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      04-12-2013, 06:09 AM   #1
li21
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X1 handling and fuel economyconcerns

Hi all

So last month I bought a 2010 X1 xdrive20d..
(Australian model)

It has 50,000kms on it..
I decided an X1 was for me having driving another car of exactly the same age and spec at another dealer.

My impressions after my first X1 drive were Wow! This thing drove 95% like a 320d E90... Slightly slower but handling and cornering put huge grin on my face... Was so much fun

Now forward month later to my own X1...
Acceleration seems slower.. Still has kick from stand still but doesn't feel as lively... I can live with that...but I'm getting about 9.0L / 100kms in the city every time I reset the counter.. Driving gently too..
My last car a 2006 Jetta tdi gave me about 6.5L/100kms despite having a higher on paper consumption rating .

Anyways that's not the biggest concern.. It's the handling that bugs me..
I feel it's not ware as fun as the other car I drove.. It understeers a lot into corners even at low cornering speeds, it doesn't give me the confidence to go hard into corners because body roll is evident... It's doesn't give me that sporty E90 sedan feeling I got in the other X1...

Now is my car normal and the other one I drove just super? Or are there issues with my car?
It was a BMW approved used car so I would have thought that the 100 point inspection would have sorted our anything prior to delivery..
I've tried to explain all this to BMW but they just have no idea what I mean .. It's hard to explain.."my car doesn't corner as well as another one"
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      04-12-2013, 06:22 AM   #2
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Regarding poor gas mileage. Does the engine have turbo? Is it possible that turbo is stuck or not spinning freely? Don't know how to check for this though.

BTW BMW 100 point check (certified used vehicle) is worthless. They do not care. Assuming that you still have remainder of the original warranty I would suggest to figure out all issues ASAP and get them fixed.

Here in US BMW dealerships routinely lie to the customers just to get past the warranty.
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      04-12-2013, 07:16 AM   #3
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I wonder if it has the option of Performance Controll added from new, does not sound like it, and at a guess the one you test drove may have had it:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle...e_control.html
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      04-12-2013, 07:28 AM   #4
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Xyz100 I've got it booked in on Mayn2nd to go through everything...
I'm thinking could air filter make any difference to this?
It's a very old and dirty one so I shook out all the dirt.. Still same per fiancé though

Blue bottle OMG after reading about performance control and owners opinions I think that could be it! I want it! Can it be added / retrofitted?!
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      04-12-2013, 07:36 AM   #5
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I have a 2.0D xdrive 2011. A few things observations.

What wheels, I have 18 inch wheels, ride is firm and handling is good. Go to suspension shop and have them check things. 50 000 km maybe a bit much for dampers etc.

Drive in sport mode, much better drive around the city, don't know if it adapts to driving style, maybe it does with gear changes etc and needs a reset.

Fuel consumption similar to mine, not babied and nearly all city driving etc.

Finally what did you drive before? Did it have M sport package, 2.3D model, sdrive. Go and test drive a new model with the same configuration as your car and see if there is a big difference indicating a problem.

Also check that good quality tires have been used at about 36 psi pressure, I know the run flats are expensive but could give different driving experience, X1 was tuned better for run flats than other bmw cars from what I understand.

Good luck

Last edited by JL350; 04-12-2013 at 07:42 AM.. Reason: Cause I forgot something
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      04-12-2013, 07:37 AM   #6
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The performance control won't do any good for your gas mileage, but it does help fight understeer (and makes it easier to start a slide too - not that the X1 will ever be a drifter car). But it also only comes with the sport suspension, which in itself could also be part of the difference you've noticed.

Check whether you can change the shocks and coils on warranty - that might tighten up the drive for you. At 50kkm, I'd think they'd be ready for replacement, depending on the prev's driving, of course.
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      04-12-2013, 10:06 AM   #7
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There's a chance Performance Control may be coded as it's a software tweak only (no parts). I'm still waiting for the X1 coding software to be released. I ordered an X1 with the performance tires (staggered) which only makes understeer worse and the no-trim xDrive35i does not have Performance Control like the M Sport does.
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      04-12-2013, 03:31 PM   #8
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The E90 is much more precise, steers better in, way less roll, corners harder, rear end is lively and has more feedback through the steering wheel and chassis.
But the X1 is more sporty than the most regular hatchbacks/crossovers.
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      04-12-2013, 04:09 PM   #9
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The car I drove before mine was identical so I'm wondering now if it even had performance control? It has standard suspension like mine, standard 17" star rims , just an xdrive20d

Mine however does have a brand new set of Pirellis but I would say they have well and truly been run in by now

Would replacing shocks at 50,000kms not be I reasonable ? What else? Bushes? Don't think springs really wear out that quickly ?

I'll keep looking for this performance control as a retrofit in the mean time
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      04-12-2013, 09:13 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Naambezet View Post
The E90 is much more precise, steers better in, way less roll, corners harder, rear end is lively and has more feedback through the steering wheel and chassis.
But the X1 is more sporty than the most regular hatchbacks/crossovers.
I find the 35i M-Sport very precise, and it also corners remarkably well at speed for being a taller vehicle. I'm not sure how much of that is the stiffer suspension and PDC. Some is surely the hydraulic steering too - you have electronic steering in your sDrive, right?
What I find the most lacking is how it handles hilltops - then you're all over the place. Oh, and it doesn't brake like an M3, for sure, but I never expected it to.
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      04-14-2013, 05:14 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post
I find the 35i M-Sport very precise, and it also corners remarkably well at speed for being a taller vehicle. I'm not sure how much of that is the stiffer suspension and PDC. Some is surely the hydraulic steering too - you have electronic steering in your sDrive, right?
What I find the most lacking is how it handles hilltops - then you're all over the place. Oh, and it doesn't brake like an M3, for sure, but I never expected it to.
All the pre-facelift cars had hydraulic steering, so mine is still hydraulic luckily.
But I've got the standard springs, they are pretty stiff, a little bit too stiff sometimes.
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      04-15-2013, 07:23 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by li21 View Post
My impressions after my first X1 drive were Wow! This thing drove 95% like a 320d E90... Slightly slower but handling and cornering put huge grin on my face... Was so much fun

Now forward month later to my own X1...
Acceleration seems slower.. Still has kick from stand still but doesn't feel as lively... I can live with that...but I'm getting about 9.0L / 100kms in the city every time I reset the counter.. Driving gently too..
My last car a 2006 Jetta tdi gave me about 6.5L/100kms despite having a higher on paper consumption rating .

Anyways that's not the biggest concern.. It's the handling that bugs me..
I feel it's not ware as fun as the other car I drove.. It understeers a lot into corners even at low cornering speeds, it doesn't give me the confidence to go hard into corners because body roll is evident... It's doesn't give me that sporty E90 sedan feeling I got in the other X1...

Now is my car normal and the other one I drove just super? Or are there issues with my car?
It was a BMW approved used car so I would have thought that the 100 point inspection would have sorted our anything prior to delivery..
I've tried to explain all this to BMW but they just have no idea what I mean .. It's hard to explain.."my car doesn't corner as well as another one"
I always find that when you test drive a car, your impressions are never the same as when you've owned the car for a while, especially if you are trading UP as it were. Cars always seem to handle better when they're not yours

Your fuel consumption seems about right to me. Not sure how BMW come up with the "official" l/100km averages but I can't get anywhere near it in my 23D. In strictly city driving, I'm lucky to break under 10 litres/100kms!

I don't think you can expect an X1 to handle like an E90, given the higher centre of gravity and higher profile tyres. Like you, I switched from a VW (in my case a MkV Golf) to an X1. I've found that the X1 needs a lot more lock to turn the wheel than the Golf (and Jetta) and this gives the illusion of understeer, especially in these early days of ownership when I'm constantly comparing everything from one car to another. Going round a corner, I turn the wheel like I normally would have done in the Golf, only to find that I need to turn it a quarter more to achieve the same turn. By the time you adjust, you've missed the apex! Well that's MY theory anyway...
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      04-15-2013, 07:46 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by InLimbo View Post
I always find that when you test drive a car, your impressions are never the same as when you've owned the car for a while, especially if you are trading UP as it were. Cars always seem to handle better when they're not yours

Your fuel consumption seems about right to me. Not sure how BMW come up with the "official" l/100km averages but I can't get anywhere near it in my 23D. In strictly city driving, I'm lucky to break under 10 litres/100kms!

I don't think you can expect an X1 to handle like an E90, given the higher centre of gravity and higher profile tyres. Like you, I switched from a VW (in my case a MkV Golf) to an X1. I've found that the X1 needs a lot more lock to turn the wheel than the Golf (and Jetta) and this gives the illusion of understeer, especially in these early days of ownership when I'm constantly comparing everything from one car to another. Going round a corner, I turn the wheel like I normally would have done in the Golf, only to find that I need to turn it a quarter more to achieve the same turn. By the time you adjust, you've missed the apex! Well that's MY theory anyway...
Thanks for your input and I think you're not wrong on some of those observations

So I've come from a similar car to you and I'm finding yes I do need to turn more otherwise I get the feel of understeer!
I wonder if that the case for all recent BMWs?
Its hard to turn it any more when you use the fix 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock hand positions on the steering wheel (ie. don't release steeringwheel to make the turn)
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      04-15-2013, 07:50 AM   #14
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My car has standard suspension and performance control, I belive it's just a coding thing and can be done for you by BMW
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      04-20-2013, 04:41 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Bottle View Post
My car has standard suspension and performance control, I belive it's just a coding thing and can be done for you by BMW
Yeh think that's all it is too.. But the dealer here says its not available in Australia as a retrofit..

Damn nothing is right in Australia..
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      04-22-2013, 08:16 AM   #16
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get it coded by someone in the know, there are plenty of people out there that do coding with a laptop and plug in thing..far to techinal for me
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      04-22-2013, 09:38 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Bottle View Post
get it coded by someone in the know, there are plenty of people out there that do coding with a laptop and plug in thing..far to techinal for me
hehe i was thinking that.. but where would i find such person ?
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      04-22-2013, 11:11 PM   #18
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I think the handling on my 28i is pretty good, but I was hoping for a little better. I get the feeling that the all-season P7 tires are letting it down (I have 18" wheels). Debating whether to swap them out for summer performance tires.
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      04-23-2013, 02:20 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrT-Man View Post
I think the handling on my 28i is pretty good, but I was hoping for a little better. I get the feeling that the all-season P7 tires are letting it down (I have 18" wheels). Debating whether to swap them out for summer performance tires.
It is the A/S tires:
http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showt...4#post13336404
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      04-23-2013, 05:22 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by li21 View Post
hehe i was thinking that.. but where would i find such person ?
Seek and you shall find...
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      04-23-2013, 09:38 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nospam View Post
Thanks, I figured as much. It really irritates me that I have to go out and spend another thousand bucks on top of what I already spent on the car, but I can tell the A/S tires are holding it back. The car just doesn't feel as planted as it should.

It was the same with my last car, there was an astonishing difference when I got rid of the factory A/S tires and put on some summer performance tires...
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      04-28-2013, 12:52 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Bottle View Post
My car has standard suspension and performance control, I belive it's just a coding thing and can be done for you by BMW
Seen a few comments saying is just software - I don't believe it is. There are different clutches/things on the driving wheels.

Quite happy to be wrong though- this is from memory when this came up before.

I have a (2.5 year old) x20d with PC (not on run flats, standard wheels) and I love it's handling - you really can chuck it around happily.

I would highly recommend performance control if buying new. It's not even overly expensive.
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