BMW will launch its smaller SUV in 2017, below the X1

The German magazine auto motor und sport features in this month’s issue a report that reveals new details about a future pair of rivals. The protagonists are the small SUVs on which Audi and BMW are working. The Ingolstadt brand has announced on several occasions, most recently last month, that in 2016 it will expand its range with the Q1, a model below the Q3 based on the MQB platform, from which a similar product is also expected to derive similar to the Volkswagen T-ROC that we saw at the Geneva Motor Show.

Unlike Audi, BMW has been much more cautious about disclosing information about the contender it will launch into that market arena. In the article, auto motor und sport lists additional data it has learned from internal sources involved in its development, starting with the fact that its commercialization is expected to begin in 2017, one year after the Audi Q1.

The new X1 will be based on the UKL2 front-wheel-drive platform and will grow in size to make room for this new SUV.

Although its official name has not yet been revealed, auto motor und sport continues to favor the name Urban Cross. The one that has been rejected from the start is X0, so BMW will have to find an alternative to its traditional alphanumeric combinations that designate its SUVs. It will sit on the versatile UKL front-wheel-drive platform debuted by the MINI F56 and first used by the Bavarian brand with the 2 Series Active Tourer.

In concept and dimensions, this BMW resembles the MINI Paceman, whose days are numbered, as are other products in the range. The sources auto motor und sport contacted speak of roughly four metres in length – between a Countryman and a Paceman – and 1,300 kg in weight – somewhat lighter than the latter.

The cabin will resemble that of the Active Tourer, although it will have a more elegant line and a new multimedia system.

Another point in common with the Paceman will be its coupé-style design, with a particularly pronounced roof slope. The styling will also imply a reduced boot volume; auto motor notes that the capacity will be around 330 litres, the same as the Paceman’s. This disadvantage would not be one, since the type of customer it is aimed at differs from that of a 2 Series Active Tourer, which values this aspect of a vehicle more.

From the MPV it will inherit various ideas for the cabin. The SUV will stand out for its more sober and elegant lines, as well as for its more modern dashboard and a multimedia system which, like that of the upcoming 7 Series G11, can be controlled both with the iDrive rotary controller and with the touchscreen of the on-board computer.

The range of available engines will be practically identical to that of the Active Tourer.

The engine lineup will cover three- and four-cylinder options, all known from the 2 Series Active Tourer and which will likewise be offered with the next generation of the 1 Series, already equipped with the UKL2 platform. From it will emerge the new X1, which will grow to make room for this small SUV. Nor will it pose a threat to the evolution of the Countryman, which will launch in 2017. The MINI will count in its favour an distinctive image and a much roomier interior space.

Via | auto motor und sport

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