[Tomduck]

Honestly I don’t see an area (if you are happy to adapt to new tech) that the Q3 is superior in. Quick comparison below…

The engine in the base diesel is far superior in the BMW U11 X1. Mpg, smoothness, engine noise, pick up etc all superior. Audi has effectively stopped developing ICE engines (esp diesel) and BMW is still making improvements.

Ride is better on the BMW but if you prefer a softer ride then the Audi has that. Auto gearbox is similar, both have some mild hesitancy but sport mode on the X1 nullifies that.

Build quality and materials are better on the BMW, looks are subjective but I think the new X1 looks cutting edge modern, but again that is down to preference. I do think the Q3 looks nice.

Interior is far better on the BMW. The Audi sits (or at least feels as if It does) substantially lower even when the seat is jacked up to its maximum height it was still quite low and the sense of space in the front of the cabin is lacking in the Audi in comparison. The BMW has much better visibility out the front and sides and is much brighter cabin, the lower dash helps with this feel too. Interior materials are better on the BMW too. The X1 almost feels like a class above the Q3 now, more of a proper SUV in comparison and much more comfortable, especially if you’re tall.

The Audi is looking really dated on tech, some may see that as a positive but in a few years it will look ancient. The iDrive 9 is great, the screen is superb, of course if you end up having issues due to that you may look back and wish for old tech, depends on your outlook!

Bottom line is the Audi Q3 is starting to look its age and really could do with being updated significantly but i’m told there is only a facelift to come before they stop making new ICE cars so I don’t think there will be many changes to come. I used to drive a lot of Audi’s, had four on the trot until my last X3, I think they dropped the ball some years ago, and peaked at the time the Audi A5, Q5, R8 were in their infancy, seemed to have flatlined since.

As I say I almost got a Q3 (the new X1 wasn’t out when I ordered it) but thankfully dodged a bullet as they delivered the car specced incorrectly and I was then able to test them both back to back. It was no contest.

[richardg77]

Thanks Tom, I will definitely go and test drive the diesel X1 then, sounds like it could be the car for me.

Keep posting the updates, will be interested to see where the overall mpg settles, it is nuts that it is so efficient!

[Tomduck]

50 minutes round trip cross country without air con managed 71 mpg first leg and return trip with air con and two heated seats managed 61mpg. Still 546 miles left showing on fuel tank since first 54 litre fill, after 311 miles. This engine is nuts.

[Tunners]

Those are great figures for a new car that’s not even run in yet.

[FlashMonkey929]

I'm a bit envious, as premium fuel and diesel are about the same price here.

[Tomduck]

I have to say I didn’t think it would be quite this efficient, but as I only test drove the 23d I slightly punted it! The engine is punchier and smoother/quieter than I expected too, which is definitely the cherry on the cake. Shame about Xdrive but just like houses there is never a perfect car.

Going to have another go at setting up my phone as a key later, and whilst my trips now shows as connected it isn’t populating and just says “no journeys recorded”.

[richardg77]

Thanks for the update, remarkable stats, must be a combination of the updated 18d engine and the class leading low drag co efficient of the new X1 of 0.27. I think I may well be getting one next, subject to a test drive.

[Tomduck]

More miles under the belt…Seems to be consistently very low 50s for local town driving with the worse case mid 40s for a very busy trip into Birmingham swapping modes to test throttle response with a high number of lights/junctions etc. Low to high 60s for cross country and motorway trips so would imagine that the end result is going to be circa 60mpg overall average (currently 63 on this tank) and with a 54L tank that adds up to 700 miles capacity. The near parity of petrol and diesel prices in the UK has been very timely 🤓.

ID9 so far has no serious gremlins (touches head), although my trips still won’t work on my phone with “permissions” granted and so Genius ticket raised several days ago. I would suggest that the digital key and the app should not necessarily be relied upon 100% but this seems to be the case with all manufacturers versions. The app goes through periods where it fails to update (this morning it still thought the car was parked 10 miles away) even when refreshed and I don’t think I’d go on a long trip without a back up to the phone key, unless you’re prepared for the possibility of a major inconvenience! But iD9 is broadly speaking fast and intuitive and customisable to the nth degree although I’m disappointed it can’t serve me a double espresso, perhaps that’s coming in iD10…

As an aside my onscreen manual shows my car as having IDCID8 at the end of the version data but it appears to be ID9, unless it’s actually the “look alike” ID8.5 🤷🏼

[richardg77]

Keep those updates coming will be good to see exactly what total your first tank achieves, you would assume after a few thousand miles it could get slightly better too

[gpbayarea]

Tomduck If you go to "Displays" App -> Control Display -> System Settings -> Regulatory Notes -> Head Unit. That should show you the model number of your hardware. What does yours say?

[Tomduck]

In my iDrive the Displays menu is different and just for cockpit brightness and instrument cluster and control display so cannot follow as per your instructions.

Pic attached of my system, but apparently there is an issue with Dealer Cockpit in which it fails to display the correct operating system, this is currently under review by Germany and I’m informed my head unit is WAVElow_IDChighf 🤷🏼

[gpbayarea]

If you select “control display” you don’t then have a settings option? Guess they updated the menu structure.

[Tomduck]

Correct there have been changes.

[enjay77]

My journeys aren’t showing either on ID9 with iPhone - I have it enabled in the car so would love to hear if BMW find a fix for you on that one

[Tomduck]

[QUOTE=enjay77;30274941]My journeys aren’t showing either on ID9 with iPhone - I have it enabled in the car so would love to hear if BMW find a fix for you on that one

When I get a reply will update you 👍

[Tomduck]

Latest update, first 1000 miles done and dusted. Overall MPG 62, worse trip was 45mpg on a local in and out. Very happy with this economy, and the engine really is sweet considering it’s only 150bhp. Still no issues with stop start or gearbox and I can’t think of anything I would take points off the car for in regards of the drive or build quality. As I said before class leading.

However I have rather given up on the app to be honest, the my trips has never connected and Genius logged an issue and never heard back. Car play doesn’t seem to connect continuously unless I do a volume reset which seems to last a few days and then you have to repeat the process. Can’t say this stuff hugely bothers me as the BMW sat nav is flawless and the music plays via bluetooth but it may bother others…I don’t know if this is iD9 specific but generally iD9 is super quick and intuitive.

[MontyB1]

Not had any CarPlay issues at all on ID8 so suspect it’s an ID9 issue. My Trips works really well in the app on the 25e, everything gets logged so can see how much it’s using ICE or eDrive etc and all the charging it’s done. Not had a single issue with that element, some of the other bits the app pause the other week but all seems ok now.

Great to see the good economy.

[Tomduck]

Thanks Monty.

Yeah it may be iD9 then, i think if my car was electric instead of a deisel then seeing trip data on my phone would be more important but frankly the data in the car is more than I have ever had in a car before and I expect I’ll hardly use the app or want to. At some point i’ll get back in touch with Genius but for now it’s nothing I can’t live without!

[redlion8]

Yeah CarPlay seems hit or miss in ID9 - mine works consistently for a while and then doesn’t work and then works again. Doesn’t seem to have an obvious pattern.

[Tomduck]

Originally Posted by redlion8

Yeah CarPlay seems hit or miss in ID9 - mine works consistently for a while and then doesn’t work and then works again. Doesn’t seem to have an obvious pattern.

When yours “reconnects” is that doing a volume button reset or it just comes back automatically? Mine allows me to use the phone but won’t bring up car play music and the “wheel” just keeps looping round trying to connect.

[redlion8]

It will fail to connect but then if I lock the car and come back to it an hour later then it may or may not work again.

[Tomduck]

Another 6 weeks and another 1000 miles under the belt, Car Play issues now largely sorted, with only occasional soft reset required to connect (last one 2 weeks ago).

Overall average MPG since factory now stands at 61mpg. I don’t think I will see much difference going forward as it seems predictable. The worse MPG is 40 on very short local trips, with the best being 68-70MPG on careful (70mph) motorway runs. When I last refilled right to the top for a brief instant the mileage in tank reading said 800, never had a car reach that level on a 54 litre tank or even a 60 litre tank!

Car continues to drive superbly, no issues with fit and finish, no rattles, hopefully this continues to be the case going forward! ✔️