When the new generation BMW X1 is unveiled this year, around mid-2015, it will mark the first time a BMW SUV is fitted with a three-cylinder engine driving the front wheels.
Expected to offer better value (whether through more equipment and/or lower prices) as a result of the engine downsizing and driveline changes, BMW is readying its new-generation X1 in the face of increasing competition from the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class and Audi Q3 small SUVs.
Based on BMW's new UKL platform architecture, which also underpins front-drive models such as the 2 Series Active Tourer and MINI hatch, the new X1 is expected to deliver more interior space thanks to the platform's transversely mounted engine layout.
Currently the engine is positioned longitudinally, which takes up considerably more space. As such, BMW insiders say the new X1 will be shorter than the current model yet will still offer improved cabin comfort.
Spied here undergoing cold weather testing, alongside what is being dubbed the Family Active Sports Tourer, or FAST – a seven-seat version of the 2 Series Active Tourer – the new BMW X1 will be offered with the same 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and diesel three-cylinder engines seen in the new MINI hatch. Other engine choices are likely to include 2.0-litre four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engines, and a plug-in hybrid version is possible too.
Although the camouflage is significant, making details impossible to discern, the new X1 appears to have a slightly sportier shape via a more sloped roofline and a higher shoulder line, which narrows the windows somewhat.
The vehicle snapped here shows off twin exhaust outlets and a roof spoiler suggesting it could be the sportier high-output 2.0-litre turbo-petrol model.
Although the front-wheel drive models are expected to become the top-selling models, because they'll be cheaper, lighter and use less fuel, all-wheel drive (xDrive in BMW speak) models will be retained, employing a rear coupling system for drive aft.
The seven-seat version of the BMW Active Tourer isn't expected to make an appearance until at least 2016, with more work to be done on the front-drive hauler. Although the vehicle still doesn't have a name, it would appear that it will have more of a crossover design than the top-heavy 2 Series Active Tourer.