BMW X1 is on Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘Stinker’ List

According to a report by SundayTimes, the BMW X1 ends up on ex-Top Gear main man Jeremy Clarkson’s “Stinker” List.

Jeremy Clarkson also released a list of 10 “Star Cars” in the past weeks. This list included those he believed to be the best cars on sale today. The BMW M2 is on that list and quite deservingly so. Clarkson fell in love with the M2 because it is reminiscent of the traits of the first M Division cars.

The “Stinker” list is the opposite. It lists down the cars that for Clarkson, do not deserve to be bought by consumers due to various reasons. The second-generation BMW X1 is on that list mainly because it failed to improve on its predecessor.

Clarkson already didn’t like the first generation BMW X1. He says that the looks just don’t do anything for the car, the ride is not up to the BMW standard, and it is a failure in terms of practicality. The second generation is even worse, he says.

One of the main factors that he hates about the X1 now is that it doesn’t feel like a BMW. He attributes this to the decision to use the UKL platform that modern MINIs use. It is a transverse-mounted engine driving the front wheels, so it does not feel German-made.

Clarkson also thinks that the X1 doesn’t drive and feel like it’s a proper crossover. It does not do well in off-road conditions. “My test car was fitted with four-wheel drive, so you might think it’d have been able to deal with a bit of muddy ground. Nope. On a short piece of level grass it was skidding about all over the place.”

He was also not impressed with the 2.0 liter diesel engine on the X1 xDrive25d. “The range-topping TwinPower 2-litre diesel that I drove didn’t feel speedy. In fact it left the line about as enthusiastically as its designer got out of bed in the morning. With a plaintive cry of: ‘Must I?’”

Do you also feel that the X1 deserves to be on the “Stinker” list?