2012 BMW X1 xDrive 28i

2012 BMW X1 xDrive 28i

2012 BMW X1 xDrive 28i

If you like the BMW X5, but find it a bit too brawny (and pricey), and you like the BMW X3 but still find its size outpaces your needs, BMW has a solution. It’s the new 2012 BMW X1 xDrive28i.

Basically, as the X3 is a scaled-down X5, so the X1 xDrive is a correspondingly scaled-down X3. Starting at $38,500, the X1 xDrive has the same SUV profile as the X3 and X5,

and rides on the same all-wheel drive xDrive system, but the smaller package makes it a nimbler, more fuel-efficient and more affordable alternative.

In North America, the X1 xDrive is currently a Canada-only vehicle. BMW Canada expects it to account for 11 to 12 per cent of its total sales, or about 3,000 vehicles each year.

There’s not much on the market that’s comparable in size and performance to the X1 xDrive; certainly no similar luxury vehicles.

An Audi A3 is considerably smaller and a Volkswagen Tiguan is bigger, as is the whole category of compact SUVs, but if you add

10 centimetres to the length of the Toyota Matrix, you’ve pretty much got it. The comparison ends there, however, especially when you factor in performance.

2012 BMW X1 xDrive 28i

2012 BMW X1 xDrive 28i

2012 BMW X1 xDrive 28i