BMW X1

The X1 could best be described as a caricature of its best-selling stablemate, the X5.

The headlights are more catlike and the overall proportions drastically shrunken, but the familial resemblance is strong between the two models.

However, whereas the X5’s glasshouse is large and airy, the X1’s beltine steadily rises towards the rear of the car, so much so that it almost eliminates the “Hoffmeister kink” that’s been a fixture on the C-pillars of nearly all modern BMWs.

It does lend the X1 a sportier look though, and adds some visual weight to the rear of the car. With the shallow rake of the tailgate glass it doesn’t look as cumbersome as a traditional SUV wagon either, but more like a jacked-up hatchback.

Two engines are available from launch, both of them 2.0 litre turbodiesel inline fours. The engine used by the xDrive 20d (the current base model until the arrival of the X1 sDrive 18i), produces 130kW and 350Nm of torque, while the xDrive 23d develops 150kW and 400Nm.

The two petrol engines – both of which arrive in showrooms from June 2010 – are a 2.0 litre inline four and a 3.0 litre inline six.

As the entry-level powertrain, the sDrive 18i’s four-pot is also the least powerful. The 2.0 litre engine puts out 110kW and 200Nm, which pales against the xDrive 25i’s 160kW and 277Nm.

Price:

BMW X1 xDrive 20d – RM299,800

BMW X1 sDrive 18i – RM263,800 (from June 2010)