Volkswagen Id.5 vs BMW X1

What's the difference?

At long last, Volkswagen’s electric mid-size SUV duo has landed in Australia.

The appeal of the ID.4 as an electric family SUV alternative to the likes of the Tiguan is obvious, but where does the more coupe-styled ID.5 fit?

It comes in a single GTX trim for now, taking aim at some of the more performance-oriented EV SUVs on the Australian market, of which there are now quite a few. But now it’s arriving later than many of its rivals.

Has VW done enough with the ID.5 GTX for it to justify a spot on your test-drive list? We went to its Australian launch to find out.

BMW’s X1 has changed. In a good way. Especially if you’re thinking about buying one as a family car.

Yep, last year the third-generation X1 arrived and after 13 years and three different attempts on a design, BMW has nailed it. And by ‘it’ I mean built a super practical and spacious small SUV that’s great to drive. 

See, as a dad of two kids, when it comes to cars and my family ‘it’ means something totally different to what ‘it’ meant 10 years ago.

And that’s what this review is about: does the BMW X1, and specifically this xDrive20i M Sport variant we’ve tested here, make a good family car?

If you're thinking of buying it for your family then you need to read this and also consider the likes of Audi’s Q3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLB.