Looks like the 2010 BMW X1 may not be as adept at driving on snow as BMW would have us believe. Although we're pretty sure the car handles well, it was BMW's misfortune that a test driver lost control of the vehicle, getting stuck in the snow ... with a spy photographer a few meters away.
Whoops.
Even worse is that the BMW engineers needed the aid of a Volkswagen Tiguan to pull it out of the snow drift. For the record, the X1 is expected to cost anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000, or roughly $10,000 to $25,000 more than the Tiguan.
Double whoops.
On the positive side, those are some pretty cool alloys being sported by the test vehicle. These brand new wheels are also new to us, and appear to be different from any other set seen in previous spy pictures. They also differ from those on the X1 concept.
All the spy could say is that the "BMW X1 is not production ready." We just chalk it up to BMW's bad luck. Maybe they can produce a video of the rumored Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz BLK suffering the same fate. Or maybe BMW should not have released the video of the X1 drifting on snow after all.
Triple whoops.
BMW X1 Gets Stuck in Snow Bank
BMW X1 prototype stuck in snow bank
By Zack Newmark
February 20, 2009 8:41 PM
Filed Under: BMW, German, Spy Photos
Tags: 2010 BMW X1, BMW X1
Comments
Beetle
February 20, 2009 8:51 PM
How embaressing.
Iconic
February 20, 2009 8:52 PM
Now that's going to be a waste of money. Never understood the point of this car, unless they get rid of the X3.
Starscream123
February 20, 2009 10:01 PM
The X1 is yet another addition to BMW's endless niche-making. The X3 was rubbish, and judging by the concept X1, this should be even worse! BMW have seriously lost it with it's niches. Will they ever be stopped? WHO KNOWS?
Edited by user on February 20, 2009 at 10:01 PM
DieselDog
February 20, 2009 10:03 PM
Perhaps VW should use this incident to their advantage. To compare the two vehicles, the X1 appears less tall, but longer overall, with a longer wheelbase - and perhaps is wider, too. The end result should have more passenger and luggage capacity than the Tiguan - but not $10,000 more. I wonder if either manufacturer will offer thier vehicle in the sates with a diesel engine-manual transmission option...
zdenda20
February 20, 2009 10:28 PM
I love BMWs...i hate the X3...and ill hate the X1...its not a propper beemer
Joe_Limon
February 21, 2009 12:23 AM
What's with all these European concepts crashing/getting stuck? You don't see this thing happening with any other company.
AG4
February 21, 2009 12:38 AM
Do extreme testing (including drifting in the snow) and something like this is bound to happen.
Haven't seen this happen to other companies? Who knows, what if they don't push their crossovers as hard when they test them.
Joe_Limon
February 21, 2009 1:27 AM
Are you serious? I highly doubt that this, the alfa crash and the porsche crash as of recently were due to drifting their cars... even though that may sound cool, it's highly unprofessional and you would get much better data from a closed course skid pad in varying conditions.
AG4
February 21, 2009 1:40 AM
There are many possibilities. It could have just been a nornal accident that could have heppened to another vehicle in that same situation.
Another possible reason why we don't see this happen to its competitors? Spy photographers like to spy on BMWs and catch everything including their mistakes. Its like there's a new set of X1 and X3 spy photos every few weeks.
Joe_Limon
February 21, 2009 5:22 AM
I agree, three normal accidents caused either by chance, or imo more likely, by bad test drivers.
AG4
February 21, 2009 7:36 AM
Bad test drivers? Maybe...
I just wonder why spy photographers always target German vehicles. The past few weeks and months, most of the spy photos were that of the upcoming BMWs and Porsches.
PS: When was the last time a BMW crossover got stuck in snow?
Edited by user on February 21, 2009 at 7:40 AM
Joe_Limon
February 21, 2009 7:39 AM
lol the x1 is still in camo, of course there isn't going to be any other recorded crashes. And I was saying accidents in general... i.e. the guy from Porsche who got decapitated.
AG4
February 21, 2009 7:46 AM
This is off-topic, but I don't know about those accidents involving prototypes taking place in public roads. The hard thing is when they do an endurance test like the 998 prototype that got into an accident, it wasn't even a high-speed run.
How do you do an endurance test in a close track?
Joe_Limon
February 21, 2009 9:34 AM
Most of the vehicle components are endurance tested separately from their intended automobile, and in many cases contracted out to their vendors. You cannot feasibly put on over 100,000kms on a car endurance testing it. Because most of the damage done to a car is in the transient stages it see's while it warms up. A car that has been run for 100,000kms straight in city conditions will have much less wear then everyday highway kms over 10 years. You might also find this link interesting. http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080627.005/video-porsche-engine-test-rig-simulates-nrburgring-nordschleife
Edited by user on February 21, 2009 at 9:37 AM
freeway
February 21, 2009 6:35 PM
hey, guys!!! what's with all this crossfire? you lost it on the way... is this such a big subject to argue about??? test cars ending up in snow banks??? and because they were all european that means to you that american cars are better? huh... that's quite a "logic" idea... or maybe europe being such a crowded place to be, it's hard to hide anything from public eye whilst in Alaska, for example, they can test their new cars for weeks and nobody will ever notice it
Joe_Limon
February 21, 2009 9:50 PM
I said nothing about the quality of vehicle. I was merely commenting that this string of incidents is either an unfortunate coincident, or European test drivers need to learn how to drive better.
norther
February 21, 2009 2:05 AM
of course it got stuck. it is stupid and useless.. like the x3. and look, it is towed by a tiguan :))) these cars shouldnt exist.
BabyMilo
February 21, 2009 6:36 AM
Of course it would get stuck in the snow, BMW dont make offroaders for offroading they make offroaders for people who live in cities that like the look of an offroader. I love the X5, luke warm on the X3 and i think i will be luke warm on the X1 aswell they just arent as nice as the rest of the BMW line up
mickey_f1
February 21, 2009 10:46 AM
I must have an xDrive BMW car immediately!!!! It would serve as a tent on a mountain trip!
Anthropos
February 21, 2009 7:54 PM
This calls for an ad: "Congratulations BMW for getting out of the snow, from the company that made it possible" -VW.
pzigly
February 22, 2009 5:54 AM
Actually, benz made it all possible. VW just got lucky that hitler and the nazis financed their R&D to make the beetle. Which is how VW got started. Know the history before you make such comments.
Edited by user on February 22, 2009 at 5:55 AM
Joe_Limon
February 22, 2009 6:19 AM
wow, way to ruin a joke pzigly. I knew that but it didn't make Anthropos comment any less humorous. Actually... my great great gran dad is the person who started the great depression... if it wasn't for him there would have been no need for a "peoples car" and vw would never have come about! Of course I am being sarcastic.
Kalos
February 23, 2009 9:53 AM
I think it is normal for a car to get stuck or get involved in an accident during testing. These incidents at least allows the engineers and others to study what and analyse the cause of the accident. With such incidents the people that be are able to put in place systems or gadgets to at least minimise such accidents or incidents in future.
ocean_drift
February 26, 2009 2:27 AM
with a little bit of research Porsche borrowed money from his Jewish friends to develop the Betele!
I still don't get it, even a ranger rover can get stuck in a mud or snow even with its state of the art stuffs, depending on situations. Testing is the time you want to see what all things can go wrong so that they can correct it. They might have used the VW to pull the BMW out because that must have been the closest help they could get.
MAGJR1219
February 28, 2009 8:49 PM
IDK WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE X1 B/C X3'S & X5'S R GOOD IN THE SNOW
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