BMW recently held its annual M Festival at Kyalami Grand Prix circuit near Johannesburg. It was quite an event and played host to a few product launches as well as the normal array of BMW M related activities. One of those products was the new 1 Series which, standing alongside a whole range of performance vehicles, doesn’t sound terribly exciting but is probably one of the more important ones for BMW.
There are big changes with the 1 Series in this iteration, too. The vehicle has a new platform, a new drivetrain and even a new drivetrain layout. You see previously the 1 shared engines with the ‘more traditional’ BMWs like the 3, 5 etc and all were rear wheel drive. Now though, the 1 diverges from tradition with a front wheel drive setup that mimics most other hatchbacks on the market.
That’s achieved by BMW bringing across a platform from Mini; one that’s already being used for the X1, X2 and some 2 Series models as well. There are benefits to a front wheel drive architecture too, like being able to package the drivetrain in a more compact space as the engine is orientated differently under the bonnet and there’s no need for a prop shaft running down the centre of the car. That means more space on the inside for occupants without making the car physically bigger; for example the rear offers easier access, extra knee room, head room and more elbow room, while the driver and front passenger can look forward to the same. The load compartment entrance is wider while capacity of 380 litres is 20 litres up on the outgoing car, and folding down the rear seat bench increases this to 1,200 litres.
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Speaking of the interior, BMW’s new design for the cockpit is rather pleasing. The infotainment screen is far more integrated into the overall dashboard, which itself is redesigned to be more like BMW’s of old where the cockpit cocoons the driver. A new gear lever and surround, together with really nice alcantara seats rounds off the changes.
Powering the new 1 Series will be a choice of three diesel engines and two petrol variants, developing from 85kW in the BMW 116d to 225kW in the M135i xDrive. The one I drove for the afternoon was a 118i which is powered by a 1,500cc turbo charged petrol motor that develops 103kW and 220 torques. Putting power to the wheels was a seven speed dual clutch gearbox.
Out on the road the 1 Series felt quite nice I must admit. We didn’t experience any particularly challenging road surfaces but on the whole it seemed to be comfortable enough while still maintaining a sharp, nimble response to corners. The engine and gearbox combo is nice and smooth in its power delivery, albeit lacking much oomph at the top of the rev range. But what you lose on top you gain at the bottom where oodles of punch are available from 1,500rpm which you can really feel in urban traffic.
I can fully understand BMWs leap into the front wheel drive layout for this, their entry level vehicle. The platform sharing opportunities with Mini mean cost savings that can be sunk into further development and of course the bottom line. Is the 1 Series any worse off for it? No, I don’t think so. First because most people won’t even notice the difference in drivetrain layout. And second is a noticeable amount of extra space. The days of having a rear wheel drive hatchback are clearly past but I think this is one we can live without.
Pricing starts at R479,000.
