Fans of the BMW X1 or its more stylish brother, the X2, will be glad to know that a new model will be offered to European customers starting this November. The sDrive20d model will be launched later this year, with the same 2-liter diesel engine we’ve all grown used to from a variety of other models. This mill was on offer for the X1 and the X2 for quite some time now but only in xDrive guise. This time you can get it with front-wheel drive alone in the sDrive configuration.
The announcement was made today and, even though pricing isn’t available yet, expect the sDrive20d model to be cheaper than its all-wheel drive alternative as well as lighter but not by much. The new BMW X1 sDrive20d and BMW X2 sDrive20d will be powered by the 2-liter diesel engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology otherwise known as B47, whose 190 hp is channeled to the front wheels via an eight-speed Steptronic transmission. Both models accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.9 seconds.
Furthermore, this autumn the 150 hp four-cylinder diesel engine in the BMW X2 xDrive18d can also link up as an option with an eight-speed Steptronic transmission. In this configuration, the BMW X2 xDrive18d will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.4 seconds, and post combined fuel consumption of 4.9 – 4.7 liters per 100 kilometers (57.7 – 60.1 mpg imp) and CO2 emissions of 130 – 123 grams per kilometer. Up until that time, the 18d model is only available in manual guise for the X2.
The new engine choices confirm BMW’s intention to keep its diesel mills alive and on sale for as long as possible. Even though sales of the compression-ignition units have been dwindling lately, their reduced CO2 emissions are seen as a great way to please legislators and their tightening regulations, forcing manufacturers to invest more into different drivetrains to cope with the changes.
