Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Hot Hatch In Disguise - BW X1

Many people love hot hatches. They are agile, lively and fun, designed for enthusiasts who aspire to the occasional adrenaline. The DNA behind each small rocket has remained virtually unchanged since the whole genre started with the original Golf GTI, with wheels built into each corner, a motor loans, precise handling, and loads of street cred.

Err .. Wait a minute. "Is not the BMW X1?

Yes it is, but we're a little bit. For all practical purposes, the BMW X1 is a hot hatch 3.0i guise, but able to swallow not only all B roads, but also the kitchen sink! What we have here is a SUV (or SAV - Sports Activity Vehicle, BMW likes to call it) that drives and handles like a small rocket very good. Or if you want a small rocket that can carry everything you expect from an SUV. Confused? You should be, but the character and best sums theX1 Jenkyl Hyde.

Throw in a series of turns and married the desired trajectory for their tenacity and composure with a van BMW xDrive is capable of intelligent AWD system allows for infinite, fully variable distribution of torque between the front and rear significantly reduces - and understeer. This agility combined with a sport suspension "tuned promises a long life for the driver.

But this is only half the story. With 3.0 inline six online by 231 horsepower and 300 Nm of torque, the muscle X1 and flexibility to maximize his talent for manipulation. Add to joy is a six-speed automatic that even "manual fans only" will agree. It is sensitive, quick to react to the inputs of the right foot, and clever enough to select a lower gear when going downhill, providing engine braking before you can post Steptronic manually remove one or two gears. The rate of deceleration is also facilitated by a set of anchors that is progressive and I am very easy to modulate, useful to stop a vehicle weighing over 1,800 kg.

However, communication is typical of the direction of Beemers - more traction before they feel - which is perhaps due to the power passing through the two axes. There is light at low speeds, but weighing up precisely with increasing speed. What is missing is the information associated with the rear wheel of the BMW engine. Not without any communication, a little less.

But it is also where the parallels between the hot and X1 panel ends. Instead of being greeted by comfortable interiors of a BMW, the X1's cabin is a pleasant place, with ample space for its occupants. But it is not easy, because the whole front with a capacity for increased risk (adjusted power) are so-so in comfort, you have the feeling of sitting on them rather than feel protected, if a post comfortable ride, not a problem with multi-adjustable seats and steering wheel. And, of course, the panoramic glass roof that extends almost the entire length of the roof, needless to say, greatly illuminates the cabin well ventilated.

Other Nice touches include retractable cupholders smart just below the passenger side air conditioning vent kit and fully equipped first aid under the front passenger seat. The stereo system is also integrated Teutonic as they come, with simple controls and a six-CD changer in the armrest. The bi-xenon adaptive headlights are also standard, and these in the direction of the light the way for greater security.

A few hot hatches are capable of carrying more than a few days of baggage. Even storing a golf bag full of business can be a difficult task. This is the X1 Excel. A purchase of furniture Spree will not be a problem unless you intend to transport the spare bed. With a maximum of 1560 liters of cargo space available, five large clay pots and their luggage comfortably lived in the rear of the X1 on a recent trip to Ipoh.

For me, the X1 is the 'Ultimate hot hatch. It comfortably compete with the best of them and remains the great whole, that can never be. For those fans who pledged to balance your appetite for driving and the pleasure of having the whole family on a picnic, which takes its name.