For my CEO: took 11 fookin weeks from order to delivery at Dlr.
It is just OK, imo but she likes it so far.
-Car height and riding position are lower than what she/I expected even after test drive. More like a Subaru Forester or other Subie models, and lower than her departed Hyundai Tucson or the RAV4, Lexus 2000, Mazda CX5, et al.
-Handling is OK: good elec steering, but much more body roll than I expected.
-Sound insulation is good body-wise, but tire drumming over uneven highway is loud and this has the RFT delete option. I can't imagine the RFTs noise level.
-Interior is OK: cupholders from hell and hard to extract a cup of any size, has decent comfort Sport seat single item option, (Std seats suck, imo), rear seats have an odd lean back rake angle and are cheap azz, front seats have less legroom than I recall from the test drive, and cannot stretch my long legs while driving or passenger.
-It has very similar dimensions to her departed 2010 Hyundai Tucson Ltd, but it feels smaller and more narrow inside, and is lower overall. The rear trunk space barely holds two sets of golf clubs, (drivers must be stored separately), vs her Tuck which held 4 sets, with drivers in bags.
-I Drive is a set of menus and sub menus that have 'answers to questions/settings that no one has ever asked',
, the upgraded Nav screen has a brushed chrome top lip that reflects like a mirror in mid day overhead sun.
- It takes two pushes of the Stop/Start button to fully turn off the car. I haven't had a Start button since my '52 Ford, but I guess Biff & Buffy like it.
-Our 4 mile 10 min chugg up our Mtn road leaves the Aux fan running for many mins, (only casual throttle use on that drive up), vs our '01 X that might have its Aux fan come on occasionally on same climb, but only for 30 - 60 seconds on shutdown.
-From all reports the Oil Level indicator is easily fooled and doesn't respond to major overfills by the genius techs. No dipstick, what an invention delete.
-Looks good from some angles, looks dowdy and low ish in other views.
-We shopped Tucson, RAV4, Lexus 2000, Escape, CR-V, and Mazda CX5: the CX5 was the best handling of the bunch in my seat of pants opin.
-The option pkgs are forced if one wants any one of the goodies that each package so adroitly contains...we got it loaded except for the pricey Xenons, as we drive at night about 10 times a year, all in short trips.
-She likes it, though doesn't love it. I give it a solid C+ to B-, and in terms of QPR I would give it a D.
We shall see...I have not been this unenthused about a new car in decades, and I blame myself for our not doing a longer test drive and inspection before ordering the X1.
I tried to be ambivalent and not pitch one brand/model over another to her as it is mostly her car, they were all in our cash buy budget we set, and I wanted my CEO to choose what she wanted. 20-20 hindsight suggests that another brand or two might have been more enthusiasm inducing and been fitting.
I realize most here are BMW fans, as am I, but this 'Mini Clubman + $15Gs' is not the coolest BMW I have driven and makes our 17 year old '01 X5 seem like a damn good car.
I hope I become more enthused and emotionally involved in this car.
My 50Cts.
GL, mD