The BMW 1 Series hatch is becoming an increasingly popular model, with almost two million sold in the last decade. It’s even vying with the venerable BMW 3 Series to become the premium German manufacturer’s biggest seller, boasting more female owners than any other car in its range (36 per cent). No wonder then, its mid-life alterations are quite significant, including a new engine line-up, revamped design and simpler trim levels.
From the outside, the 1 Series looks a bit meaner thanks to its keen-eyed headlamps and larger kidney front grilles. The same is true of the rear, where horizontal tail lamps are now continued into the boot hatch, giving the smallest BMW wider, less top-heavy looks. It might be a small change, but its tailpipes have also increased in diameter by 5mm, to increase their visual impact.
Three and five-door models will be available with the latter soaking up most customers. Having the extra doors certainly makes it a lot easier to get in and out, and easier for front passengers to reach their seatbelts. You immediately feel low-slung in the 1 Series, with a legs-out-in-front-of-you driving position and large centre console making it feel pretty snug. A Volkswagen Golf or Audi A3 feel more upright from behind the wheel.
Subtle changes include a new fabric for cloth seats, while sat-nav will be standard, regardless of trim level. Upgrade to Professional Navigation and the screen is enlargened from 6.5 to 8.8 inches and the iDrive selector wheel grows to accommodate a touch-sensitive pad. Trim levels have been streamlined to SE, Sport and M Sport to avoid confusion.
The biggest change under the bonnet is the introduction of a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel, the first engine of its type in BMW’s history. Fitted in the 116d and even thriftier 116d ED Plus, it returns – drum roll – 78.5mpg to 83.1mpg and emits as little as 89g/km of CO2. These figures make it seriously affordable, especially for business buyers, with 16 per cent BIK company car tax.
On the move, it’s impressively quiet, with little of the off-beat thrum often associated with having three cylinders. It pulls well too, even taking into account the tall gearing, with just over 1,500rpm showing in sixth gear at around 60mph. The 116 ED Plus we tried was fitted with 16-inch wheels, but its ride was still firm enough to remind you of BMW’s sporting philosophy. It’ll hit 62mph from rest in just over ten seconds.
Engines are plentiful, with a 118d (148bhp), 120d (187bhp) and 125d (221bhp) if you favour the black pump, or a 118i (134bhp), 120i (167bhp) and 125i (215bhp) if you prefer a petrol.
There’s also the uber-hot hatch M 135i, with a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine summoning 322bhp and sending it to the rear wheels alone. Luckily the roads stayed dry, so we felt confident squeezing the throttle, at least in the first few gears. Accelerate in third and you’ll be breaking the speed limit before you know it – this is a seriously quick car.
Its performance is accompanied by a great noise too, with lots of low-down bass and an exotic crescendo. You can feel the 1 Series’ inherent rear-wheel drive balance as it flows from one corner to the next without feeling too heavy or stressed at either the nose or tail.
Striking too is its Chameleon-like character. Choose ‘Eco Pro’ from the centre console and the M 135i is far more sedate, and its throttle sensitivity is dialled back to save fuel. It’s comfortable too, with trick adaptive suspension able to smother bumps in a more sophisticated style than the 116d ED Plus we drove earlier.
So, we’ve gone from one end of the 1 Series spectrum to the other, but essentially the recipe is the same, the M 135i just fast forwards the experience. Throughout the line-up you’ll find a rare quality of engineering and technology sure to satisfy keen drivers and impress most others.
It’s not the most spacious or comfortable small family car, but these qualities were probably quite far down BMW’s priority list when designing the 1 Series. In every other area it has created a highly desirable model.
