BMW 1 Series and 2 Series 2017 Review

Tasmania has been a happy hunting ground for BMW's small cars – not least of all for the M2, which launched on the Apple Isle barely 18 months ago. And within months of that event, the tiny firebrand won motoring.com.au's outright award for Australia's Best Driver's Car of 2016 – the testing for which was also conducted in Tasmania.

Let's face it, Tassie is the go-to place for promoting or testing cars aimed at the driving enthusiast. So it’s no surprise BMW flew a herd of motoring journalists across Bass Strait earlier this week to drive the latest 1 Series and 2 Series ranges, including the M variants.

The changes to the hatchback and coupe/convertible ranges are limited to a minor facelift, the adoption of the iDrive 6 infotainment system, some new alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights for the high-spec models, different exterior colours and some other minor tweaks which have little or nothing to do with driveability. Click on the links at the base of this page to read about the changes in detail.

Driving the cars in Tasmania presented a chance to refresh memories of what these prestige hot hatches (and coupes) are like. The slowest car tested was the 230i – the only four-cylinder model available for testing by motoring.com.au. Four other cars tested were all six-pot variants, all overtly sporting.

Of the various performance models tested, I enjoyed the M2 Pure the most, closely followed by the comfort-oriented 230i. The two cars bookended power-to-weight ratios in this group, but the M2 Pure was the most communicative... to a fault, in fact, if you consider the roar from the tyres a form of 'communication'.

In contrast, the 230i offered the best blend of safe, secure fun with comfort and refinement thrown in. It gave away little in terms of cornering ability and chassis feedback, but was somewhat softer as a touring car for those times you're not at a race circuit. And its snarly but subtle engine note was a different flavour of soundtrack from the howling, thoroughbred six-cylinder timbre of the other cars.

The engines for these various models need no introduction. Either four-cylinder or six, BMW’s turbocharged engines muster torque from low speeds, whether for relaxed touring or powering hard out of hairpin bends. Fuel consumption varied considerably throughout the drive program, depending on just how enthusiastically the cars were being driven. On an easy run from Hobart to Derwent Bridge, the M240i was using as little as 9.1L/100km. The M2, driven a bit harder, was up around 13.4L/100km, according to the trip computer.

Both the M240i and the standard M2 were more secure in their handling and roadholding when the Driving Experience was set to ‘Comfort’ mode. On Tasmania's choppy country bitumen, ‘Sport’ mode left the M240i more prone to skate and skip over mid-corner bumps. In contrast, the softer sprung four-cylinder 230i rode acceptably well in ‘Sport’ mode and could lay down torque without any of the misbehaving of the six-cylinder variants. Quite apart from the traction and roadholding issues with the two sixes in ‘Sport’ mode, the ride quality was unrelentingly firm for driver and passenger. It's arguably a mode best left for the race circuit, where the M240i and M2 are concerned.

The M2 Pure, with its Michelin Cup Sport 2 tyres delivered stronger grip in the dryer conditions when tested on the second day of the launch program. Once heated a little, those tyres could be counted on to complement the suspension rather than work against it. With more flex in the sidewalls, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres fitted to the standard M2 were not as effective at absorbing bumps.

The 'Performance Parts' optional extras fitted to this particular M2 Pure were as follows:
Front carbon-fibre attachments ($1658), carbon-fibre rear spoiler ($748), carbon fibre side grilles ($1658), carbon-fibre mirror caps ($750), black gloss grille ($440), M Performance exhaust system ($4490), titanium exhaust tips ($1595), M Performance alcantara steering wheel ($1089), steering wheel trim ($562), 19-inch M Performance Y Spoke 763M light-alloy wheels fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres ($8839), motorsport foil set ($449), motorsport stickers ($46) and adhesives ($73).

There were two examples of the M140i available to test over the course of the program. The car driven for this review was compliant over the rough stuff, but other journalists reported that the ride of another M140i was unacceptably hard. Our experience with the M140i earlier this week vindicated our previous findings for ABDC back in May. At that time I enjoyed the manual car's seamless pairing of pro-active stability control and limited-slip differential – and the way it trickle-fed more tyre slip at the rear for predictable oversteer.

The six-speed manual transmission fitted to the M2 Pure provided swift, foolproof shifting. I did find it annoying that the system would blip the throttle on downchanges when I actually wanted engine braking, not positive torque. According to BMW Australia, the factory has been requested to offer the car with a switch to disable this setup. As it stands, however, the only way to do away with it is by switching off the stability control.

In fact I found the system was spooling up more revs than necessary, not matching the engine speed precisely to the road speed. This was particularly noticeable changing down to second gear for tighter corners. And manually double-declutching for overtaking was occasionally accompanied by a secondary shift shock when the system was caught out by the driver pre-empting it. I've driven other BMWs and MINIs with this system, but in this specific vehicle it seemed slow and subject to miscue.

Over the course of the drive program, the speed sign recognition program worked to specification, even picking up 40km/h zones for road works. Despite the updated iDrive system and some honing of interior fixtures and new materials, the packaging is mostly unchanged for the 1 and 2 Series models. All models provided a decent driving position, with the controls in ready reach and instruments easy to read. Despite some of the cars tested being fitted with a sunroof, headroom in the front was never a problem.

Seats in the M240i and M2 pair were excellent, offering really snug shaping without crippling the occupant. They were comfortable and supportive over extended distances, and yet also easy to climb into and leave. All the 2 Series pews were beyond reproach. Given the car’s potent performance and grip, the seats in the M140 could do with more side bolstering. These are seats designed more for touring comfort than sports driving.

There's almost enough room in the back of the 2 Series Coupe for adults, but I found headroom to be marginal. The boot is useful and accommodating, thanks to gas struts, among other things.

BMW's latest running changes for the 1 and 2 Series models are not ground-breaking, but they're the cherry on top for a range of cars that were already very appealing anyway.

2017 BMW 230i pricing and specifications:
Price: $63,900 ($67,590 as tested, not including on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 185kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.9L/100km
CO2: 134g/km
Safety Rating: TBA

2017 BMW M140i pricing and specifications:
Price: $59,990 ($63,180 as tested, not including on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder, turbo-petrol
Output: 250kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.1L/100km
CO2: 163g/km
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2011)

2017 BMW M240i pricing and specifications:
Price: $76,510 ($82,200 as tested, not including on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder, turbo-petrol
Output: 250kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.1L/100km
CO2: 163g/km
Safety Rating: TBA

2017 BMW M2 and M2 Pure pricing and specifications:
Price: $99,300 M2 Pure ($115,696 as tested, not including on-road costs)
$99,900 M2 ($105,723 as tested, not including on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder, turbo-petrol
Output: 272kW/465Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch (M2) or six-speed manual (M2 Pure)
Fuel: 8.5L/100km (M2 Pure manual)
7.9L/100km (M2 auto)
CO2: 199g/km (M2 Pure manual)
185g/km (M2 auto)
Safety Rating: TBA

Related reading:
>> BMW slashes M140i pricing
>> BMW upgrades its smallest models — again
>> BMW ups 2 Series prices
>> BMW ups M2 pricing