People aren’t buying the 2023 BMW X1 to take it to the drag strip but it’s good to know the compact crossover is a bit quicker than claimed. Featured here is the xDrive20i in M Sport flavor wearing an attractive M Portimao Blue metallic paint. It’s been put through its paces in a series of acceleration tests organized by the Australian magazine Performance Drive. BMW mentions the X1 xDrive20i will do 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 7.4 seconds and yet the new crossover was able to shave off three-tenths of a second from the sprint, at 7.11 seconds. Over in Europe, the xDrive23i has the same B48 engine with an identical 204 horsepower (150 kilowatts) but an extra 20 Newton-meters of torque, at 320 Nm. For that one, BMW quotes a 7.1-second time.
In the United States, there’s a more potent xDrive28i rated at 241 hp for a sprint in 6.3 seconds while the upcoming M35i will offer a little over 300 hp. This first-ever M Performance version of the baby X model is expected to complete the run in less than six seconds, perhaps even below the five-second mark considering the X2 M35i did it in 4.9 seconds.
Getting back to the X1 xDrive20i at hand, it needed 8.32 seconds to get the job done without using the launch control system. An in-gear acceleration test showed a 5-second sprint from 60 to 100 km/h (37 to 62 mph) while the quarter mile was completed in 15.24 seconds at a trap speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). For a family car without any sporty attributes, this specification of the luxury compact crossover is plenty quick.
For the first time ever, BMW also sells its smallest X model with a purely electric drivetrain. It’s available exclusively as an iX1 xDrive30 with a pair of motors producing a combined 313 hp and 494 Nm. Until the M35i arrives, the EV is the quickest-accelerating version of the bunch, needing just 5.6 seconds until 62 mph (100 km/h). A single-motor, front-wheel-drive iX1 eDrive20 will join the lineup near the end of the year.
Source: PDriveTV / YouTube
