BMW X1 SUV - Practicality & boot space

The new BMW X1 is 53mm longer than before, with an extra 20mm added to the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels). Along with its tall, boxy shape, this means the new car is more spacious than the outgoing model for passengers and their luggage.

BMW X1 SUV: Interior space & storage

Like the smaller BMW 2 Series Active Tourer MPV, the X1 has a very spacious-feeling cabin, full of places to tuck your valuables away. The open centre console makes it easy to place your phone on the wireless charging pad while simultaneously making it harder to forget your device when you leave the car.

Further to this, the glovebox is a decent size and you’ll easily fit a 500ml metal water bottle in the door bins. There’s a usable space between the front seats too, for keys, wallets and the like, and in the rear, you’ll find the usual nets on the back of the front seats for kids to store magazines or tablets.

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Thanks to its traditional, boxy SUV silhouette, the BMW X1 offers plenty of space for passengers too. Those over six feet should be able to get comfortable in the back, even with the optional panoramic roof fitted, thanks to a generous amount of headroom. Knee room could be better, but again, tall adults shouldn’t find things too cramped.

The transmission tunnel that ordinarily limits space for middle-seat passengers isn’t as big as you might expect, though the centre console does extend into the rear footwell, which means sitting three rear passengers abreast can be tight and uncomfortable.

Boot space

Open the new BMW X1’s standard powered bootlid and you’ll be greeted with 540 litres of space – 50 litres more than the old car and over 100 litres more than you’ll find in a Volvo XC40. BMW buyers can boost boot space – at the expense of knee room – by going for the xLine or M Sport, which adds a sliding rear bench as standard. Fold the X1’s rear seats down, and you’ll have a total of 1,600 litres to play with – rivalling that of a small panel van.

Added to this, the X1 gets a 40:20:40 split-fold rear bench, which means you can still carry longer items such as skis while four people are in the car. An XC40’s rear seats only fold 60:40, which makes it slightly less versatile when packing larger loads.