BMW X1 M35i xDrive: high performance comes to the small German SUV

At the end of last year the third generation of the BMW X1 went on sale in Spain, initially with two diesel and two petrol engines, alongside the fully electric version in the form of the iX1. Now BMW is finally adding a little spice to its smallest SUV with the arrival of the M35i xDrive, a name that you already know stands for performance, power and exclusivity.

The exterior styling changes on the BMW M35i xDrive compared with the X1 are more than evident. Starting with a new front bumper featuring larger air intakes, which ensure optimal cooling in any driving situation. Slightly higher up sits the huge front grille, with a double horizontal bar design, as is typical of the best BMW M models.

Along the sides we find new side skirts, quite discreet to be honest, but with their new lines they help emphasise the overall look. On either side of these are the 19-inch wheels fitted as standard, with a double-spoke design, which can be swapped for 20-inch wheels with an exclusive double-spoke design too. A little higher up are the mirror housings with a double-strut design in gloss black. At the rear, the changes focus on a new spoiler and a diffuser for the rear bumper, which also integrates the twin exhaust outlets.

Inside the BMW M35i xDrive, the atmosphere is sporty and luxurious, as is usual in the brand’s performance models. As standard, the sports seats combine black Veganza/Alcantara upholstery with contrasting blue stitching, although optionally you can also opt for Vernasca leather with a diamond-pattern design, as well as M sports seats with an integrated headrest, electric adjustment and an illuminated M logo at the top of the backrest.

That said, the standard equipment of the BMW M35i xDrive is quite generous, and alongside the items mentioned above it includes others such as:

• Instrument cluster trimmed in Alcantara
• Hexacube Dark aluminium interior trim
• Anthracite interior roof lining
• M door sill trim
• M aluminium pedals
• M-specific graphics on the BMW Curved Display
• M sports steering wheel with shift paddles
• Two-zone automatic climate control
• BMW Live Cockpit Plus with BMW Maps navigation system
• High-gloss black M roof rails
• Automatic tailgate operation
• Rain and light sensor
• Four USB-C ports
• Two 12 V power sockets
• Front collision warning system
• Cruise control with braking function
• Parking assistant with reversing assist camera
• Reversing assistant

Of course, all of this can be expanded with a long list of options, from styling packages such as the M Pro sports package with design details for the interior and exterior, to enhancing its premium character with features such as ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof or the Harman Kardon sound system, through to upgraded safety systems such as the steering and lane control assistant, Remote 3D View, BMW Drive Recorder and Remote Theft Recorder, among others.

Turning now to its engine, it consists of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder M TwinPower Turbo delivering 300 CV (317 CV in the United States) and 400 Nm of torque, sent to all four wheels through the xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system, assisted by the mechanical limited-slip differential integrated into the seven-speed Steptronic dual-clutch gearbox with M Sport Boost function.

Thanks to these figures, the BMW X1 M35i xDrive can reach 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds, so it requires braking equipment to match, which can be further improved thanks to BMW M offering M Compound brakes for the first time. These consist of four-piston fixed calipers with 385 mm perforated discs on the front axle, and single-piston floating calipers with an integrated parking brake and 330 mm discs on the rear. For greater comfort, it also comes as standard with M adaptive suspension, sports steering and a chassis with a specific setup that lowers the ride height by 15 mm compared with the base X1.

BMW has confirmed that the first deliveries of the X1 M35i xDrive will begin in Europe in November, so we will have to wait a little longer to find out the price in our country.

Technical specifications of this car

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