Pictured above is a rendering of an RS version of the Q3. Hot or not? Definitely hot; if maybe a but pointless. The Q3 was born to compete against the BMW X1, a very successful model brought forth by BMW’s segment-bending exploits. In Europe the X1 has proved to be a big hit for its crossover-like looks, small size and practicality. Audi rushed to provide an answer with its Q3 crossover, and it has gone on sale in markets around the world.

Audi seemingly ruled out sales of the Q3 in the U.S at launch. BMW, on the other hand, has announced the X1 will be sold here. Despite being on sale since November 2009 in Europe, a U.S launch date has been pushed back until late next year due to high demand.

When it does arrive eventually, BMW expects sales to be small due its (presumably) limited appeal. With the economy not faring so well and gas prices at high levels, could the calculus be changed? Audi is reportedly reconsidering its position on the Q3, says AutoWeek.

Audi AG board member Peter Schwarzenbauer doesn’t need any convincing: “I think the U.S. is ready for a car below the Q5.” Audi of America president Johan de Nysschen said it is still being debated though: “We have to look at the economic feasibility, and it has to hit targets. We have to overcome certain challenges.” If it does come, it will be in three years when the receives a mid-cyle enhancement. The challenge is pricing; customers will find it pointless if it is priced closely to the Q5, but if you go too low Audi is unable to make a profit. Its an interesting conundrum that could depend on how BMW fares with the X1 in the U.S next year.

Sometimes progress is slow and steady.  Sometimes, though, it just pops out of nowhere. A good example of this is BMW’s latest engine, which has been rumored for a while, and they just released some juicy details on.  Called the N20, it’s a 2.0L turbocharged inline four cylinder, and it will be replacing the 3.0L naturally-aspirated I6 in many base model BMW’s.  It pulls off a pretty neat trick – faster car, better fuel mileage and emissions figures.  Read on for more details.

The new N20 motor is a 2.0L all-aluminum inline four cylinder that borrows a lot of technology from BMW’s TwinPower Turbo engines – namely, the N54 and N55 Turbo straight-sixed that can be found in the 1, 3, 5, Z4, X3, X5, X6, and 7-series models.  It utilizes high-pressure direct fuel injection as well as Valvetronic continuously variable valve timing with the industry-standard DOHC 4-valve heads.  The turbocharger is a twin-scroll (twin entry) turbo like the one used on the newer N55 motor, designed for strong low-end response and minimal turbo lag.

Power output is a mixed bag: the new motor makes 245 horsepower (compared to 258 for the 3.0L), but lots of torque – 258lb-ft (350nM) compared to 228lb-ft (310nM) for the outgoing naturally aspirated engine.  The new engine will find it’s home in the small X1 CUV first, and likely the 1, 3, and 5 series as well as the Z4 convertible.

The N20 can be paired with your choice of a 6-speed manual (yes!) or an 8-speed ZF Automatic (no!).  As mentioned earlier, performance is improved over the 3.0L – with the manual, an X1 xDrive 28i (curiously, the name has not changed – much like Merc’s AMG -63 models which now have 5.5L turbo V8′s) will do the 0-100km/h (62.5mph) sprint in 6.1 seconds, or 6.5 with the automatic.  These times are improvements of 0.7 and 0.3 seconds, respectively, over the 3.0L engine despite the power deficit.  I guess this proves the old time adage that horsepower sells cars, but torque wins races!

Fuel economy is fairly impressive, too.  Average fuel economy for the 4cyl X1 is estimated at 29.8mpg, compared with the 3.0L’s 25.4.  Emissions also drop from 221 g/km of CO2 down to 183g/km, which is a pretty significant improvement.  So let’s see: faster, less thirsty, better for the environment.  Where’s the catch?  Well, besides the fact that most twin-scroll turbo inline 4′s sound like angry vacuum cleaners, it’s hard to really think of any.  Way to move the game forward, BMW!  You will notice, oddly enough, that while BMW did release pictures of the X1 xDrive 28i itself, they didn’t release any of the N20 itself.  Which is odd, considering there’s nothing news-worthy about the X1 itself.  I can’t wait for them to drop this motor into the 1-series Coupe and sell it with minimal extra equipment – this is probably the closest we’ll get to old-school BMW’s like the (E30) 318is.  It’s all good, if you ask me.

By which I mean, if it weren’t for BMW SUV’s, what else would I make fun of constantly?  Look at that!  Absolutely hideous, just horrible.  It really looks like a Hyundai Sante Fe had a fight with a Nissan Qashqai, and they both lost.

Questionable appearance aside, the X1 will come equipped with a wide range of appealing powertrains.  Rather than complaining about how awful it looks, let’s take a look at those.

X1 xDrive and sDrive18d – comes equipped with a 2.0L all-aluminum common-rail direct-injection turbodiesel I4 with variable intake geometry, 143bhp@4000rpm and 236lb-ft@1,750-3,000 rpm.  The sDrive is rear wheel drive, the xDrive is all-wheel-drive.  The rear-wheel drive 18d gets to 60mph in 9.6 seconds, the AWD in 10.1.  Fuel consumption is 54.3mpg for RWD, 49.6mpg for AWD.  Top speeds are 124mph for RWD, 121mph for AWD.

X1 xDrive and sDrive20d – comes with the exact same 2.0L turbodiesel, but in this configuration it’s good for 177bhp@4000rpm and 258lb-ft from 1,750-3,000 rpm.  0-60 in 8.1 seconds for RWD, 8.4 seconds for AWD – top speed of 127mph for both.  Fuel mileage: 53.3mpg for RWD, 51.4mpg for AWD.  I’d say this is probably the best powertrain choice, very good fuel mileage plus 350nM of torque sounds like a winner to me.

X1 xDrive23d: this is the top-of-the-line diesel X1, and comes only with AWD.  The EXACT SAME 2.0L turbodiesel makes an impressive 204bhp@4,400rpm, which is more than 100bhp/l out of a diesel – what’s the world come to?  There’s also 400nM of torque (295lb-ft) from 2,000-2,250 rpm.  This one can scoot: 0-60 in 7.3 seconds, top speed of 138 with optional high-speed setup, and all with average consumption of 44.8 US MPG.  BMW’s diesels are some of the best in the business, and this is pretty solid proof of that.

X1 xDrive28i: the only gasoline-engined X1 in the lineup, for now.  It uses the 3.0L all-aluminum I6 out of the 1 and 3 series, making a very healthy 258bhp at a lofty 6,600 rpm, but only 228lb-ft of torque from 2,600-3,000 rpm.  It’s the quickest of the four X1′s, with a 6.8 second 0-60 time and a top speed of 147 with the “high-speed setup” BMW mentions in their press release.  This, however, is offset by comparatively heavy fuel consumption: approximately 30.0 MPG on the US scale lags well behind the almost-as-fast 23d Diesel model.

The big question with the X1 is where exactly it fits in BMW’s extensive lineup of pointless SUV’s, which already includes the awful X3, huge X5, and hilarious X6 – as well as the upcoming 5-series GT, depending on which angle you look at that particular car.  The X1 is based on the 3-series architecture, and it’s a titch smaller than the X3 in most dimensions.  Sizewise, it’s 4.3″ shorter, 5.5″ narrower, and 2.4″ lower than the already uselessly small X3.  Fabulous!  Cargo capacity totals up to 47.3 cubic feet with the rear seat folded, which is… alright.

The hella-exciting X1′s official debut is scheduled to hit showrooms this fall, with a base-model X1 sDrive18i gasoline model with a standard transmission starting at €27,200, which seems rather steep.  The model predicted to be the biggest seller, the xDrive18d with all-wheel-drive and the 143bhp turbodiesel, will go for €31,550.  For comparisons sake, the X1 will be somewhere between 7-11% cheaper than an equivalent X3.  So… it’s really rather pointless.

Still, with US sales slated to begin some time in 2011, the X1 will have almost limitless stiff competition in Europe, with damn near every automaker selling a useless compact SUV like this these days.  With no lawyers buying these for their college-aged sorority daughters for another two years, will the X1 even survive?  It remains to be seen.  I personally would go for the xDrive23d.  But I’m big into the diesels.

In the end, the X1 might be utterly pointless.  But if history’s anything to go by, the general rule of thumb is “If BMW builds it, they will come.”  Hopefully the X1 will at least be fun to drive.

I think the blending of sedans with a coupe-roofline is a good idea. Audi debuted the Sportback Concept at Detroit 2009 that previewed what to expect from future Sportback models and more specifically, the upcoming A7 Sportback.

The teaser is pretty standard; offering a good view of the back but not showing any of the side or front in actual pictures. Audi is trying to build excitement for the vehicle. But along with that, they decide to throw cold water on the whole thing with the realization that it’s not coming to the U.S.

In a statement released with the A5 Sportback info, Audi said that it “doesn’t fit it’s current plans” for the market. What’s up with that? They probably figured they couldn’t sell enough of them to justify the expense of bringing it over. It probably would only sell around 15k units per year tops so I guess it isn’t worth it to them. I’d seriously take a look at it if it came over but we’ll just have to be happy with the A7. They better bring that one!

BMW recently released a teaser of the X1 and now new spy shots have caught the vehicle with nearly no camoflauge. Interesting fact: the upcoming X1 shares it’s platform with MINI’s Crossman wagon.

From the pictures the X1 seems interesting, with a crossover-ish front and hatchback rear, Definitely a melding together of the different classes, and hard to pinpoint exactly what category it fits in. BMW seems to relish in that sort of non-categorization.

The X1 looks very similar to the  concept vehicle that previewed it, the X1 Concept BMW showed at the Paris Auto Show. There is no information or rumors about pricing for the new X1 that I’ve heard. Given it’s 1 series designation, I would expect it to be at a reasonable level.

A $40,000 x1 would make little sense, in addition to likely garnering pathetic sales. In fact, I think it might have trouble getting sales period, but I’m trying to be nice here.

However, while Acura made it clear that it was just a thinly-veiled production preview, I commented that things could get ugly pretty fast in the transition between concept and production. From the spy shots at least, it seems like they are hewing as close as possible to the concept and that’s a good thing.

You can’t see much in the way of details but it’s looking pretty close to the concept. The ZDX is part of a new strategy for increasing Acura’s volume. Acura hasn’t been doing as well as Honda wants it to, and they’re working to take things up a notch. I believe they plan to go upmarket as well, possibly creating a V8 for the next-generation RL Sedan. 

If all goes to plan, the ZDX will be a very big selling product line for them, blurring segment lines to create something new. The ZDX will be their trump card of sorts.

We’ll see how that works out for them. The only similar vehicles seem to be coming from BMW, with vehicles like the X6 (ZDX’s primary competition) 5-Series GT and X1. While good looking as far as I can tell, will consumers really connect with the car and make it the hit that Acura needs? We’ll find out soon enough as the ZDX makes it’s way to dealers late this year. For more pictures, check out Leftlane News’ gallery.

Is it too soon to pass judgement on a car we haven’t even seen decent pictures of yet?  Perhaps not, but I feel that the X1 might be one too many stuffed niches for BMW’s lineup.  Then again, they don’t pay me to make the decisions at BMW, so what do I know?

The X1 slots below the X3 in BMW’s lineup of painfully pointless “sports activity vehicles” – so if you’ve been thinking an X3 was just too darn big, this might be just the thing for you.  It might also be just the thing for you if daddy told you to pick out a new BMW, and you’re trying to color-match with all the other BMW’s in the sorority parking lot.  Just sayin’…

Look for shots of the whole X1 in the near future, as manufacturers always pretend to play their cards close to their chest, then get tired of waiting and release full high-res pictures months before the car will actually debut at a motor show.  Or, if you don’t care, don’t.

Cynicism aside, the rumors are that the X1 shares it’s chassis with the upcoming (and equally pointless) Mini SUV, dubbed the Crossman.  Expect a range of silky-smooth inline fours and sixes in gas and diesel variants.  The styling is a departure from current BMW trends, and I’d have to say it looks a bit Japanese.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the Nissan Rogue/Qashqai is blushing.

I know, you can hardly breath from all the excitement.  Take a breath, and check out that E38 7-series that’s been converted to a pickup truck!  I’d rather have that than the X1, but I’m a weirdo.

photo from xbimmer forums.  Thanks guys!