With steering that’s short on texture and feedback, if predictable and well weighted, you have confidence but don’t feel terribly connected or encouraged regardless of which mode you’re in.
Body control is decent, though, and you can feel the xDrive four-wheel drive shuffling power to the rear wheels and delivering a sharper, more enjoyable turn-in than you get with most family SUV alternatives.
M Sport cars, like our test car, get adaptive dampers as standard, and on 19in wheels, it is comfortable most of the time, although it’s unsettled by mid-corner intrusions and can be a bit smoother over sharp-edged potholes around town.
While it’s not fantastically engaging to drive, then, this still has a bit more vim and responsiveness than most small-ish SUVs. Just bear in mind that – if you really want the ideal enthusiast’s family car and are not wedded to the idea of an SUV – a 3 Series Tourer remains a more fluid and engaging drive.
Arguably the biggest strength in the X1 is its cabin finish and versatility. The rear seats slide 13cm fore and aft in a 60/40 split, while the seat backs recline or fold flat in a 40/20/40 split, and there’s plenty of leg and head room for a couple of six-footers to slouch in comfort.
Hard plastic backing on the front seats is a pleasantly practical, wipe-clean feature that parents of small kids will really appreciate, too. A 500-litre boot is a good size and shape, with a fairly low load lip and a load bay that’s big enough to take a chunky double buggy if you need it to. It’s properly comfy and useful in there, and that’s what a family SUV should be about, after all.
Up front, the cabin has reached new heights of premium finish. From the frameless, curved touchscreen complete with 14.9in touchscreen and the latest Operating System 8 to the dense-feeling materials and smart, modern architecture, it’s a masterclass in executive interior design.