The BMW X1 LCI will start at S$171,888 with Certificate Of Entitlement, with three variants available.

UPDATE: We’ve driven the new BMW X1. Here’re our thoughts!

SINGAPORE — There’s a new (meaning facelifted) BMW X1, and having cleared the Land Transport Authority’s approval process unexpectedly soon it will go on sale in Singapore on October 4th, this Friday.

The X1 LCI (for “Life Cycle Impulse”, which is BMW’s convoluted way of saying “facelift”) comes in three models, with the same two-engine lineup as before, but new styling features to give it fresher looks.

There’s a larger double-kidney grille to signal the LCI — both kidney sections have merged.

The X1 sDrive18i kicks off the range at S$171,888 with Certificate Of Entitlement. It comes with a thrummy 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbo engine good for 140 horsepower and 220 Newton-metres of peak torque. 100km/h takes all of 9.7 seconds.

That’s the basic version of the X1, aimed at people who want a roomy five-seat, five-door Sport Utility Vehicle for the family, but with a BMW badge on it. 

If you want to spoil yourself a bit, pay S$10,000 more and get the “xLine” styling package (pictured above in xDrive25d form).

The xLine stuff brings a chrome double-kidney grille, side skirts in a silver matt finish and side window surrounds in a satiny aluminium finish. Those are all plain black with the base model.

Inside, the xLine cars have a slightly posher dashboard with contrast stitching and nicer upholstery. The lower section of the dash is colour-coded to match the upholstery now.

That said, you might as well go all the way with an X1 sDrive20i M Sport. At S$182,888 with COE it’s only S$1,000 more expensive.

It rides on stiffer, lower M Sport suspension, while the body has high-gloss “shadowline” trim and a blacked-out grille to go with the “M Aerodynamics Package” that puts huge air inlets in the front bumper.

Inside it has a three-spoke M steering wheel, the floormats have an M logo and there are M seatbelts, in case you suffer from a serious M deficiency in your life.

If nothing else, the X1 sDrive20i M Sport comes with sportier performance to match the sportier looks — the four-cylinder, 2.0-litre turbo engine cranks out 192hp and 280Nm, which cuts the 0 to 100km/h time to 7.6 seconds.

The X1 is BMW’s entry-level SUV model, and in facelifted form is the latest member of a family that has grown to include seven cars.  At the opposite end sits the X7, which is the brand’s flagship SUV.

CarBuyer is in Munich to drive various versions of the new BMW X1, so check back later this week to see if we think the plastic surgeons did their job well.