BMW’->ke178s recent move toward mass appeal has struck again. The German automaker has announced at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show->ke2062 a long wheelbase version of its all-new X1->ke2474 crossover. The X1 LWB, as it’s called, grows by 3.1 inches to accommodate more rear-seat legroom – something blazingly popular in the Chinese culture. And yes, the X1 LWB is built exclusively for the Chinese and within a Chinese factory.

This compiles atop BMW’s move to redefine the X1. For the 2016 model year, the X1 was completely redesigned with a new architecture, drivetrain layout, and aesthetic design details. The crossover->ke288 moves from its original rear-wheel drive, longitudinally oriented drivetrain and platform borrowed from the 1 Series->ke313 sedan to the FWD platform borrowed from the 2 Series Active Tourer.

While we could harp on BMW’s decision to adopt FWD architectures all day, the automaker seems to be confident average consumers won’t (and don’t) know the difference. That will probably hold the truest in this lengthened crossover built for comfort rather than spirited driving. Wealthy Chinese drivers, after all, are smitten with the living room-like qualities of long vehicles. That’s clearly evident by the number of long wheelbase vehicles debuting at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show.

The X1 LWB will be built by BMW’s China partner, BMW Brilliance’s Tiexi plant in Shenyang. That plant is already familiar with the X1, as it built roughly 140,000 examples for the first-generation X1. For those outside China actually curious about the X1 LWB, don’t get too excited. The stretched crossover is only available within the People’s Republic. If you still want all the details on BMW’s newest crossover, keep reading.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW X1 LWB.

2017 BMW X1 LWB

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 BMW X1 LWB
  • Engine/Motor: inline-3
  • Horsepower: 136
  • Transmission: six-speed automatic
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The BMW X1 LWB carries the all-new looks of the second-generation X1 introduced for the 2016 model year. The front continues to wear the BMW kidney bean grille, quad headlights, and aggressive lower fascia. The X1’s sides sport hard accent lines around the wheel openings and horizontally across the doors. The roofline bows to the modern coupe-like slope that tapers downward from a raked windshield.

The body is accented by plenty of chrome, including on the grille, within the headlights, along the rocker panels, around the side windows, and long the lower rear fascia.

The major change, of course, is the extra 3.1 inches of wheelbase length added within the rear doors. The extra inches give rear-seat passengers more legroom and provide a larger overall cargo area when the second row bench is folded flat. It will be hard to tell the difference between the X1 and X1 LWB unless they’re parked side-by-side. From the official photos, the X1 LWB’s proportions don’t look disturbed by the extra length. Spec wise, the X1 LWB measures 179.5 inches long – a full 4.7 inches longer than the standard X1.

Interior

The BMW X1 LWB features an identical interior as the standard-length X1, well, minus the extra legroom in the second row footwells. The dashboard carries BMW’s current elongated horizontal theme with a large accent panel separating the upper and lower portions of the dash. The center stack is topped with the iPad-like infotainment screen, followed by the air vents, radio controls, and HVAC controls. Below that is a small storage space with retractable rolling doors. The gearshift is surrounded by buttons on its left and rear, placed within easy reach of the driver.

Of course, the biggest feature of the X1 LWB is the second row seats. Like the standard X1, the X1 LWB’s 40/20/40-split bench can be adjusted fore and aft for accommodating either passenger comfort or cargo space. The seatbacks also fold flat, just like before. When laid down, the X1 LWB offers 1,650 liters, or 58.2 cubic feet of cargo room. With the seatbacks in place, there’s still between 16.4 and 23.8 cubic feet, depending on the seat’s fore and aft position, which can slide 5.1 inches.

Hauling cargo isn’t the X1 LWB’s main job, so rear passengers will enjoy the extra three inches of legroom. See, in China, it’s popular to middle and upper class citizens to hire a chauffeur for weekday commutes to work and to drive themselves on the weekends. With folks willing to work for a pittance, it’s easy to hire cheap labor as a driver, making the chauffeuring experience possible for a decent number of Chinese people. This is why automakers are scrambling to release long wheelbase version of their vehicles to the Chinese market.

Drivetrain

While the X1 LWB has some extra length, BMW has kept all the greasy bits the same as the standard X1. There are three engines available and xDrive AWD is optional on the midgrade and standard on the upper grade. The base X1 is the sDrive18Li powered by a 1.5-liter three-cylinder and sends 136 horsepower to the front wheels via the six-speed Steptronic automatic transmission.

The mid-grade sDrive20Li uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that generates 192 horsepower. BMW’s xDrive AWD system is available here, making the X1’s designation the xDrive20Li. Finally, the range-topping model is the xDrive25Li. It uses the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder, but is tuned to generate 231 horsepower. AWD comes standard here. Both four-cylinders are mated to BMW’s eight-speed Steptronic transmission.

BMW says the X1 LWB can achieve between 31 and 38.5 mpg combined.

Prices

BMW has yet to release official pricing for the X1 LWB, but the standard-length crossover carries a starting price of 282,000 yuan, or roughly $43,440 at current exchange rates. Expect BMW to charge a premium for the LWB version of the X1. We’d guess the price will rise by another $2,000 or so. We’ll update you once the official prices are released.

Competition

Audi A4L

Okay, so the A4 and the BMW X1 aren’t generally competitors, but both models received long wheelbase versions at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show. This gives Chinese customers looking for a LWB vehicle some brand new choices. Obviously a sedan, the A4L has much less cargo room than the X1 LWB, but still offers a very generous amount of rear-seat legroom.

The car’s sole engine option is the 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder. Audi does offer it in two output versions, however, with the standard making 190 horsepower while the optional tune generates 252 horsepower. A seven-speed S Tronic transmission sends power to either the front wheels or, when optioned with Audi’s quattro AWD system, all four wheels.

Read our full review on the Audi A4L here.

Conclusion

The BMW X1 LWB might seem silly to buyers outside China, but it’s likely BMW will sell a slew of these. In fact, more than 200,000 first-generation X1s were sold since its introduction in 2010. Now BMW is opening the X1 to a larger section of the Chinese market with the LWB version, so we expect to see a decent increase in sales.

All that aside, it’s interesting to see how automakers are catering to China’s thirst for LWB vehicles these days. While markets outside China aren’t likely to receive any of these elongated vehicles, automakers certainly see a growing area that apparently has huge potential. And in all honesty, it’s probably a good thing for BMW it won’t release the X1 LWB outside China. The limo-like, FWD crossover just doesn’t fit the company’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan. Perhaps BMW should modify its catch phrase for China to: “The Ultimate Riding Machine.”