Quote:
Originally Posted by nozydog
Interesting what you're saying because CAR magazine (THE authority on cars) say the new X1 is a night & day improvement over the extremely mediocre E84!! I've not driven either, but I certainly think the mkII is the better looking car! And from the road tests I've read it's apparently not bad to drive either, despite the FWD platform!! Amazingly different opinions going on! 
Regarding the seats, all BMW seats are crap if you don't spec sports seats!! |
Well, I certainly don’t meed any magazine to tell me what I feel. However, the E84 has the true XDrive with the biased RWD, while the F48 has a FWD Haldex style. I think that this sentence alone gives you the whole picture.
Secondly, the E84 is a 3 Series touring platform, just a little bit higher. That means the seat position is a 3 Series style, a more horizontal position with a better ergonomy.
The F48 is a total different platform that gives you space by puting the seats higher (recte the storage drawers under the seats for example). The new tall terrible shifter will reveal the same aspect, the seats are higher. From here the same impession from everyone that you are seating on the toilet.
The E84 is still more powerful while the new one has less power losing over 20 ponies down the road. The old one also offered a 300 hp machine, while the new one does not.
The old one has a very cool and much better ZF t4ansmission, while the new one settled for a Ainsin. And I can go on and on.
Handling is not as good, the E84 has the very responsive hydraulic steering while the new electric one has no BMW genes.
I do not find the E84 mediocre at all! Actualy, true, I have a fully loaded one and one that was as a display for BMW, however, the materials and fit and finish in E84 are way above the new one. As mentioned before, seats are better, larger with leg support, a more confortable ddriving position. The seats in the back are true, not individual with almost no room for a third person (three people in the rear of X1 is still a challenge anyway bu there is a whole large seating bench) but the new one has no room for that. The element that covers and cushions the transfer between the back seat and C pillar is gone in the new one, which looks very very cheap.
The Panoramic roof cover in the old one is hard and well built with no gaps or anything, the new one is a much simpler cloth that looks really bad (is saggy) and does not close perfectly with the panoramic roof edges.
I can go on and on and on, anyway, the new one doesnt drive anywhere close to the old one.
Funny, we had the new one for a week while waiting for a recall on ours, and my girl which is kind of paralel with these things said two things: looks cheap and drives nowhere near ours.
If you also read all the E84 owners opinions on the forum you will get the same impressions. Many refused to upgrade to the new one deciding to keep the old one. Some bought a used E84 after driving both. In my case, when the time will come, we will replace it with either a 240xi either with the X4. One is Coupe, one is larger for what we need, however, none of us likes the new X1 and If I really want a FWD vehicle with AWD there are choices for less money. I just cant justify the price and while money are not a concern I just don’t like it. I like the exetrior design but everything stops there.
I did not read too much about the new one, my personal opinion is what matters. I just read few minutes ago two articles that I found with a first search and puting aside the exterior design (we love the look of E84) they say the same things. The old one is a better car, with true genes. In one article they are stating that the new one is better becasue it offers more technology, yet I dont know what the heck they are talking about, mine has 18 inch wheels, the dual power seats with memory, the confort access, it has the high beams assistant, the Harman Kardon system, the rain sensors, bluetooth, THX surround and can see movies in it, the whole jazz etc.
Please have a look at these two for example and read about the driving experience and aboutthe interior.
https://www.autotrader.com/car-revie...ference-249361
http://www.carscoops.com/2015/06/201...e84-which.html