Used 2013 BMW X1 SUV Consumer Reviews

X1 perfect and fun

A small SUV with decent ground clearance in the 2WD version, it is perfect for two people and a pet to take on forest service roads to remote fly fishing spots, will hold bikes with the front tires mounted, accelerates briskly, gets good gas mileage, handles very well, and cruises effortlessly. At 50,000 miles we have had zero problems. At 60,000 miles still no repairs required.

Great Vehicle

My wife and I wanted a new vehicle that would be good on gas, fun to drive, 4 wheel drive, and have room for kids. This car meets all of the above. It has been great on gas for an SUV/SAV. When you drive the car you feel safe and solid. It is a pleasure to drive. The all-wheel drive system is awesome. We drove in the snow/ice and noticed no slippage of the wheels. Driving the same roads a few minutes later with my front wheel drive car I noticed a good amount of tire slippage. This car is built very well. The engine has plenty of power even though it is a 4 cylinder! The warranty is also another selling point for us. This vehicle is worth every penny!

Great fun to drive

I have a 2013 X1 x28i Overall its a lot of fun to drive both acceleration and handling. It is not really a SUV so if you are expecting a lot of space in the back, you have to put the seats down (which is a bit of a hassle) It has room for 4 passengers (can do 5 in a pinch) but can't do luggage for 4 I have had good gas mileage (high 20's) and good reliability There are some design features that are engineered not designed (cup holder is added on) but overall a good car Update - I traded my X1 in and my wife now has one (long story - I now have a 328XD and Maureen traded an older X3 for the X1) I would reaffirm my statement that the car is not really a SUV if you want to bring a lot of stuff around, but it is certainly a great car to drive. It has been very reliable for both of us. Be sure to get a backup camera And the standard lights are poore

X1 performs as review suggest

The powertrain is what I like best about this vehicle. Strong acceleration with minimal turgo lag, especially at highway speeds. When you need to get power for passing or highway merging the throttle obliges. The 8 speed transmission operates in background without feeling shifts, really nice. I acquired the X1 wanting a vehicle for commuting to work with the versatility to handle a run to Loews or a weekend trip for two without having a big SUV since I am mostly driving by myself the majority of the time. Looked at X3 but the trade off of the extra space versus fuel economy pushed me to the X1. At this point, I am happy with the decision to get the 2013 CPO X1. The lone exception to my positive experience is that the sound deadening for the 2013-2015 X1 is less than adequate. On highways that have grooves or are choppy, the mobile microphone via bluetooth picks up enough road noise to be a nuisance for the person you call. It's especially challenging if you are on a conference call with others (this happens for me quite a bit). That said, I look forward to driving the X1 every time I step out the front door. It has plenty of power, the drive is nearly car-like, and the mineral gray with coral red leather interior and Sport line looks sweet and garners compliments Some items to consider: The Sport seats are WAY more comfortable than the stock seats. After driving X1's with Sport seats, I only looked at the Sport line. Drove the price up $1500 or so but I reasoned the seats are part of every drive so I would make up the difference over time of ownership. The genius app very helpful in learning iDrive functions. My experience thus far is that the voice command functions don't work as well as I would prefer. Could be that I am not as up to speed on the voice commands as I need to be but what I've tried didn't work as desired. Storage in front of vehicle not very plentiful but I knew that going in. Storage with seats down in back is quite plentiful. Nav works well with the exception of voice commands as already mentioned. After a few months, still feel the same about the X1. Only thing that has gone wrong is the Confort Touch feature for keyless entry/locking. Dealer has not solved it yet. Will return to dealer next week for a second try. And to reiterate, the power train in this vehicle is fantastic. One year later (May 2017) Maintainence only an oil change and routine service Nothing has broken or been an issue Learning to live with the road noise. I do wonder if newer model is quieter but have not driven it. Still happy with my purchase one year later.

Love this X1 as it handles great!

If you want a great handling X1, go for the older model without the servotronic electronic steering, pre July 2014 production. Great road feedback!

Big problem!

2013 BMW X1 with 49,000 miles on it. Oil changes done regularly. Complete engine failure in the middle of a busy intersection. Dead as in no lights, no error messages, wheels would not turn. Tow company dragged it onto truck and took it to dealer. Dealer had car for 6 months. They never could find out what was wrong with it, gave me an estimate for $17,000 to replace the engine. I found out in the meantime that BMW engines use plastic parts inside the engine that can fail. BMW only does a recall if the government makes them. I sold the car and took a $10,000 loss. Worst car experience of my life.

Better than expected!!!

I got mine last September and it has been a blast ever since, 15K miles already. I've picked a Valencia Orange with M Sport Package, heated seats and Harman Kardon sound system, nothing else and the only option I miss is power seats. This thing drives exceptionally well and the hydraulic assist steering is still the best. The manner in which this vehicle goes from 60 MPH to 80, 90 or more is almost ridiculous. Serious handling and solid structure feel make it even better. Of note this is my 5th BMW in the last 10 years and so I expect great things from BMW's and in this case they delivered a great little product. If you can get one and enjoy the ride, you won't be disappointed...

Great for Everyday commute in the city

I've been looking for an all wheel drive hatchback car for my daily commute. Since I live in the midwest region I have always experienced that AWD cars are perfect. I am also into Cycling so I needed a car not to high so I can easily mount by Bicylces on the roof. I bought my X1 Certified Used at a local BMW dealership. I was so impressed with the performance of the car while test driving it on the roads both at High and Low speed driving. I've driven Domestic and Japanese models before but this car has surpassed the comfort and power and now I truly understand why they call it the ultimate driving machine. The warranty also is much better than buying brand new Domestic brands since it came with a 100K Warranty being Certified used. I've been driving my X1 for 6 months now and so far everything is perfect.

2013 X1

Overall, the car is a realy joy to drive, but we've had some major mechanical issues. Less than 15,000, and we've already had it in the shop twice for cylinder replacemets, once for failure of the catalytic converter, and now for a transmission failure. All within 6 months. We'll see how the BMW dealer chooses to help rectify, but so far not happy with the build quality.

Does what it says

Over the last six months, I looked at and drove every available vehicle in its class, and the X1 is about as good as it gets. It is solid, reliable, relatively economical, handles well, is quiet, and has enough room for a small family. It looks good and the build quality is impressive. Visibility is good for its class and it is loaded with enough technology to keep most people happy. With the "save the planet" switch ( aka eco-pro ) turned off it accelerates to 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds, and with it on, the fun factor drops but the mileage goes up. You get to pick!

Love this thing.

Minor engine maintenance starts around 40000 miles. Car is super dependable.

A great all-around package.

Driven my 2013 xDrive28 for 25000miles - and have no regrets. Really a surprisingly good wagon - the 8spd transmission and strong/efficient 4cyl. is impressive. Wish I had paddle shifters on mine, as I use the manual shifting option quite often and would prefer to use paddle shifters. Ergonomics are superb, electronics are for the most part all useful, iDrive system fairly intuitive, NAV system effective, though a bit frustrating to enter addresses/destinations using voice commands. Couldn't find a better package for the price two years ago when I bought it, and still can't find anything that on the whole offers fewer compromises. Yes it is small, but I'm 5'10", and personally find the back seats quite comfortable, with plenty of headroom and legroom. If you are worried about the space back there (as I was), I would say don't rule it out, sit in it and see for yourself. My third BMW, and this one is by far the most reliable. Great car - highly recommended. October 2017 Final Update: Lost my X1 to Harvey Flooding...Insurance totaled it, but she ran fine (and I needed her to) until the tow truck came to haul her away a month after the water receded. It was a sad day. I'll buy another one, if I can find one!!

Honestly still love the car - sure footed in snow

This is a great car that still does everything well. I live in the North East where snow, ice, rain and cold weather rule here. I feel incredibly comfortable ( I am 6,2" and it took some time, but now I am used it b) driving this X1 around New England. Mine is the Valencia Orange that is pictured, I like it because the color is very rare around where I live. I have only seen 3/4 including my own. Mine is decked out with everything, the Ultimate Package. The seats heat up fast the steering wheel warmer is an awesome feature that every car in New England should have. I love the look of the car because it is super sporty and turns heads. Just a great looking BMW. Currently wife and I are thinking whether to keep it or not, because we really enjoy the car a lot, but just bought a new truck and we really don't need three vehicles, but it's super hard to sell it because how we feel owning the car - and I think we might regret it if we did. We use this care to go to the beach, driving to work and basically just for traveling and goofing off. Now to the car itself : The idea of run-flat tires was a good one, but not practical. The car handles like a BMW sports sedan and accelerates in all modes, I love the sport and manual mode. My wife drive it in the automatic regular driving mode. This car is very, very reliable mechanically. The New 8-speed transmission is mated fantastically well with the 2.8 turbo. Our driveway has a slight grade to it that requires our trucks sometimes to be in 4WD mode when we go up it in snow and ice. But the X1 shoots right up it very well all the time. The AWD for this vehicle is amazing, I feel super safe driving the car because the weight of the car and the handling and traction control especially when driving in the snow. The oil changes are every 14/15K miles but we usually do ours around 10K. All and all BMW made a great car here that we totally admire and love to drive. Really the only maintenance for us has been the oil changes. I honestly feel that the quality of the engine and transmission we should be able to get 225-250K all day long. Take care of it and it will take care of you. I mentioned the car is heavy feeling and it is - if you were to get into an accident all the air bags and shear weight of the vehicle will protect you. As far as mileage goes that kinda subjective - I get between 30-34 on the hwy and 25 in the city, so Audi's cannot even come close to this. If you can find one with Navigation, you should get it, as it pretty much uses the same Nav in all the upper end Beamers.

100,000 Miles and Head Gasket Blown..OUCH!

Our 2013 BMW X1 was so much fun to drive. Perfect size to fit my road bike and automatic tennis ball feeder. Great in winter weather. Great little car all around....UNTIL we spent $1200 on brakes and rotors at about 60k miles. 1000k on replace an arm that was worn out and squeaked really loud while driving it, AND it’s now at 100k miles and we’ll be spending 4000k To replace a blown head gasket. The fun ends when white smoke is billowing out of your car as your cruising down the interstate....not to mention you’re wallet is empty.

Beware of the tires!

The car has 3000 miles on it, is great to drive, good on ice and snow. Unfortunately, we have to drive it on a short gravel road....a road which is graded regularly and well maintained. A small piece of gravel embedded in the tire and caused a slow leak. When the stone was removed....totally flat tire which I was told did not allow the car to be driven (my home is 40 miles from the nearest dealer). No replacement tire available for 3 days. No loaner cars available. Almost $600 for a new tire....$130 for car rental. Perhaps this is an isolated event and there will be no additional tire problems. If not, there will be one very unhappy customer!

CPO is the way to go

If you want the USB to actually be universal, you have to option the car with the expensive navigation, which I didn't, buying used, not knowing the USB wasn't. I've never used the sunroof, but love the heated steering wheel in the winter. Good little power packed mini SUV with great steering.

BMW X1

Have had our 2013 X1 since middle of May 2013. In less than 800 miles brakes failed. Again, the same problem at 1900 miles. Seems short on power and acceleration. Not very pleased and hope to trade up very soon to an X3. Would not recommend this vehicle base on my experience.

Wow! This is Fun!

I've had my 28iXdrive for 14 months. This is my daily driver and outside 24/7. It's a small car, but good for me and my 22 mile daily commute in Chicago Winters. Mine had the heated seats and steering wheel, a must have for cold weather. The steering is so tight and precise. The acceleration of this twin turbo, blows me away, and it just keeps on going. Excellent handling car, firm suspension. I haven't had any problems at all. Mine retailed over $38k

Adorable Car!

I didn't expect to be able to afford this car but I'm so glad I looked! In the price range it is so far ahead of the others we looked at. I still haven't used the technology but I expect it to be great, as everything else is. I was hoping to buy a car with a little more storage, but again, I'm glad I looked at this car anyway. It really has plenty of room. I love my X1!

Fun to drive and fuel saving!

Pros:

Practical, Powerful, and fun too!

We just took delivery of our Valencia Orange X135 M Sport with all the options. What a car!! After driving a few of the competitors, the choice was clear once we drove the X1. There is nothing like a BMW, and this one is solid. The layout of the interior is very nice, seats are comfortable, visibility is good, and the Harmon-Kardon sound system is awesome. You will never think of this car as an SUV when it comes to driving dynamics. Despite the slightly higher ride height, you may as well be driving a BMW sedan with the older, better, hydraulic steering setup. Also, this car is an amazing value, coming in nearly fully loaded under 50 grand.

6 Years, 40,000 miles and Subpar Brakes

The BMW X1 is a decent SAV or station wagon. To be blunt, SUVs or SAVs are the modern day station wagon. We have driven this vehicle for six years and up until this month it has had very few issues or problems. There were two recalls, one for the airbag and another for a brake pump issue, but other than that nothing. Now we have a issue with the brakes. It needs new pads, rotors and sensors, which runs about $1,600! I can understand replacing brake pads at 40,000 miles, but not rotors. There was no warning about this until we noticed a bit of vibration when braking, especially going downhill. Of course, this is not covered by any warranty as it is a maintenance item. I have owned many vehicles over the years and I have never had to replace rotors at 40,000 miles. I mean this is not a track vehicle and it is not made to drive hard or fast for that matter. It is a boulevard and highway cruiser made to transport people from one point to the next. It is not an ultimate driving machine. I have owned BMWs in the past that were sporty, fast and fun to drive, but not the X1. BMW has lost their soul so to speak with their automobiles. They are more focused on vehicles for the masses. I mean take the choices of transmissions. You can get an automatic or an automatic. How about the information system with its dial of death. Spin it round and round as you hunt through menus and sub-menus to change the radio station or the music source. Overall, I would say this is a good car for a family of four who want a BMW, but do not want to spend a fortune. Just be easy on the brakes and remember this is not your father's BMW. That BMW was fun, sporty and a blast to drive. Another year and a half have gone by since my first review. The vehicle has just over 50,000 miles now. There have been no additional issues. Again, this vehicle is an average, family hauling machine. The value has dropped significantly over the years; however, outside the subpar brakes it has been very reliable.

Awesome X1

Typical BMW, TOP QUALITY

i like baby beamer

this is a great car. the only gripe i have is that i can only load one cd at a time. handles fabulously, best turn ratio ever. amazing pick up, smooth drive

My BWN X1

The handling is excellent. Maintenance is expensive though.

Ultimate driving machine!

I bought my 2013 X1 used with 52k miles on it. It runs and drives like a dream. So far, no major mechanical issues. I had the auto dimming headlight sensor go out on me and it was fixed in about 10 minutes without having to be replaced. Really good exceleration as well as fuel mileage. I love BMW's interior design, and everything is easy to use. The only thing I would like to see is the engine kill function go away. Other than that, I love my car and I will be upgrading to the X5 very soon!

ORANGE SUNSHINE

i35 runs like a scalded ape & handles like a cougar on the prowl! I ran off the line neck & neck w a superbike yesterday, twice (He took me on the 3rd however). LOL! Since i purchased used frm San Diego BMW, i wasn't able 2 get all options desired. Would have loved backup camera & heated seats. But mine is M Sport w motion adaptive headlights & lighting pkg which illuminates door handles, a cool addition. Love the rims but since tinting widows recently, my car buddies tell me i have 2 have wheels powder coated blk 2 match tailpipes. Looking forward to having them done soon. Would definitely recommend this model & year 2 anyone who wants utility of a small SUV; near performance of a 135i; but isn't too concerned about mediocre gas mileage & increasing cost of premium fuel.

A high performance station wagon

The X1 is a really good idea. For whatever reason Americans won't buy station wagons, even though they have tons of good qualities. Instead they buy pigmobile SUVs. The X1 is actually a 3 series station wagon, but designed to fool people into thinking it's an SUV. The 2 liter turbo four is plenty powerful with the 8 speed, and gets amazing gas mileage for the performance you get. Unlike most SUVs this car has amazing handling. About the only downside is that it is not large inside, for us it's fine, but this isn't going to work as a hauler. Compare to something like a Subaru or 32k, the 38k for this is a bargain!

Gas mileage is not as promised other than that it's great SUV

BMW promises gas mileage of 24-34, I normally drive to work and very little city(20%), was expecting at least 30mpg. but not even close, I normally get around 26-28mpg, I used to drive Prius, so knows how to save on gas while driving on freeway or in city. Other than that the really loved this SUV.

We call her Cherry Velatte', because she IS cherry

You should get better gas mileage than the stated amount. You will be glad it is so quiet. We love it, and in the process of buying a new one right now.

Great car for a great price

This is a fun little SAV with all the benefits of a sedan in terms of driveability (used to drive a 2006 325i), and many of the benefits of a bigger SUV as well. Steering, handling, acceleration, and ride comfort are all outstanding, as BMW's should be, while the interior is simple yet luxurious with the premium or ultimate package. I would highly recommend this vehicle for small families or outdoorsy singles, esp in colder climates.

2013 X1 still runs like new

Had an X3 before, moved to smaller X1 in 2013 as it better fit my needs. A great car with all you expect from BMW--excellent feel and handling and speed ready when needed. After years of use, have only needed the basics of care provided by dealer, no other issues of any sort.

lacking

Have driven my X1 over 2000 miles and still the fuel efficiency is only 27.3 max. I drive only highways, use the cruise control, and the eco option. The steering wheel feels heavy (in comparison with my old SAAB that is a delight to drive) but I will take a bunch of weight lifting classes with a personal trainer starting next week so this should help to drive (no kidding - it is a heavy cow, like it has no power assist, maybe it does not). The car does not allow for a trailer mount to put a bike rack on the back, the roof rack is hard to find (yes, Thule apparently makes it but I ordered one at REI over a month ago and I am still waiting). It looks nice in orange, though...

Mostly pleased

Did not come with xm radio or zenon lights...interior storage room virtually none. Easy car to drive fast. Heated steering wheel nice

Unique Value

I've been driving my X1 for about a month now, and can say it's the perfect combo of fun and functionality for me. The 2 liter turbo is wonderfully paired with the 8 speed auto. I've driven stick shifts for the past 20 years, and haven't missed the control of a manual -this auto reads my mind. I was looking for an AWD wagon that was fun to drive, compact, but not cramped. It came down to this and the Subaru Outback, but the Outback was a little too big and soft for me. I said "no" to all the pricey packages, getting ala carte options like heated seats, panoramic moonroof (worth every penny), and some nice wood inlays. The car was about $33k - a real value for such a well built vehicle

My love BMW X1

The problem is went you trust the BMW and buy extended guaranty and you think I’m good but you realize you take you car and trust this people but they don’t do good check in you car and they wait for the garantía finish and coming with all this repair.. so now I ask my self why I expend all this money for nothing UPDATE: I love everything about my car the power went I drive and made me feel so free and save

The X1 is fantastic

The X1 is a very solid, high performing compact SUV (or SAV as BMW calls it). The performance, corning and high quality interior are all amazing. The car has lots of power. I only have 3000 miles on the car so far but it handles very well and enjoy the many technology features on car including the numerous I drive features.

6 months owned still loving it

Great car it is the ultimate driving experience, nothing compares. Handling, acceleration all fantastic. Would buy again. All still true after 6 months of owning.

X1

Love this Car

Tires have to be replaced at 40000

2013 BMW X1 XDrive 28i

I special order this vehicle in Aug 2012 and got it from the dealership in Sep 24 2012.Vehicle is loaded with all options,color -mineral gray metallic.Its a wow! luxury Sav.Its extremely fun to drive-long or short distances,my wife loves to drive it all time,its solid and comfortable to drive,it delivers excellent performance,power,handling and gas mileage.The exterior design is unique,interior is of high quality, high tech gadgets and accessories are simple to use, safety features are impressive.Its fast and quick acceleration,The 2013 bmw x1 is worth buying.