Did Jeremy Clarkson Slam Or Compliment BMW's New X1 By Comparing It To a Hyundai?

I felt BMW might be able to pull off a bit of a winner, then. It had learnt some lessons with the woeful X3 and it really has got styling worked out these days. Plus, BMWs are almost always better to drive than any of the cars with which they compete.

Sadly, I was to be disappointed. First of all, the X1 looks like a Hyundai that’s been subjected to a thousand years of wind erosion. It’s dreary. And it’s much the same story on the inside, where you are greeted with lots of extremely scratchy plastic and almost no equipment at all. You want a built-in sat nav system? Well, tough.

A friend of mine, who runs the car I drove, says that the wiring loom is cheap as well. Quite how he’s determined this, I have no idea, but there you are. It’s cheap to look at, cheap to sit in and cheap to touch. But it’s not even slightly cheap to buy.



 

2010 Beijing Motor Show Photo Gallery

2011 Ford Fiesta Photo Gallery

2011 MB E-Class Conv. Photo Gallery

2011 BMW X5 Photo Gallery

njshift - 4/27/2010 2:54:21 PM

+4 Boost

It's an entry level bimmer.

222max - 4/27/2010 3:01:14 PM

+5 Boost

Another meaningless product from BMW. Why can't they take their considerable expertise and resources and put out cars that people would really want instead of the recent slew of sport wagon things they have?

pepito66 - 4/27/2010 3:06:27 PM

-4 Boost

BMW is a BMW wherever you put it. People are not stupid specially people who know about cars. The other thing that I see coming in 3 years maybe less or more years is that brands like Kia and Hyundai copying even better with others design enough to take some people with them , people that don't know to much about cars and is not important for them about quality material ,real safety,a great engine and put first lower prices this is a target customers for them.
If you see the exterior of the cars and look similar, materials and inside tech component and factor are to far to be the same thing. So always are customer for luxury brands and customer for lower prices brands......Don't worry about that.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 4/27/2010 6:33:10 PM

+3 Boost

Sorry Mate!
I don't understand Gibberish.

Please translate to English for the rest of us.

theoptimisticpessimist - 4/27/2010 3:43:05 PM

+10 Boost

Shouldn't your photo be of the actual production X1 rather than some photo-shopped thing.

JUGNU - 4/27/2010 4:18:37 PM

+5 Boost

Clarkson is being very harsh there. At least give X1 two stars as it is RWD compare to most competitors which are FWD or AWD but agree all new AWD Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage is better buy and also better looking i think.

JUGNU

TheDepressingTruth - 4/27/2010 7:25:41 PM

+1 Boost

I think Clarkson may have insulted Hyundai by putting it in the same class as this Cheap-Ass Bimmer.

BMW tried to cut corners on the X1...and it shows

America - 4/27/2010 7:52:30 PM

+6 Boost

Where and when did you drive the X1, TDT?

nguyenvuminh - 4/27/2010 10:21:30 PM

+1 Boost

Go Jeremy go :-) I like MB more than BMW but I admire BMW a great deal, until the last couple of years. My admiration comes from their work on the 3, the 5 and even the 7. But ever since they star making the SUV/X-over/ActiveLifeStyle/blah-blah-blah, I've been disappointed.

wins555 - 4/27/2010 11:44:15 PM

+3 Boost

SLAMMED! Bmw is trying to catch up to Audi in terms of product range and in the process making cheaper small vehicles.

JB007 - 4/28/2010 10:35:29 AM

+2 Boost

BMW Launched the X1 way before Audi launch their equivalent Q3 (which they still haven't yet). Yeah catching up mate !!

The BMW X5 - created the Premium SAV / SUV class. Followed a generation later by the Audi Q7.

Whelan - 4/28/2010 3:10:26 PM

+2 Boost

Actually the Jeep Grand Cherokee was the pioneer for premium SUVs in the US. In Europe that would be the G500 Galandewagen (sp?). Way to keep the facts straight.