It's been a month since we had our first look at the upcoming, 2016 BMW X1's interior and now the second-gen crossover came out for another test drive. Our trusty spy photographers caught the compact crossover->ke288 stretching its wheels somewhere in Germany with a bit less camouflage covering its body. Sure, most of its exterior bits are still hidden, but there are a few details we can gaze at. Our spies managed to snap a few shots inside the vehicle as well, but it appears as nothing has changed since we last received photos of the X1's interior back in November 2014.

As a brief reminder, the second-gen BMW X1 is scheduled to make its global debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show->ke235 and hit U.S. dealerships as a 2016 model. The engine lineup will include 1.5-liter, three-cylinder and 2.0-liter, four-pot mills, the latter will be available in both gasoline and diesel guises. A ZF eight-speed automatic is likely to join the familiar six-speed manual transmission.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2016 BMW X1.

2016 BMW X1 - spy shots

At first glimpse it might seem that the crossover hasn't ditched much of its swirly wrap, but take a closer look and you'll notice BMW removed most of the cladding under the black-and-white foil. This means the car's actual body lines are visible underneath the camo, hinting that the next-gen X1 is crisper and more muscular. Needless to say, it appears as if BMW wants the upcoming X1 to bear a closer resemblance to the X5.->ke326

Unfortunately, BMW->ke178 has yet to remove the cladding from the front and rear bumpers, which prevents us from drawing a firm conclusion. However, we do expect both ends to look sportier than before, even on the base model. These spy shots also confirm the X1 gets a wide kidney grille and reshaped headlamps connected to it, a feature seen on several recently facelifted Bimmers. A pair of deeply sculpted side skirts replace the previous units.

As far as the interior is concerned, this prototype boasts the same layout as the model we saw in November 2014. Even the camouflage is nearly identical. The buttons on the center console and the main display are larger, while the area behind the gear shift lever has been redesigned, receiving a bigger storage box. The dashboard configuration remains largely unchanged.

Why it matters

As soon as the first next-gen X1 prototype hit the streets, it became clear that the new crossover would be an evolution of the current model. That's not surprising by any means, as most BMW redesigns are of facelift variety as far as the exterior goes. While these new spy shots come to confirm just that, it seems that the Germans have focused on giving the X1 a more muscular appearance with cues borrowed from the current X5. That's great news, but only if the upcoming X1 won't look like a shrunken X5.