Next BMW 1-Series Photos Surface

Yesterday, some images of the next BMW 1-series leaked out online. It used to be that manufacturers would flip their lid, file a cease and desist, and try to get the toothpaste back into the tube, so to speak.

Yesterday, some images of the next BMW 1-series leaked out online. It used to be that manufacturers would flip their lid, file a cease and desist, and try to get the toothpaste back into the tube, so to speak.  Thankfully, they're starting to learn this never works, and just going with the flow.  This is what BMW did with the 1-Series.

The car that replaces the current E81-chassis 1 Series will be bigger in nearly every dimension, save height.  This is probably a good thing; one of the most frequent criticisms leveled at the current 1'er was that it was a tight fit inside for full sized humans.  Overall length is up 85mm, width increases 17mm, the front and rear track widths grow 51 and 72mm, and the wheelbase is up 30mm, bringing it even closer to the current 3-series in size.

The 1-series (which should make it's live debut at the Frankfurt show this fall) will debut in 5-door hatchback form first, and the styling is... uhh...  Unique?  There's a lot of 5-series GT in the styling of the new 1-series, which is odd, because the 5 GT has been a drastic sales failure to the point that even BMW admits it.  The proportions themselves aren't bad - wide track, long wheelbase, short overhangs, your basic 2-box hatchback design - but man, some of the design details are ugly.  Those headlights that seem to wrap halfway around the front fenders, the completely square kidney grills, the awkward overbite that is that front diffuser, the... agghh!  Why!

Hi guys!  Who wants a hug?

The good news as that while the new 1 is a seriously awkward looking car, it should still remain a fun car to drive.  Unlike virtually every other car in this size class the 1-series competes with, it remains rear wheel drive with a longitudinally mounted engine.  While this is not so great for practicality (there's not much space inside the cabin or trunk of a 1-series hatch compared to a Golf), it's great for people that like to drive.  The suspension design remains similar to the previous 1, with MacPherson struts up front and a 5 link independent rear suspension, coil springs and anti-roll bars all around.

At launch, the 1-series will be available with five engines: two gas, three diesel, all four-cylinders, and all turbocharged.  The 116i and 118i both use a 1.6L direct-injected aluminum I4 with a single twin-scroll turbocharger, and differ only in engine tuning.  The 116i produces 136bhp and 220nM torque (162lb-ft), and the 118i makes 170bhp and 250nM (184lb-ft).  All three diesels use a 2.0L 16v I4 with common-rail injection and a single variable geometry turbocharger.  The 116d has 116bhp (convenient!) and 260nM (191lb-ft), the 118d has 143bhp and 320nM (236lb-ft), and the top of the line 120d makes 184bhp and 380nM (280lb-ft).  I do miss the days when the last two numbers in a BMW model name at least roughly denoted the displacement of the engine, but having mechanical commonality and differentiating models via the tune does make some sense.

None of the 1-series are slow, but obviously performance varies from model to model.  Since there are so many models, here are the basic 0-60 and fuel consumption numbers for each.  The slowest 116d rings in at 10.3/54.7, the 118d at 8.9/52.3, and the 120d at 7.2 and 51.1.  The gas models aren't quite so good at the performance to economy ratio, with the 116i delivering 8.5/42.0, and the 118i doing 7.4/39.9.

Transmission choices will be a traditial six-speed manual, or a segment first, an 8-speed automatic.  These won't be the only engine available, expect a high-performance version of the 2.0L turbo gas engine to debut later, likely called 128i, in the 245bhp tune as seen in the X1 and Z4.  The oft-rumored BMW 1.5L turbocharged inline-3 cylinder will also probably debut in the 1-series, making that officially the strangest BMW ever made.  (Sorry, Z1, your card is about to get pulled.)  Also confirmed in the press release is an upcoming 116d EfficientDynamics, which will use the regular 116d engine but with aerodynamic enhancements, a more efficient drivetrain and lower rolling resistance to lower fuel consumption down to 61.9mpg (compared to 54.7) and reducing emissions to 99g CO2/km, compared to the 116d's 114-117.

Other tech goodies include an optional start-stop system, which likely won't make it's way to the US and our EPA hasn't yet figured out a way to factor that into their mileage tests, regenerative braking, and an "ECO" mode.  The 1-series will be sold in Urban and Sport versions, with different aesthetics and trim features, but no word yet on what's coming to the US.

One of the biggest improvements on the 1-series is interior quality.  The old 1-series was never a cheap-feeling car inside, but at the same time you could always tell that's where some of the cost was cut compared to the E90/92 3-series upon which it was based.  For one thing, one of the sore spots of the old 1-series hatchback was the lack of cargo space.  With the increased dimensions, cargo capacity grows from 330L (11.6ft³) to 360L (12.7ft³), although having a differential and gubbins back there means it's still smaller than the Golf's 425L (15ft³).  Leg room in the back also goes up by 21mm.  The focus was on increasing the quality and features in the interior, and it's a big step forward.  The 1 comes with a 6.5" or optional 8.8" high resolution touch screen in the dash, newest-generation iDrive (sigh), and a new feature called ConnectedDrive.  This system changes various things depending on how the car's being driven, like adaptive headlights, automatic headlights with auto high-beams, rain sensing wipers (sigh again), park distance control, a rear-view camera with parking assist, radar cruise control, lane departure warning...  The list goes on and on.  The in-dash head unit also has integration with Apple devices and other smart phones, including real-time updates from Facebook and Twitter.  Which seems like a terrible idea, but surely some people will love that.

Another addition is the "driving experience" switch, with Normal, Sport, and ECO PRO modes.  Like most drive-setting switches, this varies steering weight, throttle response, transmission programming (with the automatic), and stability control settings.

The new 1-series seems to address most of the issues people had with the old one, mainly that for a mainstream family hatchback, it wasn't very useful or spacious, and it was small inside.  I really can't predict how the styling will go over with buyers (but I will admit to cringing when seeing it for the first time), but time well tell on that.  The first opportunity to see the new 1 will be the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall, and the new car will go on sale the first quarter of 2012.

Edit: that was fast. Pictures of the M Sport package for the new 1-series have already surfaced, via Belgian site autofans.be. The M-Sport package definitely cuts down on the "whoa, Walrus!" thing - I like it.

And the interior gets an appropriate M-model reworking, too - I like the heavily bolstered seats.

Like most M-Sport packages, this likely consists of suspension, wheels, tires, aesthetic and seats - no extra power - but it's certainly better looking.

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