BMW reveals new FWD 1 series

Tuesday, 28 May 2019

BMW has revealed the all-new 1 Series. Purists be warned: it's front-wheel drive.

BMW has clearly been paying attention to what arch-rival Mercedes-Benz has been doing with the A-class.

The transition of the littlest Merc from its almost people-moveresque original form to a traditional FWD hatch worked for sales, while feral AWD forms effortlessly handle the performance end of things for AMG.

So it has been inevitable that the baby BMW would head down the AWD path as well, even before the FWD/AWD 2 Series appeared.

The 1 series range starts with the FWD 116d and tops out with the AWD M135i. For now.

And now it has been revealed, and that attention to Mercedes detail has been made even more obvious, with a good-looking small FWD hatch that bears more than a passing resemblance to an A-class in terms of its form and function.

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The M135i gets a different grille from the rest of the range, but all still meet in the middle, for the first time on the 1 series.

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More space, particularly in the rear, has been the trade-off for going front-wheel-drive.

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While purists may decry BMW's decision to move the 1 series to a front-wheel-drive platform, the payoff comes where it counts - on the inside.

The 1 series gets an unadventurous, but modern interior, with plenty of options available. It is a BMW, after all.

While it is 5mm shorter than the model, and has a 20mm shorter wheelbase, it features significantly more interior space within a footprint almost identical to that of its predecessor.

BMW says the front-wheel-drive architecture with transverse engines and a lower centre tunnel offers the occupants more space, particularly in the rear in the rear which, it has to be said, was always the 1 series' biggest weakness.

The M135i packs a powerful four-cylinder turbo engine.

Access is easier and there is an extra 33mm of kneeroom available, while rear headroom is up by 19mm (admittedly that is when the outward opening panoramic sunroof is fitted). Rear passengers also get 13mm more elbowroom, while the driver and front passenger get extra 42mm. Luggage capacity rises by 20 litres to 380 litres, or 1,200 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The new 1 series gets an equally new interior that is still traditionally BMW, but pushes the boat out a bit further than other recent new models by being a bit more adventurous within its traditional boundaries.

BMW has clearly taken note of what Mercedes-Benz is doing with its smallest car.

The 1 series will be initially be available in Europe in five guises, with three diesel variants and two petrol.

The 116d is powered by an 85kW/270Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo diesel engine driving the front wheels through either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual clutch transmission, while the 118d packs a 110kW/350Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with either the six-speed manual or an eight-speed conventional automatic and is also FWD only.

The 120d xDrive tops the diesel range, with a 140kW/400Nm version of the 2.0-litre turbo diesel driving all four wheels through the eight-speed auto.

The first of the petrol variants is the FWD 118i that gets a turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with 103kW of power and 220Nm of torque. Like the 116d it comes with a choice of the six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT.

The 1 series range is topped by the M135i xDrive, which is also the highest performance version. For now, at least.

The M135i packs a pumped-up 225kW/450Nm version of BMW's 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine driving all four wheels through the eight-speed auto, which BMW claims is good enough to propel it to 100kmh from a standing start in 4.8 seconds.

While we don't expect to see either of the lower-powered diesel variants here in New Zealand, the 120d is likely, with both petrol variants a certainty.

To reign in any obvious FWD handling foibles, the 1 series features the 'actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation' (or ARB) technology used in the BMW i3s, the first time it has been used in a combustion-engine car. BMW says ARB has the effect of significantly improving traction when pulling away, cornering or when driving in the wet, and the system works in close tandem with the DSC system to significantly reduce power understeer.

ARB is assisted in its task by BMW Performance Control (yaw moment distribution). This system 'intelligently' applies the brakes on the wheels on the inside of a bend, which BMW says suppresses any initial understeer and gives the car neutral steering behaviour.

Both ARB and BMW Performance Control are standard across the range, including the 120d and M135i, which are both equipped with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system as well. The xDrive system can split power 50:50 if necessary, while the M135i also includes a newly developed mechanical Torsen limited-slip differential, which is integrated into the eight-speed transmission and also features a Launch Control mode that puts the full peak torque of 450Nm on tap in first and second gear.

BMW says its 'Intelligent connectivity' allows the two automatic transmissions to adapt their shift strategy according to the planned route and driving situation. If the car is equipped with Active Cruise Control, both transmissions will factor in the data from this system and the standard navigation, to avoid unnecessary gear changes in a quick succession of bends. When approaching a vehicle ahead, they also shift down early in order to use engine braking to reduce speed.

The new 1 series goes on sale in Europe in September. Local arrival and pricing has yet to be confirmed.