BMW X1 SUV (2015 - 2022) boot space, practicality and safety

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• Excellent all-round practicality
• Room for five adults at a push
• Electric tailgate fitted as standard

Space up front is adequate, but you do feel slightly more hemmed-in than you would in a Volvo XC40 or Volkswagen Tiguan, owing to the more cocooned cabin design. The high seating position does provide a good view out for all.

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Climb into the back, and while there is enough room for three adults, like most cars in this class it’s best to keep the middle seat free or for children only. That said, the X1’s outright size means headroom is generous and the sliding rear bench affords plenty of legroom when pushed all the way back.

In ordinary circumstances, a 6ft rear-seat passenger will be able to sit behind a driver of the same height with generous space for feet under the front seats.

Boot space and storage

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BMW isn’t usually associated with gargantuan luggage areas, but the X1 does well against the competition in its class, delivering impressive luggage capacity and very low loading lip – handing for hauling large items into the back. 

What’s more, if you fold the rear seats down via a switch in the boot (40:20:40 split as standard), they sit nice and flat making it easier to load long, awkward items in. The standard-fit electroc tailgate also aids practicality, particularly as it opens with a kicking motion under the rear bumper.

Storage space, meanwhile, is reasonable. The front cupholders are too small for most bottles and flasks, so you end up relying on the large door bins instead. Those sat in the rear have storage nets mounted on the front seats, small cupholders on the centre armrest and some useful door bins.

Is it easy to park?

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Those familiar with the previous generation X1 will notice that its successor has grown markedly in size and takes on a far more SUV-like profile than before. The upside of this is the increase in interior and boot space, however less confident parkers may want to dip into the options list and spec the rear-view camera as optional as part of a pack. All BMW X1s otherwise come with park assist and front and rear sensors.

Safety-conscious – to a point

• Five-star safety rating, but…
• … a lot of kit is optional
• Two Isofix points as standard

When tested in 2015 the BMW X1 achieved a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, however this now comes with a caveat. A lot of safety kit fitted as standard to many cars these days is only offered as an optional extra on the X1, meaning that if it were to be tested against the now more-stringent Euro NCAP regulations it wouldn’t achieve the same five-star rating.

If you want your X1 to come with Autonomous Emergency Braking, you need to spec the Driving Assistant Plus package – that also comes with adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, traffic sign recognition and lane-departure warning. That such potentially lifesaving technology isn’t standard on a fairly expensive range of cars is disappointing.

The LED headlights are particularly impressive and one of the best we’ve experienced in the dark. They’re not just bright, but consistently so across a wide area ahead of the car.

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The X1’s 90% score in the adult occupant and 87% mark in child occupant categories suggest it should perform well in the event of an accident, even if the standard tech designed to help prevent incidents is lacking.

There are also two Isofix child seat points on the outer rear seats.

Video: BMW Euro NCAP crash test