Moving away from macho

BMW believes there is a huge pool of potential customers for the X1. Photo / Supplied

The colour brown, say those in the know, is all about stability and reliability. American Indians believe it represents the power of self-discipline. The Celts have it down for creativity and strength. Not so Winston Churchill. He felt sorry for things brown. Those in India aren't happy with it either - it is the colour of mourning.

BMW likes the stability/strength mix best. It goes with another meaning, that the owner of a brown vehicle is a down-to-earth, no-nonsense sort. "Marrakesh brown" is one of 11 colours BMW offers in the X1 range, the junior member of the X family of sports activity vehicles launched on roads around Queenstown this week.

The colour gets its name, so the story goes, from the patina of the 800-year-old Bab Agnaou gate, one of 19 ancient gates in the walls of the Moroccan city. There is a hint of red in it too, perhaps in honour of Marrakesh's time-honoured other name - "the red city".

BMW concedes that X1 buyers mightn't exactly queue for Marrakesh brown, although the colour does appeal. The main question was: could they live with it? Those who choose to do so might fall into the American Indian definition.

BMW NZ managing director Mark Gilbert likes white best. Not just for the X1 but across the BMW range. White is the new black. Whatever colours buyers choose, Gilbert is banking on about 200 X1 sales a year.

"We want to grow the business with the X1," he says. "If our dealers just sell to existing customers, they need to find more customers.

"There is a huge pool of potential customers for the X1. It has universal appeal and is not as macho as some of our vehicles."

Marrakesh brown isn't the only thing that's different about the X1. It is the only member of the all-wheel-drive xDrive family - X3, X5, X6 - to offer a rear-wheel-drive-only option.

BMW calls it sDrive and is aiming it at suburban users, who don't need four paws. An sDrive X1 comes without the all-wheel-drive bits and pieces and weighs roughly 80kg less than the xDrive variant.

The xDrive system is linked to the electronic stability control system. In corners, more drive power is fed to the rear axle to avoid understeer, or when the front wheels tend to push on.

Once the corner is negotiated, xDrive goes back to its basic setting. If things get tricky, stability control cuts in to brake individual wheels and reduce engine power.

BMW has eased the threshhold here, allowing the driver a little more freedom to explot the suspension set-up, a modified version of the MacPherson strut up front and a five-link affair at the rear. The rack and pinion steering is hydraulically assisted.

The X1 arrives in New Zealand priced between $56,900 and $80,900, a range that BMW believes will lure some mainstream buyers.

The first shipment is limited to diesel offerings, 2-litre family units mated to six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes and offering claimed class-leading economy and an EU5 emission standard. The single turbo version delivers 130kW/350Nm, the twin-turbo 150kW/400Nm. Petrol models, including the top-end six-cylinder, get here later in the year. They, too, comes with six-speed gearboxes. The braked towing limit is 1400kg.

The X1 falls into the category of a mild hybrid, using BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies, among them Brake Energy Regeneration, based around an intelligent alternator that shuts off when it's not needed, a more efficient final drive and detachable air-conditioning compressor. Manual models come with a fuel-saving stop/start function and a gearshift point indicator.

The five-door shares the same wheelbase as a 3-Series Touring but is more than 80mm shorter overall, roughly 20mm narrower and 127mm taller.

Inside, the rear seats split three ways, allowing storage capacity to grow from 420 to 1350 litres. There are numerous storage facilities too. An optional Panorama glass roof offers a feeling of more space.

The X1 stands out for its composed manners, good fuel economy and emissions. Its handling at speed through the twisty bits of the Crown Range was a highlight, a salute to the excellent dynamics. The diesel engine is slightly more vocal under the throttle than we expected but settles down at cruising speeds. Perhaps the sound-proofing is not what it could be.

In a nutshell, X1 should do what BMW has in mind for it: lure new customers.