BMW has launched a stretched X1 in Beijing and christened it as the ‘X1 Long Wheelbase’. This model is specifically for the Chinese market and will be manufactured at BMW Brilliance Tiexi plant in Shenyang. Now that the new X1 gets a long wheelbase variant, it could give the X1 that competitive edge in India against compact offerings like the Q3 and GLA. As for now, it’s a ‘just for China’ model only.
Looks wise, the X1 Long Wheelbase looks virtually same as the standard model, apart from the elongated rear doors. Compared to the previous generation long-wheelbase X1, the new model is 79mm longer, 18mm wider and 38mm taller. There is around 50-178mm more knee room at the rear (depending on the front seat position) and the boot capacity increases from 465 litres to 675 litres.
Under the hood the X1 Long Wheelbase gets three engine options, a 136 bhp three-cylinder unit in the sDrive 18Li, a 192bhp four-cylinder in the sDrive 20Li/xDrive 20Li and a bigger 231bhp four-cylinder in the xDrive 25Li.