engine has more than enough power for me
  • Economy (About 10l/100km in city driving, 7.5L/100km on highway driving at 120km/h)
  • Happy with the ride quality, but would not want it any stiffer considering our road quality.
  • Very stable, even in heavy cross winds.
  • Steering. I test drove one without the servotronic, and was happy with it, but decided to spec servotronic in any case. Can't recall detail from the test drive, but the servotronic is better. Light at parking, getting heavier at speed and not twitchy at all.
  • Rear view camera and park distance control very handy, and not intrusive.
  • The anti-dazzle mirrors work brilliantly.
  • Sound quality of the Harman Kardon system, though I must still figure out the optimum settings.
  • Sat Nav works well
  • Effective climate control, de-misters.

Other observations
  • Struggled to get a comfortable seating position, but am happy now. Still, I would have gone with the sport seats if I could choose over.
  • The midnight blue is stunning when clean, but difficult to keep so.
  • Paint quality not very good - chip easily, bit gruff in places, e.g. lower parts of front doors.
  • I find the auto wipers too sensitive, even on the 'slowest' setting
  • In South Africa the X1 is priced more or less in line with the 3 series, so not that easy to justify. But I wanted a hatchback, and compared to the other cars I considered, this was the one for me (I looked at the 1 series, Audi A3, Mazda CX5, Mitsubishi ASX, Audi Q3, Hyundai ix35, Honda CRV) I was impressed with Audi, but had reservations about their auto gearbox, and just felt more comfortable in a BMW. With the discounts and the trade in offered, the X1 was cheaper than a similar specced Q3.
  • In general the car is quiet and refined, but on roughly tarred highway roads, road noise does intrude a bit. With temperature changes, there are the occasional cracking sounds from the dash - not much of a problem for me (had a 2006 1 series before the X1...) Had a very irritating loose rattling sound from the rear hatch when driving on roads with small bumps, etc. Turned out to be the emergency release for open the hatch from the inside. It has a retracting cord that rattled against something on the inside of the hatch.
  • Still can't get a snap-in adaptor for my ipod (5 series), or a Y cable that fits directly.
  • Not yet sure about the stop/start. I am starting to get used to manipulating it with the brake pedal, but often just switch it off.
  • The car feels rock solid, and overall I am very happy with it.
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      07-07-2013, 03:52 PM   #2
nospam
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I don't think you need a Y-Cable based on your spec. Use your standard Apple USB-Lightning cable.
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      07-07-2013, 04:59 PM   #3
Chris Pringle
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Enjoyed reading your personal review of the X1.

We put a deposit on the same model (sDrive20i) two weeks ago. We looked at various vehicles: Toyota Rav 4, Honda CRV, Mazda CX5, Audi Q3. In the end, it came down to Audi Q3 and the BMW X1. We had to drive each several times (last time back to back) in order to make a decision. The X1 won. The handling on the X1 simply felt more precise than on any of the other cars we had driven. The 8-speed gearbox w/ the electronic speed selector (i.e., joystick) is super nice and felt more responsive than the Q3's. Overall, the X1 just inspired more confidence on the road. We also have a German Shepherd and the X1 back seats fold flat (or flatter) than on the Q3. We also read about the complaints on the Q3's gearbox and about the recalls in other parts of the world. That was quite disconcerting since Audi Mexico doesn't offer an extended warranty on the transmission. So, it was either worrying about the gearbox on the Q3 or dealing with run-flat tires on the BMW (the biggest complaint w/ bimmers.) We preferred the latter. We like to keep our cars for 10 years (10-12.000 Km per year) before we switch. Our biggest gripe with the X1 specifically is that it doesn't come standard with cruise control here in Mexico (in any of their models.) Luckily, this turned out to be something that the dealer could install in-house but it cost us another USD $1,500. We are now waiting for the parts to arrive from Germany and for the dealer to install them. We should be taking delivery in three weeks. We ended up w/ the X1 "X-line" mainly because it came in the color we wanted: mineral gray w/ beige interior. We are getting a few extras that we didn't really need (e.g., GPS, 18" rims), but I guess they'll be nice to have. Now, we can hardly wait!

Last edited by Chris Pringle; 07-07-2013 at 05:08 PM..
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