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      05-11-2015, 11:54 PM   #1
Cam330i
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MY 2015 Midnight Blue X1 S28i - Acquisition Story, Review, Details, Pictures, X-line

Hello All, I am a new member to both the BMW family and the BMW forums! I am a proud owner of a new 2015 BMW X1 in the Sdrive 28i configuration. Since I am a huge fan of the X1 and such, I wanted to take this time to share my story of how I acquired my X1, the story behind it, some comparisons, and also share a few pictures of my baby.

**Disclaimer**
I first wanted to take this time to put a little disclaimer before I continue on with my story, just to make sure all is clear. In this story I will give some insights of the X1 based off of my opinion and experience. In addition I will be making some comparisons between the X1 and a few other BMW’s. I DO NOT, in any way, shape, or form, mean to insult anybody or rub anybody the wrong way. This is just based on MY opinion, and as with all opinions, some may agree and or disagree.
2. Any prices listed in this article such as: lease rates, prices, configuration, engines, etc. are all based on the North American/ USA BMW website. So if by chance you are from a different country, all prices and such will be based on USA prices.
3. To further add to #2, since I am in North America, I will be using miles and gallons in reference to the article.
4. My goal is to just have fun and share my knowledge and experience with my fellow BMW brothers and sisters out there. Everyone is more than welcomed to email/message me with any questions and or concerns should they arrive.
Thank you for taking the time to read my disclaimer. 
**Disclaimer**
This is my first post on the forum, so please bear with me if I mess anything up!


Quick Trivia about my X1
1. My X1 is a boy and his name is Elliot
2. I am currently retrofitting the X-Line package (will provide progress)
3. I also retrofitted the Chrome Line Exterior

Deciding on the X1:
The lease on my 2012 Mini Cooper Non S (my first car by the way) was soon coming to an end. My parents are only fans of leasing cars due to warranties and other complications that might arise with keeping an expensive car in the long run.
In the spring of 2014, we took a trip to Arizona State University to look at colleges for me. By chance my parents had to put their mini cooper GP in service and we were presented with a 2014 BMW 528i with the Luxury Line and so came my BMW addiction. I have always been fascinated of their high eco saving technology, their driving dynamics, the look of the cars, and the smooth 8 speed automatic transmission. I also thought the cornering lights on the Bi-Xenons were really fascinating. So enough about how I got addicted to BMW and more on the X1.
So being that I am on the BMW website almost every single day (quite surprised they haven’t given me an award for most amount of time spent on the website, lol), I started looking at some lease quotes. There was only two cars that fit my parents budget for me, the 320i and the X1, were the only ones in the 300$ category. So with having that in mind…

So another little story, (it has to do with the X1 I promise!), me and my good friend got into a small little fight. Prior to the fight, he sent me a picture of his mom’s new X1. It was wearing the Midnight Blue Metallic paint with the X-Line package. Prior to that, I have never seen an X1 on the road, so that was the first time I have ever seen this car. So after a small fight we had via text, it was from that day forward my X1 addition began. The following day I had to take my Mini Cooper to get the brakes serviced. Naturally the BMW dealership was right next door, so I decided to take a look at the BMW’s. I naturally looked at my fantasy car, the 528i, but I knew I had to take care of some business. So when I arrived I asked one of the sales reps to look at a few cars and take a few test drives. The first car we test drove was the 320i. Coming from my Non S Mini Cooper, I wanted a car that had more power, the 121 horsepower on my cooper was a legit joke -___- and to quite a surprise, the power on the 320i was no better. The 180 horsepower of that detuned 2.0 Turbo 4 was quite a disappointment. I kept flooring it in sport mode, and I was not satisfied what so ever with it. The 328i was already too expensive, so that was out the door. So after driving my fantasy car, the 528i with the M-sport package, I almost forgot to mention that I wanted to take a look at the X1. The guy said they actually had one in stock and took me to go take a look at it. As soon as I laid my eyes on that baby, I fell in love and knew that I MUST have this car. It looks quite unique if you ask me. It looks like a 7 series in the front, an X5 from the side, and a 3 series from the rear. It was ironically wearing the same midnight blue metallic paintjob as my friends X1. Upon him unlocking the car, I took a seat inside of the X1 and fell in love with how it feels, how it looks, and that color of course. That X1 was lightly optioned as it had a sunroof, heated seats, and power seats! Unfortunately that car had 16K miles on it, so they couldn’t lease the car. To add to the other unfortunate thing that happened that day, someone had blocked in the X1 and so we were unable to take a test drive, which further add to my complications and sadness.
I keep thinking that the X1 is cousins with the Mini Countryman, but to my surprise, they don’t share anything together.
So I left that day, knowing that the X1 was my car. You might ask about the power? Upon further inspection, the X1 actually has the 328i’s engine rated at 240 horsepower! I thought that this was an ultimate steal, as I am driving a cheaper 328i, not sure if that was BMW’s goal, but it works for me!
So ultimately my mind was set on the X1. There are only two things that made my decision final vs. the 320i, and this is where my comparison comes into play:

320i has 180 horsepower detuned engine (In price Range)
328i has 240 horsepower of the same engine (Out of price range)
The X1 has the same engine as the 328i AND has the Anti-Theft Alarm System as standard
On the lower end 3 and 4 series, the Anti-Theft Alarm System is a 400$ option, yet the X1 comes with it standard.
I really like when the car goes “Beep-Beep” upon unlocking

the 320i is already expensive to begin with, just adding a few options will bring it out of the price range, so if I went with a 320i, I would have the most basic car.

SO fast forward to February 22nd 2015, aka, the day I got my X1!
Upon looking at BMW inventories near my area, I found two Midnight Blue X1s. One of them was brand new and ironically had the same options as the one I saw a few months ago, and a demo model which had the midnight blue and a sunroof, and with a total of 2500 miles on it. That X1 was the one for me!

I actually got extremely lucky, it was raining that day when I decided to go down to the dealer, and I ultimately went by myself. My parents wanted me, and 18 year old, to get the experience of the car dealer, and haggle and try and get the best price possible. I have heard car dealers are friendlier when it rains, and so the odds were in my favor. Upon working things out between my parents, and the car salesman, they hit close to their price, and I got my X1 at 325$ a month with 2500 down. I was the happiest boy on the planet, I finally had a car I wanted! So my parents came down, took care of everything, they cleaned my car, and 10 minutes later it started raining -________________-
I cleaned out my mini cooper and began moving into my new baby.
The funny thing is, that X1 did not have any floor mats….. instead of paying 100$ for some floor mats, the mats in my mini cooper actually fit perfectly in the X1 and so what I tell everyone that notices it, is that I basically took a souvenir from my mini into the new car. LOL
Driving off the Lot
When it first drove off the lot, bear in mind it started raining so it ruined my new car wash, I quickly took notice of the automatic windshield wipers and to my surprise they worked relatively new. As mentioned, coming from a base mini cooper to an X1, I saw some stuff I have never seen before. The automatic headlights came on with the windshield wipers and I thought that was relatively smart and safe. I initially thought it had cornering lights, but upon further inspection, it didn’t. I drove it all the way back to my college after driving home first, and I still am in shock of how I am the owner of a new X1. I find the Anti-Theft Alarm System was a nice touch, confirming that I locked my car by beeping once.
When I arrived back at my dorm, I started playing around with the car’s settings and began customizing it. I made it to where the doors lock after going a certain speed and I installed my phones Bluetooth to the car.
From that point on, the joy and story of my X1 is still being written today!

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS:

A few things to note about the X1:

1. The 240 horsepower engine is more than adequate for the X1. Coming from a non S mini cooper, I immediately felt the power difference and was really pleased with the X1’s engine.
2. BMW’s Auto Start/Stop feature. For some reason, I don’t understand why people hate this feature so much. It actually feels nice when at a red light or a long stop and you don’t feel the cars idling vibrations coming into the cabin, so I think that’s pretty cool. Most people hate how it restarts the engine from coming to a stop. Some people claim that it restarts rather violently and doesn’t do a good job at being discrete, like in some of the hybrids for example. It doesn’t bother me at all, its normal to feel the car starting its engine back up, as that’s essentially what is happening. The only time I disable A.S.S. is when driving in residential neighborhoods. In that case, it makes no sense for the engine to shut down if I am only stopped for less than five seconds, and I feel that is when wasting gas and causing were on the engine arises.
(Funny Note) – A lot of my friends are always confused when the car keeps turning itself off. Many comment from things like “why does this car keep turning off” and or “did this car just die” and many begin to panic, and to be honest, it can seem quite intimidating when making a left turn in an intersection with a lot of traffic and the car shuts off. So I will give it that.
Overall A.S.S. does get a passing grade in my book, and I believe, I have read somewhere that you begin saving gas when your car is off for more than 4 seconds at a light for example.
3. Driving at Night:
My eyesight is rather bad to begin with, yes I wear glasses, and I have always appreciated cars that come with upgraded headlights. Unfortunately the X1in the 28i configuration comes standard with normal halogen lights with fog lights. I find driving with the fog lights, again new to me, to be more than sufficient for brightening up the street. I sometimes do a comparison of driving with them on and off and the difference is quite noticeable.
4. The Gas Mileage
My average MPG is around 21.7 with 80% of it being normal stop and go driving. I am a huge fan of ECO PRO and so I use that driving setting around 80% of the time. On average while using eco pro, I usually get anywhere from 11-18 miles of extended range. I recently took a trip to San Diego and I averaged around 24.5 MPG, rather disappointing considering the car is rated at 33 MPG on the highway. While using Eco Pro mode, I got a whopping 50 Miles of Extended Range, the most I have ever seen before!

Deciding on options and packages:
1. The Cold Weather package for 700$
this package is one you either need or don’t need depending on your priorities. Heated seats is a stand-alone option however.
2. The Lighting Package for 900$
I find use of the fog lights at night to be quite sufficient, so this package is a hit or miss
3. The Premium Package for 3950$
this package can be quite insulting to some. It includes things like auto dimming mirrors, power folding mirrors, sunroof, power seats, and comfort access. I find it insulting that BMW has to twist your arm to get nice things such as power seats and dimming mirrors. Cheap cars even offer these things, but it’s around 4K if you want these things. To be honest, you can live without all these things if you are on a strict budget.
4. Technology Package and Driver Assist Package
this one is honestly up for debate. The Tech package includes BMW’s I-drive navigation and other things like app support. However in order to get a review camera, you have to option the tech package. I am not big fan on packages that tie in with each other. That 950$ for the driver assist package soon turns into north of 3 grand for just a backup camera…..
The X1 would definitely benefit from a backup camera, but as with other packages, it is livable without.
5. The Ultimate Package for 6150$ and this includes the Premium, Tech, and Driver Assistance package all together. After doing the math, those three options cost 7150 altogether. So the Ultimate package will save you 1000$ if you want all three packages in one. If budget permits, I would definitely go with this package.
6. The Panoramic Sunroof at 1250 is a great option and in fact, that is the only option I have on my X1. When opened, it provides a lot of light to enter the cabin and it feels quite nice on a perfect day. I took noticed that when the sunshade is completely closed, the car feels darker and quite cramped to me, so take note of that when ordering an X1.

So that concludes my list of options and packages, if by chance I missed something or you have something to add, please feel free 

Thoughts of the X1

From my perspective, the X1 attracts customers who are more in the middle age gap. When I took my X1 into another dealer for a problem, he said I was the only 18 year old, that he knew, to have an X1, he mentioned older people typically drive that car. I had another friend who mentioned that he never would have guessed a college student would have a car like that.
The question is why?
The X1 is the cheapest BMW that they make, and offers very good leasing incentives, and also has more bang for its buck. It may not be as seductive as the 3 series, but it makes up for it with performance and utility.
I guess it makes me stand out more, being an 18 year old with one.
The other thing I notice, is that the X1 is rather rare to begin with. A lot of my friends tell me that they have never seen an X1 until they saw mine. Now that I drive one, I do see quite a bit more on the road, but not as much as the 3 series. I guess that X1 hasn’t found its niche yet.

Improvements BMW should make on the X1

1. Diesel engine option – BMW already has the diesel available in the 3 series, labeled as the 328d. I feel the X1 would benefit from an engine like that in terms of fuel, but might also be a tad bit cheaper as the X1 is already cheaper than the 3 series to begin with. I believe in Europe they offer the diesel, but in the US we only have conventional gasoline engines.
2. Clean up the center armrest area – the X1 has a flimsy looking dashboard and many complain about the odd cup-holder that is just hanging out there. I feel by making the center dash like the 3 series, would benefit a lot more in terms of cup holders and usability and also it would be great to have the bigger I-drive controller as well as the driving dynamic buttons rocker switch. Honestly it is a small minor complaint, some would care, some wouldn’t, and it is again based on personal preference.
3. Make more X1’s and with more to choose from – This seems pretty straight forward. Most dealer inventories have single digit X1’s in stock, which are usually base and in the same generic white and black colors. I feel with more to choose from, that might attract some more X1 buyers.
You would not believe how hard it was for me to find a Midnight Blue X1
4. Clean up the packaging list! – I should not have to pay 3K or 6K for a rear view camera. That is ridicules on many levels, but by May of 2018, all cars sold in the US would have to have a backup camera as standard. So BMW won’t be getting too far away from nickel and diming you.
Overall this ends my X1 review, and I want to take this time to say Thank You for those who have read this completely and listen to what I had to say. I am just curious on people’s opinion so please feel free to reply! 

As a quick side note:
1. If you want to stand out of the crowd, pick a color on the X1 other than black and white. I have yet to see another Midnight Blue, Valencia Orange, and or any of the browns, silvers, or cashmere silvers driving around.
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Last edited by Cam330i; 05-12-2015 at 04:43 PM.. Reason: Adding Photo
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      05-12-2015, 07:37 AM   #2
kokkopa1
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Hi. Do you have any pictures of how did you removed lower front grilles (the one in the middle an both sides)? Did you remove entire front bumper?
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      05-13-2015, 06:09 PM   #3
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Those grills you removed will prevent your air conditioning condenser from getting destroyed by a rock flying on the highway. I would not remove those :-)
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      05-15-2015, 01:07 PM   #4
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That's a review! Well done!
Got my X1 last week, same color as yours, and I love it too. I need to create a new thread about it.
Do you have pictures of the inside?
Cheers.
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      05-18-2015, 12:42 PM   #5
Cam330i
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Hello kokkopa1

I will be posting a X-Line Grille thread soon on how i retrofitted the X-Line grilles soon, so be on the look out.

Me and my friend honestly trialed and errored it, and we literally pushed/popped out those grills and installed the new ones. you literally push them out and click back in the new ones.

But will post soon on how i did it.
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      05-18-2015, 12:44 PM   #6
Cam330i
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Hello NTTY

The X1 is an amazing vehicle isn't it?
I do have some pictures of my interior, although i only have a sunroof and black sensatec, so its not all that interesting, but i can post some.

Tell me more about your X1?

any packages and such?

if you can, retrofit the X-line package and the chrome line exterior, it gives the car some attitude, lol
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      05-18-2015, 12:57 PM   #7
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Does anyone else have any comments and or questions? lol
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      05-18-2015, 01:47 PM   #8
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The 328i and the X1
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      05-19-2015, 01:35 PM   #9
Cam330i
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Im also surprised no one commented on that fact i got 50 miles of extended range using eco pro mode, lol
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      05-19-2015, 01:51 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWX1Sdrive28i View Post
Im also surprised no one commented on that fact i got 50 miles of extended range using eco pro mode, lol
That's because most of us can't stand to drive these things in the Eco mode. I can't even stand the terrible throttle tip-in, even though I'm sure it improves fuel mileage. I got the Premium pkg, only because I bought used. For me, a sunroof is just a hindrance. I never even open the sunshade. I've found you can have your air conditioning two ways; too slow to cool, or really noisy.
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      05-19-2015, 03:48 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWX1Sdrive28i View Post
Hello NTTY

The X1 is an amazing vehicle isn't it?
I do have some pictures of my interior, although i only have a sunroof and black sensatec, so its not all that interesting, but i can post some.

Tell me more about your X1?

any packages and such?

if you can, retrofit the X-line package and the chrome line exterior, it gives the car some attitude, lol
Here you go with the details of mine:

http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1128917

I initially wanted to retrofit the X-line (couldn't go for it from factory since it is not compatible with sport seats that I really wanted), but now that I see my car, I'm not so sure.
Anyway, I have other updates to do before cosmetic ones, starting with the suspensions that I don't really like.
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      05-19-2015, 03:56 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWX1Sdrive28i View Post
Im also surprised no one commented on that fact i got 50 miles of extended range using eco pro mode, lol
I didn't say anything but I am really interested. I only have 700 miles on the car, so I can't comment yet. That said, ince I have the car, I'm driving it in eco pro mode, good way to break it in, I believe.

What I saw, so far, is that this mode shows real benefit on the highway using the cruise control. I live in mountains and need to go everyday at a ski resort to pick up my daughter at her school, so I have the feeling I won't have as good results as yours, but I'll keep you posted.
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      05-19-2015, 04:13 PM   #13
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NTTY

You have already 50% of what you need for the X-Line package

All you have to do is go on to getbmwparts.com and order the silver trim pieces, remove the black ones and insert the silver

Buy the X-line grille and swap it out

And then buy the door sill guards.

it is still possible

I'll do a thread about how i retrofitted mine
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      05-20-2015, 12:40 AM   #14
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I'll see that after I took care of the suspensions that do not satisfy me

BTW, I failed to find the parts on the site you mentioned. I only found the "Line Rocker Panel Set".
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