2023 BMW X1 petrol or diesel: Which engine would you buy?

I think the Volkswagen 1.0 TSI cars can give tough competition to the X1 petrol on highway.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The BMW X1 (read the full review here), is offered with two engine options – a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-petrol unit and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel motor. Both come with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic sending power to the front wheels only. The chart below should give you a better idea.

The 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine develops 134 BHP & 230 Nm. Straight off the bat, this engine does not feel like it belongs in a car of this segment. It is not as fast as the turbo-diesel, but it is cheaper. It is also quite fuel efficient and will appeal to the chauffeur-driven or those living in places (such as Delhi-NCR) where diesel cars need to be scrapped much earlier than petrol ones. It is available with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The turbo-petrol comes in the sDrive 18i xLine (base) and sDrive 18i M Sport (top) variants of the X1.

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The 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbo-diesel develops 148 BHP & 360 Nm. This engine is very refined and while it is not as powerful as one would expect it to be, it still delivers adequate performance and good fuel efficiency. This turbo-diesel engine is available only in the sDrive 18d M Sport (top) variant of the X1.

So if you were in the market for the BMW X1, which engine you pick & why?

Here’s what BHPian vattyboy had to say on the matter:

Both the engines are underpowered but still, I can live with the X1 Diesel.

People living in NCR should stay away from X1 Petrol and look for Audi Q3.

I think the Volkswagen 1.0 Tsi cars can give tough competition to the X1 petrol on highway because it has a kerb weight of approx 1500 kgs with just 134 bhp which translates to a lower power-to-weight and torque torque-to-weight ratio.

When a customer is paying close to 60 lakhs then he should get performance also along with badge value and luxury.

Here’s what BHPian RROD had to say on the matter:

What timing? I test-drove the BMW X1 petrol yesterday. I planned my TD in such a way that I could pick up my daughter from her school, this way I could drive for about 7~8 km and my daughter could also share her opinion. Since the poll is to choose between Petrol and Diesel. Here is my 2 cents.

  • The car felt very underwhelming.
  • While the interiors are top-notch. I never felt like I was driving something special.

I TD’ed the Tiguan a week ago, that car made an immediate impression and put a smile on my face and I was expecting better with a BMW.

Based on the above I don’t recommend it.

Diesel could be better though.

My 9-year-old daughter’s feedback was seated in the backseat. “It feels just like our S-Cross”. Please take it with a pinch of salt.

Here’s what BHPian abaliga had to say on the matter:

Voted for the diesel, but having said that, I would not buy either! A car that costs almost 60 lakhs (i.e. USD 78K) cannot have a powertrain that screams compromise, I am guessing this is done for the CAFE norms, but BMW having so many EVs in its India portfolio should not be having issues complying with the norms, it would make sense to have these as entry-level powertrains, but 18d and 18i are unacceptable when they are the only options available, somehow not able to understand how a company that sells the amazing M340i and x3 M40i is not offering their best for X1 in India, the same issue is seen on the regular X3 as well, the nice 30i option launched earlier has been discontinued without logic!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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