BMW has announced mileage figures for the 2013 X1 crossover, and the high-riding wagon is as fuel-thrifty as the new-for-2012 3-series sedan. The X1 has been on sale in Europe for a few years, but for 2013 BMW gave the crossover a midcycle refresh and sent it our way for the first time. It will be available with two turbocharged engines—a 240-hp 2.0-liter four and a 300-hp 3.0-liter inline-six—that both hook up to eight-speed automatics. Buyers can spec their four-cylinder X1 with either rear- or all-wheel drive, and the six-cylinder X1 is available only with all-wheel drive.
The rear-wheel-drive X1 sDrive28i is rated for 24 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway, and the all-wheel-drive xDrive28i manages 22 and 30 mpg city/highway. The burlier turbo six nets a respectable—given its power—18 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. The sDrive28i matches the highway figure of the new automatic-equipped 328i sedan, which is powered by the same turbo four; the sDrive28i bests its city number by 1 mpg. The X1 matches up to its key competition as well. Currently, only Acura’s redesigned 2013 RDX can be considered a real competitor to BMW’s small luxury crossover, but soon Audi will send us its Q3 for 2014, and Mercedes-Benz is planning a sub-GLK-sized crossover based on the new A-class’s front-drive architecture.
The Acura RDX is rated for 20/28 mpg city/highway in front-drive form, meaning the four-cylinder X1 has it beat; however, the six-cylinder X1 is down 1 mpg on both cycles compared to the all-wheel-drive RDX. The X1 goes on sale this fall, and pricing will start at $31,545.
