11-27-2015, 12:31 AM | #1 |
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SDrive18d - Australian version - first thoughts
Very excited to get my sDrive18d on Thursday after a 3 month wait. Alpine white, innovation pack, comfort pack, sport seat, pano sunroof.
Love the HUD, touch sensitive short cut keys in the centre stack, 8.8" screen, cornering LED, DRL. Etc Engine/transmission - The B47 diesel engine and 8sp Aisin is a fantastically smooth combo. It has very little lag, not much diesel clatter and unintrusive stop/start. This is, IMHO, significantly better than the old X1 20d that I had and also the 520D loaner my dealer gave me. Initially I was concerned that the 18d would be quite underpowered, and after a few hours of driving, I am impressed with the driveability of the car despite the low power tuning. Not a fast car by any means, but a competent daily driver. Front seats - definitely small compared to the 520 and old X1, so I am glad I have the sport seats to get extra thigh support. The seat padding is very firm and it would be interesting to see if this will cause discomfort in long drives. Ride - firm and a little bumpier than I would have liked. I can live with it as my old X1 was bumpy. I didn't opt for DDC. Wind noise - excessive when sunroof is opened on highway. Interior space - very good and much more than old X1. Being a SUV, it feels more spacious than the 520 despite being a significantly shorter car. Trunk - better than old X1 and the underfloor storage will also help. But why did they keep the silly twin parcel shelf and not go for retractable privacy blind?! Auto tail gate - this opens very high and did hit my garage ceiling luckily I had foam on ceiling to minimize damage. Came away with just a very tiny black mark. Still - kicking myself for not being more careful. I then played around with the max height setting using the iDrive and disappointingly there are only 5 preset heights. The lowest height is uselessly small opening, and the 2nd height is already hitting my ceiling. I wonder if there is a way to set a height that is different to the 5 presets? And no manual mode? Or change the speed of the movement? let's say I have set the max height to level 1, is there any override button that allows you to open fully without going back to change settings on the iDrive? The tailgate motion is quite swift so it's not easy to click button to stop at a desire height every time I use it. Parking assistant - the earlier spec sheet I saw did say it is a fully auto parking system but my car only has steering assistance only. Will check with dealer if the specs have changed or error in manufacturing or "user error". Will study the manual more carefully to see if i missed some steps. ACC - played with it on the freeway and it's a cool thing and easy to use. Child seats - I have 2 car seats (a booster and a forward facing convertible seat). Currently they are in the outboard positions. I will try to see if they can be put side by side to allow an adult to sit in an out board seat. Will be tight. Car mats - these are standard velour ones that came from the factory as a standard feature. They are thinner and less plush than the ones in 520 and my old X1. Cost cutting perhaps. Accessories - I am investigating sunblind options for the kiddies in rear seats. The BMW clip ons are not cheap at about AU$130 for each side. Window sox are not that pretty and may affect visibility at night. Will post some photos below. |
11-27-2015, 01:57 AM | #3 |
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Congrats I do love these cars in white.
I thought the 18d would be a bit underpowered, but not actually noticed any lack of performance and it does work really well as a daily driver.
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11-27-2015, 02:28 AM | #4 |
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Thanks for your review!! Congrats on getting your new car! Keep us posted when you learn new things about it Btw would you be able to take photos or measure the height of the hatch at each of the 5 settings? Might help other people who have low garage ceilings.
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11-27-2015, 03:02 AM | #5 |
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Trunk opening
Great looking car and glad you are happy with it. White looks just right for the X1.
I'm sorry to hear about the tailgate opening issue and it is something I'll have to watch out for. When we looked at a 2 series active tourer the tailgate has a detector which stops it if it detects objects as it lifts. I assumed the X1 would be the same, so have not been too careful, when opening mine. |
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11-27-2015, 03:49 AM | #6 |
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Aww.. Somewhat disappointed to hear that the ride is bumpy now that I have booked mine. How does it compare with the 520?
Everything seems to be going right for the new X1 except for its ride it seems. Though it might be subjective. Did any of ur family members complain bout the firm ride too? |
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11-27-2015, 04:55 AM | #7 |
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A few more exterior shots here.
Mynewx1, I will try to take a few tailgate photos in the coming days. Will be hard to measure height. Les Paul, if there is a sensor it would appear it stops AFTER it hits something. Would have been nice to have sensor that prevents tailgate hitting things. Euphoriaa, ride on 520D (M Sport) felt more compliant than the F48 but I probably need more time to provide a fairer assessment. First impression suggests it's not as bumpy as the E84. My kids (2 and 5) are probably not in a position to comment on the ride LOL. Mrs Twisterland is not really into cars so she wouldn't care much about it. The handling is good but not sure if it's psychological or reality - that the FWD does make a noticeable but small difference when you push the car hard through bends and corners, compared to the RWD E84. Aussie F48s all have ambient lighting as standard. It is classy and very nice - nicer than the ones in the 520 which was fainter. Lighting in the footwell and exterior door handles also lifts the look of the car. |
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11-27-2015, 02:01 PM | #8 |
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Congratulations on your purchase. It looks great. Very helpful observations, too...especially about the tailgate. I'll have to watch that one!
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11-27-2015, 02:31 PM | #9 |
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Good review. many of your thoughts are in line with my thoughts when I was test driving the 20d and 25i earlier.
On the tailgate issue, on our F25 X3 you can set - in iDrive - the amount of opening. Its got 4 or 5 positions you can limit the opening to. Surprised the apparent range is not similar with the F48. Tony |
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11-27-2015, 02:38 PM | #10 |
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Brissim, yes it has 5 preset heights. Problem was I didn't configure it before opening the tail for the first time. And also the 1st and 2nd preset heights is a large gap. 1st is way too small and 2nd is already hitting my ceiling. I am hoping for a max height somewhere between 1st and 2nd but I doubt that is possible.
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11-27-2015, 02:58 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
Tony |
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11-27-2015, 03:01 PM | #12 |
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Maybe it's the shape of the tailgate as it bulges out quite a bit like a V shape. I will try to check out the differences next time I visit my cousin as he has a F25.
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11-27-2015, 08:19 PM | #13 |
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Re the tailgate issue.
I had a bit more time to play around with the settings in our F25 X3 (and to refresh my memory) and you are correct. The issue with the F48 X1 is pretty much the same for our X3. I was a bit confused with your position 1 and 2 and my position 4 & 5 until of course I realised we were both talking about the highest and second highest setting. As with your F48, there is a significant difference between the fully open setting and the next highest setting in our F25. The difference I suppose is that because the roofline/hinge point on the F25 is higher off the ground than the F48, its not such a big issue for the F25. Why anyone would have the need for the 2 or 3 lowest settings defies understanding. And now I also recall pretty much the same discussion in the F25 forum when it was launched 4-5 years ago. At the time many people were complaining about the lack of pre-set points between the two highest settings. Its more than a little disappointing that in over 4 years and in a totally new model, that BMW have not corrected this issue. What I also recall from that earlier discussion is that even with the auto tailgate, once the tailgate has opened, you can still manually adjust the tailgate position without adverse impact on the mechanism. Although still use the button on the tailgate to close it. Tony |
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11-30-2015, 04:03 AM | #14 |
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Tailgate positions
I went to an undercover car park to measure the 5 preset tailgate heights (first number is the height from ground to the lowest part of the tail; 2nd number is the height from ground to the highest part (exterior) of the tail). All numbers are estimates as it was quite hard to get exact readings, especially position 5. Also this may vary with tyre pressure, slope of ground etc
Position 1: 99cm, 163.5cm Position 2: 151.5, 186.5 Position 3: 160, 191.5 Position 4: 167, 195.5 Position 5: 180, 205? Some outdoor photos showing the 5 positions. |
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11-30-2015, 04:38 AM | #16 |
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Thanks for that....rest assured I'll be making weekly check measurements waiting for my car to come ?
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11-30-2015, 04:47 AM | #17 |
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Child seats
I have tried different configs to see if I can fit 2 child seats and an adult in the 2nd row. It is tight but possible if the car seats are slim and the adult also slim. The most likely config is to have the 2 car seats in the double seat and slide it towards the front. The adult would sit in the single seat and slide to the back and recline. For reference:
- purple = safe n sound compaq. Mine is a few years old but dimension should be similar to http://www.britax.com.au/car-seats/b...uct-highlights - black = Mother's Choice Air Protect Gem convertible booster (https://www.motherschoice.com.au/car...ster-seat.html) - booster cushion - Unknown brand/model as I got it from friend and its old. Photo 1 - showing purple and black in outboard positions. It's too tight for any adult to sit there for more than a few mins even if you can fit in. Photo 2 - showing black and purple in the double seats. The single seat can accommodate an adult for a short drive or a small adult for slightly longer drive. Photo 3 - showing purple and booster cushion. Adult should be able to sit in the single seat without much problems. |
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11-30-2015, 04:52 AM | #18 |
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Cargo configs
Some photos showing the utilization of cargo space. I am very impressed with the space and flexibility. Definitely a huge improvement on the old x1. For reference the pram is a Combi urban walker prestige (98H x 48W x 34D). You can see that if the rear seats are pushed all the way forward, my pram can just fit lengthwise in the trunk. But to give the passengers more space, I would normally put the pram sideways and this still leave enough room to lift open the false floor flap.
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11-30-2015, 05:36 AM | #19 |
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Hi Twisterland, many thanks for taking the time to do the measurements and taking the photos! Much appreciated! I reckon setting 3 or 4 will be what I need, to be safe. Setting 1 seems strangely low - I wonder what use that has for anyone, the boot is barely open! The luggage space photos help me realise how deep and useable the under-floor storage is! Such a flexible and capacious car
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11-30-2015, 05:40 AM | #20 |
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After some testing, it turns out that if I reverse my car into my garage (rather than driving front-in) , there is more ceiling space at the rear of garage. I am now able to open to position 3. I may be able to get to position 4 but need to get some more foam before testing.
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12-01-2015, 11:23 PM | #21 |
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Hi Twisterland, can you post a couple of picture of the rear seat at each different angles of adjustment as I would like to make a comparison against the seat without the adjustable option.
Maybe at this angle so a comparison can be done. or Much thanks! Last edited by euphoriaa; 12-01-2015 at 11:29 PM.. |
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12-04-2015, 08:24 AM | #22 |
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The 1st photo shows all seats at the most reclined position and the double seat is moved to the most forward position while the single seat remains at the most rear position. The following photos show the 8 recline positions with all seats moved to the rear most position.
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