The New One - All about the new BMW 1 Series

BMW introduced the 1 Series in 2005, making it easier for the consumers to buy a Bimmer. The German automaker has sold nearly two million 1 Series models since its debut and now has launched the new 1 Series with new refreshed exterior and interior design, new engines and additional EfficientDynamics technologies fitted as standard. The new BMW 1 Series will soon be launched in India and we take a closer look at the car.

The new 1 Series’ overall exterior design remains the same with the typical set-back passenger compartment, long bonnet and short overhangs but gets subtle enhancements. The new car features a new lower apron with larger air intakes in the front, reshaped BMW kidney grille, new headlamps with LED daytime driving lights as standard, new LED tail lamps with L shape design. Options include full LED headlamps with Adaptive LED headlamps.

Inside again is a familiar story with driver-focused cockpit now further enhanced to be sportier and more comfortable. There’s a new cloth fabric for the seats and the BMW Radio Professional and iDrive operating system is now standard across the entire range. Other standard equipment includes 6.5-inch Control Display, the controller wheel mounted on the centre console, and the direct menu control and favourites buttons, chrome surround for the air vents, radio controls and the automatic air conditioning,

From September, the new BMW 1 Series will get navigation as standard across the range, thus making BMW the first automotive manufacturer to offer navigation as standard across its entire range. Optional Professional Navigation system comes with a larger, touch-sensitive surface for the Controller for inputting numbers and characters, while the onboard monitor gets a slimmer 8.8-inch display.

The new 1 Series also gets a refreshed engine lineup with the diesel engines sourced from the BMW Group’s new engine family. All engines meet the Euro 6 exhaust emissions standard. The petrol engine range feature four and six cylinder units. A 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine powers the BMW 118i and BMW 120i, developing 136 hp and 170 hp respectively. The BMW 125i features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit, making 218 hp and peak torque of 310 Nm, enabling a 0-62mph time of just 6.2 seconds.

The range topping M135i comes with a turbocharged straight-six engine with the power increased to 326 hp and a peak torque of 450 Nm. The M135i can sprint from a 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds, on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The diesel engine range include new-generation three-cylinder and four-cylinder engines boasting new turbocharging technology with improved engine response through variable geometry turbines and turbocharger shaft guidance, better thermodynamics, power development and efficiency. The BMW 116d gets a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that generates 116 hp and 270 Nm of torque. The new four-cylinder diesel engine is offered in three states of tune. While the 118d generates 150 hp and 330 Nm of torque, the 120d makes 190 hp and 400 Nm, and the 125d, with its multi-stage turbocharging, offers an impressive 224 hp with 450 Nm of torque.

While the majority of new BMW 1 Series variants are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, the 120d xDrive feature an eight-speed Steptronic gearbox as standard and other models can get is as an option. As an option, the BMW 125i, BMW M135i, BMW 120d and BMW 120d xDrive models can be fitted with the eight-speed Sport Automatic transmission, which is standard on the BMW 125d. It features even faster gear changes, paddle shifts and a Launch Control function.