Sport utility vehicles and crossovers once seemed destined for endless supersizing, but a funny thing happened on the way to five-buck-a-gallon gas: those big ol’ SUVs started downsizing. Enter late 2012, and the contraction has reached new lows—or highs, depending on your perspective.
BMW’s fresh-for-2013 X1 joins their stable of sport utes and starts anywhere between $30,650 and $38,450, with a 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty, and EPA ratings between 18/27 mpg and 24/34 mpg. Is this pint-sized five door a welcome addition to the SUV universe, or a needlessly shrunken crossover?
To find out, let’s drive.
