BMW 1 Series review – Practicality & boot space

Practicality is the main reason BMW ditched rear-wheel drive for its family hatchback. Instead, the engine is now transversely mounted – allowing for a shorter bonnet – and with no necessity to send power to the back wheels, the transmission tunnel running the length of the car can be much smaller.

Before the facelift, the result was a car that – despite being similar in size to the one that came before it – boasted more space for passengers and a bigger boot. That’s unfortunately been undone with the facelift, because the mild-hybrid system robs 80 litres of boot space. In the M135, there’s a hump in the floor because of the all-wheel drive system, which impacts foot space for the centre rear passenger.

BMW 1 Series interior space & storage

While the rear seats of the BMW 1 Series will be fine for children, adults won’t thank you on a longer journey because there’s not a great deal of leg or headroom. There’s an average number of interior storage solutions such as a small opening in the centre console and door bins with space for a small bottle.

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Boot space

The maximum boot space of the BMW 1 Series is 380 litres, which sounds pretty good for a hatchback on paper, beating the Mercedes A-Class and Audi A3 by 25 litres. Sadly, though, that only applies to the hot non-hybrid M135 model. In order to make space for the mild-hybrid system, the standard 120 Sport and M Sport models are limited by a boot capacity of just 300 litres, which is sub-par. 

Lower the seats in the BMW 1 Series and you’ll free up 1,135 litres for the standard 120 model or 1,200 litres in the M135.