BMW has taken the wraps off its first-ever full M Sport treatment for the X1 compact SUV, with the X1 M35i xDrive receiving the company’s most powerful four-cylinder engine to date.
BMW’s baby of the range becomes a fully-fledged warrior with the help of a tune for the turbocharged 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder that now produces 233kW/400Nm, a mighty premium over the 150kW/300Nm you receive in the xDrive20i.
Power upgrades have dropped the M35i’s 0-100km/h sprint to 5.4 seconds, with power thrown to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The X1 M35i’s clever all-wheel-drive system is connected to the chassis control system, and splits power between the front wheels via a mechanical limited-slip differential.
Underneath, the M35i picks up an adaptive M suspension system as standard, while sitting 15mm lower than the standard X1, with a new M sport exhaust system with four outlets at the rear.
BMW is offering the X1 M35i with a set of 385mm front and 330mm rear compound discs made of cast iron and aluminium, with four-piston calipers biting the front and single piston calipers clamping the 20-inch alloys.
On the styling front, the X1 M35i picks up a heap of special touches over the standard X1 xDrive20i, including a new front apron with larger air intakes, aero-inspired mirror caps, a roof spoiler, rear diffuser and updated front grille with M logos on the kidney grille.
Inside, there’s a set of sports seats finished in diamond-quilted Vernasca leather, with the M sport steering wheel also receiving a leather finish.
There’s also the option of M Sport seats finished in Sensatec and Alcantara, with some more Alcantara weaving its way across the dashboard.
The cockpit picks up a range of hexacube aluminium highlights, an anthracite headliner, M Sport door sills and pedals, as well as updated M-specific graphics for the head-up display, curved 10.25-inch infotainment display and the 10.7-inch instrument cluster.
Standard equipment for the X1 M35i xDrive includes dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, roof rails, a powered tailgate lift, 12-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, a surround-view camera and a long list of safety equipment.
The BMW X1 M35i xDrive is set to arrive on Australian shores by the end of the year, with prices starting from $90,900; a full spec breakdown can be found below.
| Engine | Inline 4-cylinder 2.0-litre M TwinPower Turbo Petrol |
| Transmission | 7-speed double clutch |
| Drive | xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive |
| Power (kW) | 233 |
| Peak power (@rpm) | 5750-6500 |
| Torque (Nm) | 400 |
| Peak torque (@rpm) | 2000-4500 |
| 0-100km/h (sec) | 5.4 |
| Top speed (km/h) | 250 |
| Consumption (l/100km) | 8.0-8.5 (WLTP) |
| Price | $90,900* |
