A fuse box, in my case. Since I have never wanted navigation, TV, and so on in my vehicles, I figured these various compartments were to carry a spare bottle of 5w-30, a pair of gloves, the trailer ball part of my receiver hitch, a pair of coveralls, and so on.

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2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver
2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue