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BMW X1 xDrive 25e: let's try the plug-in in mode? EV and hybrid | Review and Video

Jul 17, 2021

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The test of the BMW X1 xDrive 25e : the plug-in hybrid version of the most popular model; sold in Italy by the German company, the one that allows you to enter the world of BMW electrified SUVs. Yes & egrave; proved to be efficient, but to make the most of its qualities; you must always start with the battery charged, & egrave; basic. It should be chosen if you use the car on short routes, mainly urban. Is not serious; certainly the right one for those looking for performance and real driving pleasure.

For a while & rsquo; of time now also the X1 has its plug-in hybrid version, as it will be; d & rsquo; now on for each model of BMW. Luigi rehearsed it through the streets of Milan in modalit & agrave; electric. At the second halfway point we wanted to do a more test; deepened, to discover its strengths and weaknesses.

DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS
TECHNICAL SHEET X1 XDRIVE 25E
HABITABILITY & Agrave; AND INTERIORS
ROAD TESTS AND CONSUMPTION
ADAS AND SAFETY
TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD
EQUIPMENT AND PRICES
THE ALTERNATIVES
VIDEO

DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS

The X1 always stands out for its unmistakable and successful style, with an important front and muscular shapes that give it a nice character. The flap that hides the charging socket in the left front wheel arch helps you recognize our plug-in hybrid.

C & rsquo; & egrave; who also calls it an urban SUV but, frankly, with its 4 meters and 44 in length it is not; just ideal for getting around the city. For & ograve; if your budget allows it and you don't want to give up the charm of the X1, so be it & hellip;

Here are the dimensions : length 4.447 mm x width 1.821 mm x height 1.582 mm, with one wheelbase 2,670 mm.

TECHNICAL SHEET X1 XDRIVE 25E

Engine: 3 cylinders, 1,499 cc
Total power: 162 kW, 220 HP
Petrol engine power: 92 kW, 125 HP
Electric motor power: 70 kW, 95 HP
Maximum torque (Nm at rpm) 385
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic
Approval (EEC standards) Euro 6d
Boot: 450 liters – 1,470 liters
Capacity; tank: 36 liters
Weight: 1,820 kg
Speed; maximum speed: 193 km/h (electric model 135 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 6.9 s
Capacity; gross/net battery: 10 kWh/8.82 kWh
Charging time 0-80% at 3.7 kW 2.4 hours
Charging time 0-100% at 3.7 kW : 3.2 hours
Combined min-max consumption (WLTP): 1.7-1.9 l/100 km
Electricity consumption min-max (WLTP) 15.0-15.4 kWh/100 km

LIVING AND INTERIORS

With the restyling the X1 inside & egrave; improved even more, and on this plug-in hybrid version there is information on instruments and displays dedicated to electrified driving, such as battery charge and electric use, in mode; with zero emissions. The habitability is really good: four adults always travel comfortably there.

Unfortunately with the battery under the back seat & egrave; been a while & rsquo; also sacrificed the trunk : the minimum volume, which is 500 liters in the other versions, here it is reduced to 450; lowering the backs of the rear seats you can & ograve; reach 1470 liters. Fortunately, the practical electric tailgate is; as standard.

Even the petrol tank is; more small, with only 36 liters.

ROAD TEST AND CONSUMPTION

His plug-in hybrid system (which he shares with the X2) & egrave; consisting of a 1,500 turbo 3-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 92 kW/125 hp and a torque of 220 Nm (1500-3800/min), which transfers its power to the front wheels via a 6-speed Steptronic transmission.

The electric motor boasts an output of 70 kW/95 hp and provides 165 Nm of torque to the rear wheels via a speed transmission; single. So it is not; just a traditional 4×4, but & egrave; a hybrid-specific all-wheel drive . The heat engine and the electric engine produce a system power of 162 kW/220 hp with a maximum torque of 385 Nm , when the battery & egrave; fully charged. First of all I wanted to do a test in only modality too; electric , to understand how & rsquo; & egrave; in real life.

The lithium-ion battery has a gross energy content of 10 kWh, approximately 8.8 kWh net and according to BMW allows an electric range of between 54 and 57 kilometers. With the Enel X app, I identify a free column: the battery is; practically zero. Charging time 3 hours and 19 minutes, recharged about 10 KWh; with the consumption rate the cost is; of 4.12 Euro.

I choose the mode & agrave; MAX eDrive , for maximum use of the electric drive, together with the mode & agrave; driving Eco Pro , and I face the city traffic of the late afternoon. Gearbox in D, automatic climate on 21 & deg;, external temperature between 14 & deg; and 16 & deg ;. The speed average detected & egrave; speed of 32.1 km/h, with a quiet drive in the middle of the normal traffic of that hour.

In the only mode & agrave; electric I appreciated the shot and the agility; that instant torque delivery gives the hybrid X1. It also has a certain effect of & ldquo; feel & rdquo; that sound that signals the presence of our X1 to others, especially pedestrians, at least up to 30 km/h. The final result? I traveled 45 km with zero emissions .

To be precise the heat engine & egrave; intervened on one occasion, when restarting from a traffic light, but only for an instant. The on-board computer measured an electrical consumption of 19.9 kWh/100 km and a consumption of 0.4 liters per 100 km .

As Luigi pointed out, electric autonomy in the city & egrave; interesting : the X1 PHEV has an efficient energy regeneration system, which makes the difference compared to competitors, who may have a battery with greater capacity; but they are not as effective in recovery.

Then, after a new recharge in 3 hours and 24 minutes, the test is; become more & ugrave; & ldquo; normal & rdquo;, between highway, suburban roads and a bit & rsquo; of city & agrave; relying on the standard settingAUTO eDRIVE , the one that independently manages thermal and electric, looking for the optimal interaction in every driving situation. By the way, the system can & ograve; dialogue with the navigator, and with the anticipated energy management can & ograve; also take into account the path to be taken.

When the two units & agrave; of power work together you travel well, without problems, in any situation and with a good shot, which in the city & agrave; it doesn't hurt, on the contrary. The small three-cylinder turbo has a good delivery but can not & ograve; work miracles: if you find yourself working alone the weight to carry around & egrave; so much, to be precise 1820 kg empty. To give you an idea, 160 more; of an xDrive 25i.

In the city & agrave; you will appreciate the silence, & egrave; not very noisy and well insulated from holes and other rough spots; of the road, even with 19-inch wheels. In general, due to the lower power and noise level; compared to the versions with only the internal combustion engine, the guide is; more and more; relaxed.

On the extra-urban roads you travel well, & egrave; rather pleasant to drive but if you force a bit & rsquo; between the curves the roll is felt and above all the extra weight; makes it a bit & rsquo; less agile in changes of direction. The steering is accurate, & egrave; still a BMW. C & rsquo; & egrave; also the mode & agrave; of driving Sport but, honestly, it is not & egrave; in its cords: if you seek this it is not; the car that suits you. The mode SAVE BATTERY & egrave; instead the one that allows you to maintain the state of charge of the battery, to save energy and then use it later, for example when you arrive in the city & agrave; and you want to drive it in mode; electric.

On the highway, obviously the thermal engine is; l & rsquo; the only (or almost) protagonist : at 130 per hour the small 3-cylinder & egrave; rather quiet, but when the battery runs out and you have to carry around all that weight it becomes a bit & rsquo; tough. I admit that even after the most slowdowns; I decided, in recovery it is also doing pretty well, but consumption is increasing a lot. It should be considered that there were two of us, but fully loaded and with lots of luggage, it would certainly become even more; complicated.

The plug-in hybrid X1 always behaves confidently, & egrave; stable even in the corners faced at speed; more high. The braking system, in general, is good but, especially in the city, as often happens with this type of car, & egrave; difficult to modulate the braking: if you want to slow down in a gentle way to drive more and more; fluid, at the beginning it almost gives you; the impression of not braking, then you end up pushing harder; decision and braking tends to inevitably become more & ugrave; abrupt. We need to do some & rsquo; the habit.

Comfort speaking, at speed, when the asphalt has irregularities, you feel a little bit; the rolling noise of the tires and on this specimen that mounts the sunroof, when I hold the panel open to let in more; light in the cockpit, aerodynamic rustles and wind are heard a bit & rsquo; too much.

Let's take a little & rsquo; of numbers : in mode & agrave; electric can & ograve; reach 135 Km/h. With the battery fully charged, in combined use, it goes from 0 to 100 in 6.9 seconds and the speed; maximum & egrave; of 193 km/h. In this second test between motorway, suburban roads and a bit & rsquo; of city & agrave; in AUTO eDRIVE, I traveled 175 kilometers, the on-board computer detects an electrical consumption of 5.2 kWh/100 km and a petrol consumption of 6.6 liters per 100 km .
The company declares consumption of 15.2 kWh per 100 km and 1.8 liters of petrol per 100 km.

The battery may fail. charge in normal household sockets with the standard charging cable in about 5 hours. If, on the other hand, you install the Wallbox, the home charging station at home, it recharges in a little more; three hours. The BMW X1 plug-in hybrid si & egrave; proved efficient, but to make the most of its qualities; you must always start with a charged battery , & egrave; essential.

It should be chosen if you use the car mainly on short routes, especially urban ones: if you travel only a few tens of kilometers a day or if you have the need; of certain routes in large cities & agrave; that offer good benefits for a car that can & ograve; travel, for a few kilometers, in mode; electric. It's fine if you only use it for a few weekend rides or holidays, but never for very long trips.

& Egrave; there is no doubt that for long journeys the efficiency of the diesel is; still much higher: if you drive at least 80/100 or more; km per day, the diesel version inevitably wins the comparison. And, at least in the case of this X1, it is not; not even the car to choose for those looking for performance and true driving pleasure.

ADAS AND SECURITY the most & ugrave; advanced driver assistance systems are among the options . For example, it takes a whopping 1,100 Euros for the Driving Assistant Plus packagewhich includes, among others, the lane change warning, the pedestrian warning and the risk of rear-end collision with City emergency braking and also the camera-based cruise control with Stop & amp; Go function.

TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD

The technology on board is; in perfect BMW style: simple, intuitive and not distracting, thanks to the central controller to manage the infotainment. The 10.25 display & rdquo; of this multimedia system Pro, for those who cannot & ograve; do without it, & egrave; also touch. On this specimen c & rsquo; & egrave; also the Head-Up Display , always very useful and safe.

I'm sorry for Luigi who rejected the wireless charging : BMW makes it clear that & ldquo; l & rsquo; housing & egrave; exclusively prepared for standard size telephones & rdquo ;. So I can do it, but he who is; much more; technological of me is not & egrave; managed to fit his top-of-the-range smartphone. It may disappoint many of you.

EQUIPMENT AND PRICES

This X1 xDrive 25e is; offered in five versions : Advantage , Business Advantage , Xline Plus , Sport and Msport . standard equipment of the entrance equipment includes: 17 '' alloy wheels, roof bars, electrically foldable and heated exterior mirrors, rear parking sensors, electric boot lid, multifunction controls on the steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, DAB digital radio and much more . The price list starts at 49,150 Euros for the entry level version and reaches 54,300 for the Msport.

Plug-in hybrid technology pays dearly : just to make the idea, parity & agrave; of preparation, for example in the Advantage version, costs 4,250 Euros more; of the xDrive 20d with the 190 HP diesel two thousand. However BMW gives you; a & rsquo; wide possibility & agrave; of choice: the X1 can & ograve; be petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid. Your needs and preferences will dictate your choice.

THE ALTERNATIVES

Between Ecobonus and promotions, many are attracted by the choice of a plug-in hybrid. What are the alternatives to our X1 on tap? Audi Q3 TFSI e , Mercedes GLA 250 e , Range Rover Evoque P300e , Volvo XC40 Recharge .

Which PHEV would you choose? Or which one you already have; chosen? Please also let us know what you think of this BMW X1.

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