There used to be a time when BMW offered Individual colors only for its high-end products. That changed in the last decade when the luxury brand made it possible for customers buying cheaper cars to order a special hue. In 2024, you can have the firm’s cheapest car – the 116 hatchback – with a finish outside of the regular color palette. The same holds true for its crossover equivalent, the X1.
However, this isn’t a run-of-the-mill version of BMW’s entry-level luxury SUV. We’re dealing with the M35i, the first-ever M Performance iteration of the X1. It’s dressed to impress in Velvet Orchid, an eye-catching hue we’ve recently seen on the 2025 M4 Coupe and Convertible. With quad exhaust tips and a factory-fitted M badge on the grille, it goes to show how much the X1 has changed.
This X1 M35i rides on the standard 19-inch wheels but you can upgrade to a 20-inch set in different designs. As a refresher, BMW also offers even larger 21-inch Individual wheels for its not-so-baby crossover. The red brake calipers tell us this configuration lacks the optional M Compound brakes with their gray calipers.
It does have the M Sport Package Pro given the blacked-out kidney grille, tinted windows, and the Shadowline headlights. At the back, the four exhaust finishers are also blacked out. We can’t help but notice the customer opted to have the X1 and M35i badges removed from the tailgate for a cleaner look.
Because BMW built this X1 M35i for the European market, it uses a detuned version of the B48 engine. Why? To meet stricter emissions regulations. The turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline unit makes 296 hp instead of the full 312 hp available outside the EU. At least people from the Old Continent are not missing out on torque since the four-pot generates 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) all over the world.
Source: BMW Bilia Luxembourg / Instagram
