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Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Dibs on the backseat
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BMW’s X1 Long Wheelbase is comfy – if you’re riding in the back. Fans of the OG car will miss the front-seat massage functions and adaptive cruise control
The electric iX1 has been a quiet sensation for BMW in India. Stretched for extra legroom and priced sharply, it ran away with the luxury EV market almost as soon as it landed. Now, BMW is betting the same trick will work with petrol power. Enter the X1 Long Wheelbase, a stretched version of its smallest SUV, aimed at buyers who spend more time being driven than driving and don’t want to be slaves to a plug.
The stretch is cleverly disguised. The X1 LWB is longer than the regular car, with nearly all of that gain going between the wheels. Squint and you could mistake it for the standard X1: The same sharp headlamps, sporty M Sport styling and angular tail-lamps. A chrome window surround and 18-inch wheels round things off, though a flashier wheel design would have lifted the stance considerably.
Step into the back, and the point of this car becomes obvious. The rear doors open wide, and the space is genuinely surprising for a compact luxury SUV. The backrest reclines a touch, and the seat has softer cushioning and better under-thigh support. A vast fixed-glass roof and big windows flood the cabin with light, making it feel airier still. It is best enjoyed by two; a third passenger has more leg room than before but still straddles a tall central tunnel.
Up front, the dashboard looks fresh and youthful, with a neat upright wireless charging pad and a floating console that keeps a few essential buttons within reach. Materials at the main touchpoints feel suitably premium, though the finer details do not quite match pricier BMWs. Curiously, the massage and ventilation functions for the front seats have been dropped, which chauffeurs may quietly mourn.
Tech is handled by BMW’s twin curved screens. The touchscreen is crisp and quick, but crams in too much, including the air-con controls, and can feel busy while on the move. Highlights include a 360-degree camera, a reversing assistant, a digital key you can share with family, and an ear-pleasing 12-speaker Harman Kardon system. Eight airbags and auto emergency braking cover the safety brief, though adaptive cruise control is absent.
Under the bonnet sits a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol, sending 156hp to the front wheels. In the city, it feels impressively hushed, but ask for a quick overtake and there is a pause, followed by a gruff thrum that does not sound very BMW. There is no diesel option either, which feels like a miss for long-distance customers.
The chassis, to its credit, is the more talented half. The steering is accurate and the car changes direction with genuine crispness. The X1 doesn’t get unsettled by bad roads, but the worst patches tend to filter through to the passengers.
Much is forgiven when you hear the price. At ₹49.90 lakh, the X1 LWB actually undercuts the outgoing standard-wheelbase petrol X1 by a lakh. More space for less money is rare in the luxury world. It out-lounges the Mercedes-Benz GLA and Audi Q3 with ease and makes a fine case as the thinking buyer’s chauffeur-driven compact SUV.
From HT Brunch, September 12, 2026
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