@GlosGuy, With my particular set of issues, I’m probably not the best to gauge things on but for what it’s worth, taking into account your needs, I’m finding the following, in comparison to the BMW, after just over 1k miles in the Volvo.
Ease of access – They are both very similar. The Volvo is a little higher, seat to kerb, but the electric seat settings allow easy access. For me, it feels like the distance from seat pad to the sill of the Volvo is slightly farther than the BMW but it’s not too much. Exiting is as easy as any car in both. A point here is that electric seats are standard on the Inscription Pro. They are an expensive option on the BMW and this was a contributing factor on choosing the Volvo over another BMW.
Space – the BMW claims 505 litres and here’s the funny thing. Volvo were claiming 460 litres but now the B4 Inscription Pro is claiming 578 litres! Perhaps they were not including the under floor space? I’m not sure. I’m not taking a wheelchair, yet, and find the usable space very similar in both. All very good in both cars for our needs.
Seat Comfort – Now it’s here that I may not be a good candidate for the average person. The Inscription Pro has extending knee bolsters and this has a frame under the seat with a solid plate under the middle pad. I’m sitting right on this and it’s uncomfortable. If you press down with a flat hand, you can clearly bottom out on the plate (no pun intended!). I’m hoping there’s a problem with it and it’s waiting to go back. I’ve likened it to sitting on a folded towel on a wooden stool. Some others are noting the same and I’m hoping it’s a batch issue but in all honesty, with the cost of rectifying this, I don’t think that Volvo will agree to fix. The X1’s standard seats were perfect for me with a short seat pad which suited my frame well.
Also, and this was another major for me and ties in to comfort, the ride in the Volvo is far superior than the BMW. It soaks up the bumps extremely well. In the BMW, whilst the handling was better, the suspension was way too hard for me, often painfully so.
Engine – I’m pleasantly surprised at the power delivery of the B4 in the Volvo. It’s got good torque and is smooth. Not quite a torquey as the 18d but surprisingly close and is a pleasure to drive.
Gearbox – It’s very good on most occasions but can ‘hunt’ for gears at slow, town speeds. For some reason, it’s clunky at roundabouts and can slam into a gear when trying to pull away. It seems like it’s holding on to a higher gear for too long. This may just be me or my car though.
In other areas, the interior of the Volvo is much nicer in my humble opinion and I absolutely love the squared off exterior. The BMW is still very smart, though.
The plus here for the BMW is, that finally, the X1 now has full led lights where the Volvo still relies on filament bulbs for main brake lights, indicators and rear fog lights. A point which many don’t even give brain space to, but it bugs me.
Finally, I do love the higher driving position in the Volvo and find visibility very good. Some have pointed out that the C-Pillar causes a blind spot but I’ve yet to have noticed it.
A good guide, for me, that I’ve made the right choice, is that I spend more time looking at it than I do driving it. ??
Good luck with the hunt.
? I will be remembered for nothing but had great fun doing it ?