Subaru XV and the BMW X1.

sirisome · October 21, 2018

Can i have a comparison of the Subaru xv and the BMW x1? 1st hand usage experience in Sri Lanka will be greatly appreciated from the 2014/2015 range xv and the 2011 range x1

I will be using it as a daily runner. Weekdays in Colombo rush hours; weekends in the suburbs; on and off for family tripping.
Are there any probable faults to watch out for during usage and what to check for before buying?
Are there suitable mechanics and service stations located outstations (i.e Kandy and Galle)?
What is more suitable for Sri Lanka from your point of view?

chathum · October 24, 2018

I can't recommend the BMW x1 enough. It is such a lovely and a reliable vehicle to own. Try to get a good company maintained low milage version (below 50k kms) if possible. Below are some of the points I recommend. (I owned one for 3 years and still misses it after upgrading)

Be sure to maintain it at agents, it is important when it comes to reselling the vehicle, but also take opinions from other popular BMW garages in colombo - I am not sure if you'd be able to maintain it outside colombo.
No faults to watch out as much as I know, BMW recommends all N47 engines to have done a measure on timing chain - agents do this FOC if the vehicle is maintained under them.Chances are a vehicle you buy these days may have done it already. But check that anyway.
It does pretty well on Fuel - mine did about 10kmpl in colombo and 17 on highway. ( of course you would need to pump super diesel)
Parts are somewhat expensive, all break pads and disks (front and rear) costed me almost 200k. a BMW AGM battery that would run you for over 5 years would cost about 100k as well, but if it has been replaced recently with a genuine AGM battery then you wouldn't need one for 5 years.
It is not a vehicle to do off roading, in normal driving conditions around SL, I've never had an issue where ground clearance was an issue.

All in all - it is such a wonderful vehicle to own around that price range. You feel good driving and owning one.

ajm · October 21, 2018

parts would be easier for the X1 to find,since its a more established model compared to the other. Also haven't heard of any major engine,gearbox issues. Technology would be similar despite the age gap,since the Euros normally are 3-5 years ahead of Japanese. On the other hand haven't heard of issues with the Subaru either,although it doesn't seem very popular like the vesels and outlander...

sirisome · October 22, 2018

Thank you @ajm

Yea, there is hardly any information about these locally ...

kmeeg · October 23, 2018

If you don’t mind experience outside of Sri Lanka for 2017/2018 BMW X1 vs Subaru XV on bit of rough road. My friend was driving BMW X1 on a rough road on a weekend trip. We had some problems with its low ground clearance vs we saw another person going on Subaru with less trouble. I think in general Subaru has better ground clearance.

I don’t know it’s default or not. My friends BMW X1 had a glass roof and only thinking covering was mesh like thing. There was no option to fully cover like in a regular sunroof. It was bit annoying on a sunny.

Also I was not too happy with the gear shifter either. It was bit longer to my taste doesn’t have that premium look.

Overall it was a fun car for tripping.

(I just shared my short experience and apologies if it is not relevant since the experience is not in SL and year is newer not 2014/2015).

sirisome · October 23, 2018

Thank you @kmeeg much appreciated.

kmeeg · October 24, 2018

On 10/24/2018 at 3:10 PM, chathum said:

5. It is not a vehicle to do off roading, in normal driving conditions around SL, I've never had an issue where ground clearance was an issue.

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I didn't mean to use is as an off-road vehicle. As far as I have heard BMW have a good AWD system so wish it had bit more ground clearance. As for our experience we didn't have much problem with front bumper but we were scare that we would scratch the sides as it was bit lower to the ground.

Edited October 25, 2018 by kmeeg

kmeeg · October 25, 2018

On 10/24/2018 at 5:07 PM, kmeeg said:

I didn't mean to use is as an off-road vehicle. As far as I have heard BMW have a good AWD system so wish it had bit more ground clearance. As for our experience we didn't have much problem with front bumper but we were scare that we would scratch the sides as it was bit lower to the ground.

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Found 1 video of the road we were taking. Since we can't attach video sending this pic. It was ton of fun..

sirisome · October 25, 2018

Thank you all for the nice info will keep these in mind.

If i might add another question, when it comes to the X1 being not so off roading and all, does it make sense to go for a 3 series? I guess the e90/92 will be in the same price bracket and offer more options?

Edited October 25, 2018 by sirisome

ajm · October 25, 2018

none of these entry segment mini SUVs(X1,XV,Q2..) are off roaders. But the suspension should be designed to handle above average bumps during on-road driving better than a sedan.(At the cost of stability at high speeds) Although the body kit makes it look low, it might never be a big issue as you fear.

chathum · October 26, 2018

On 10/25/2018 at 4:53 PM, sirisome said:

Thank you all for the nice info will keep these in mind.

If i might add another question, when it comes to the X1 being not so off roading and all, does it make sense to go for a 3 series? I guess the e90/92 will be in the same price bracket and offer more options?

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It is not an off-roader, they are called crossovers these days. E90 is a sedan and you certainly feel a difference in the ground clearance if you compare the e90 to a x1 (e84). When I had the x1 I never had to slow down when moving the vehicle over a bumber in colombo. But I do with my current sedan.

E90 was lunched in 2007 but the x1 was 2011. You are getting a slightly newer model by getting an X1. Plus the 3 series(e90) is already behind 2 models (f30 and the g20)

sharma · October 28, 2018

I have a 2015 XV (non hybrid), it's a nice vehicle - rugged and versatile, stable ride and never gave a trouble so far. Not sure about X1 but we have an X3 in the family, BMW is usually in a different league than Subaru. Comparatively XVs suspension is a bit rough and the bells and whistles are less. Repairs and maintenance is no problem with the Agent (Senok).

If you're looking for luxury features such as leather seats, dual AC etc BMW is a good option. Also sound insulation and air filtering is good in BMW. In the traffic if I forget to turn on internal air circulation, BMW doesn't make any difference, Subaru starts smelling the exhaust of vehicles in front.

Subarus are very less and unique on the road, non hybrid comes with spare wheel and moonroof.

But the maintenance and repairs on BMW are very costly. While Subarus are reliable long term cars, BMWs start giving issues after 4 or 5 years.