BMW’s Smallest Crossover Is Getting a New Look, But Only At One End

Those of us who are solar-powered and despise the cold but are forced to live in it during this time of year may be cursing the winter, but it’s giving premium Euro automakers a chance to prove that their upcoming products are capable in all conditions. Among them is BMW, and our spies have caught the Bavarian brand’s smallest crossover enduring the snow and ice of Sweden. The third-generation U11 (short-wheelbase) BMW X1 arrived in 2022, and that means it’s almost due for its mid-life update, or Life Cycle Impulse, as BMW likes to call it. With the launch of the Neue Klasse-based iX3 last year, Bimmers have started to look rather different, and this facelift aims to bring the X1 closer to its bigger sibling’s design language. But the cosmetic changes may not extend the full length of the 2027 X1.

2027 BMW X1 Spied: Neue Face, Alt Rear?

The heading is a double entendre, as alt is German for old, as well as an abbreviation of alternative. That’s because, while these spy shots show a new face for the crossover, they seem to show an unchanged rear lighting setup. BMW could have redesigned the rear end in the same manner as the front, but that would be too costly for this entry-level premium crossover. Of course, under the extensive camouflage, the rear bumper and diffuser areas will likely be subtly tweaked, but if anything noticeable is happening to the rear lighting signature, it will be to the graphics of the LED running lights.

The doors and roofline are unchanged, and besides some tweaks to the hood and front fenders to accommodate the slimmer headlight layout and narrower kidney grilles, the overall silhouette is unchanged. As more camouflage comes off, the new front end will look more dramatic. We can also expect the electric iX1, which was new for this second-gen X1 platform, to get a similar nose job. And since integrating with Neue Klasse models is not just about looks, changes will be coming to the cabin, too.

More Tech for the 2027 BMW X1

Related: First Look Inside BMW’s Next-Gen iX1 Electric SUV

The 2026 X1 is available in two flavors in the U.S., both of which are B48 2.0-liter turbo-four-powered, and both of which are expected to remain available for 2027 (xDrive 28i with 241 horsepower and M35i with 312 hp). In other markets, hybrid versions of this engine are offered, and these will become further efficient, but here, the big technological change will be to the user interface. BMW doesn’t hold new infotainment tech back for an all-new generation of any vehicle, whatever the price point, so this refresh will bring with it Operating System X, which ditches the rotary iDrive controller in favor of a touchscreen-based setup. The current X1 is already on Operating System 9, so owners will be used to that, but what will be new is the BMW Panoramic Vision system, which acts like a high-definition full-width head-up display.

It’s worth noting that this update will extend the UKL platform’s life, which began in 2014 with Mini and evolved into the UKL2 architecture in 2022, so it’s getting on a bit. Fun fact: UKL stands for Untere Klasse, or lower class.