BMW X1 - xDrive23 MHT M Sport

Our time with this posh family SUV has been a game of two halves, but it won on penalties overall

- John Bradshaw

WHEN I PUT my shorts and jersey on, I'm transformed from professional photographer to a footballer of such prowess that a top club will beat a path to my door any day now, desperate to tempt me away from team What Car?. Or so I'd like to think, anyway. In that regard, my BMW X1 is on the same page: it wants to be the sports star, but its real talents lie elsewhere.

Not that it's short of pace on the pitch. In my chosen xDrive23i spec, it packs 215bhp, which endows it with a nippy 7.1sec 0-62mph time.

And while I've not had much cause to do a lot of standing-start drag racing, this set-up certainly has what it takes to get you away from the lights sharply, or to help you merge onto a fast moving trunk road without fuss. Yet, despite this, fuel economy has hovered around 37mpg in my hands - not at all bad for a sizeable petrol powered family SUV with a good turn of speed.

I'm glad I opted for BMW's xDrive four-wheel drive system, too. Although I never had any intent to tackle rough terrain, I felt confident whenever a photo session took me away from the Tarmac and onto softer surfaces, such as wet grass, plus the X1 always felt surefooted on greasy roads and in wintry conditions.