BMW 1 Series 2011 Review - International

BMW 1 Series

It didn’t quite work as a town car, because the ride quality could border on brutal on the broken or repaired roads that tend to haunt the inner-city world.

It wasn’t quite a brilliant couple’s car, either, because there wasn’t a lot of luggage space and that was probably just as well, because you couldn’t fit anything substantial through the tiny rear hatch opening.

Regardless of what the original 1 Series’ buyers actually needed it to do, there were other cars out there that did the job better and, usually, cheaper. Except giving them a Spinning Propeller key ring.

Now, though, the all-new 1 Series will let them have the key ring without the compromises. The 1 Series is a considerably better car in every area that counts. Yes, even in design.

The first is the Urban, which is distinguished by white paint on the mirrors and the nose, while the Sports is easily spotted because it's either dark or body-coloured in all of its extremities.

In Germany at least, the 1 Series is line ball with the machine it replaces, while the Sport line package will receive a sportier steering wheel, a different set of 16-inch alloys, a red flash in the key and — woohoo! — a foldable centre armrest.

Everything else, in BMW’s way, can be found in a very extensive options’ list…

Secondly, good luck in New South Wales, because BMW will only sell the 1 Series with turbocharged engines, and that includes both its petrol and diesel varieties.

There are two versions of the 1.6-litre, in-line four-cylinder petrol engine, with the differences mainly in the tuning because the hardware is identical.

As per the traditions of the brand, the four-cylinder sits lengthways in the engine bay, driving the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

BMW hasn’t skimped on the tech, either, because the four pot has direct fuel injection, a twin-scroll turbocharger and double VANOS variable valve lift and timing. Fundamentally, it shares a lot of technology with the MINI Cooper S engine.

The 116i is the entry level (though perhaps not for Australia) and starts work at 101kW of power at a lowly 4400rpm. There is 220Nm of torque on offer between 1350 and 4300rpm and it will wing its way to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds, all the while sipping 5.5 litres per 100km.

The petrol-powered flagship 1 Series, for now at least, will be the 118i with 125kW of power and 250Nm of torque, but the changes run deeper than just having bigger numbers. The character of the engine has changed fundamentally, because the peak power arrives at higher rpm (4800), while the torque arrives slightly later (1500rpm) and stays at a flat line until higher up the tacho (4500rpm).

Its economy isn’t much worse for all the extra power, using 5.8L/100 on the combined cycle. It’s still no bullet, getting to 100km/h in 7.4 seconds, but there is always the 1 Series M Coupe if you need to sprint harder…

… Or you could just go diesel.

There is a 105kW 118D at the entry level. If you’ve always pictured diesels as low-revving, unresponsive powerplants, it’s time to think again, because its power peak arrives at 4000rpm — just 400 revs below the 116i petrol engine’s peak.

The key is 320Nm of torque between 1750 and 2500rpm (unusually, arriving later than either of the petrol engine torque peaks) that helps push it to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds with a 212km/h top speed. All that and a 4.4L/100km economy number.

The pick of them, though, is the 120D. It’s strong and it’s economical and even smooth.

The numbers prove the point, with 5kW more than the old 120D at 135kW of power at 4000rpm. There’s a lot more torque than the 118D, too, and its 380Nm (between 1750 and 2750rpm) is starting to sound like the sort of numbers a big six-cylinder produces.

It’s even faster than the 118i, with a 7.2-second 0-100km/h time, but it uses only a tenth of a litre more fuel than its little diesel brother, with 4.5 litres/100km.

The six-speed manual is conventional, economical and, obviously, cheaper, while the eight-speed auto is essentially the same unit BMW uses in its larger machinery. Which means it’s very, very good and economical.

The suspension is all new, too, with a more-rigid front suspension setup to deal with the 40mm wider track, while there’s a five-link rear suspension to accommodate a 60mm wider track.

It’s all based around a body architecture that’s bigger, but 30kg lighter even though it’s 30 percent more rigid across the firewall.

Those days are long gone.

The body is 85mm longer and BMW has invested 30mm of that inside the wheelbase, so it all translates into cabin space. It’s also 39mm wider and headroom hasn’t been compromised, even though it’s five millimeters lower.

It feels that way, too. It’s a bit bigger everywhere and there’s a more airy feel to the cabin that was once a bit short on natural light and shoulder space.

The luggage area has jumped from 330 litres to 360, and it’s even higher if you fold down the rear seats. And there are even straps to tie things into the sides, plus hooks to hang your shopping or take-away dinner bags.

Of course, if the VW badge isn’t to your liking, you can buy essentially the same car with the more-prestigious Audi rings on the nose, but the A3 is into its final year.

Over Mercedes way, there’s nothing in the market right now, but that doesn’t mean the domestic foes for the 1 Series are done and dusted, because the run outs on the 3 Series make the bottom end of the classic BMW sedan very attractive indeed. And it’s still a pretty good car.

There was, I admit, some of that with the 1 Series, but it didn’t take long to dispel some of those preconceptions.

It’s actually very, very good.

The driving position is better, the dash materials and the interior plastics are better and finally feel like they belong in a prestige small car.

The seats, too, feel immediately comfortable and so does the reach across to the gearshift.

There is a proximity key nowadays and, perplexingly, it doesn’t quite fit into the little slot BMW designed for it to rest in amongst the storage cubby holes in the centre console.

Like the 6 Series, there’s a huge screen for the MMI and satnav that looks for all the world like it pops up, but doesn’t. And it has some tricks up its sleeve.

There’s also a new button alongside the gearshift, which rocks from Sport and Eco Pro modes for the steering, engine mapping, transmission and a few other areas.

While the car defaults into Comfort mode every time it’s restarted, you can flick it to Sport to run a bit harder. Well, it doesn’t overboost the turbo or give you instantly more power, but it gives you better throttle response and, if you order the optional active suspension system, it will give you a firmer damper setting as well.

Up in the dash, though, you get a very cool piece of additional info on the MMI screen because you can switch it to a pair of dials that show, like a speedo or a tacho, how much power and torque you’re using at any time. And it can be a surprise to see just how little power the car actually needs in some situations. Cruising at 100km/h, for example, needs less than 20kW of power…

The 118i, though, has considerably more than that, and uses it well. It’s quiet on start-up and feels strong right from the start. Yet the startling thing isn’t the engine. It’s the ride quality.

Anyone with experience of the old 1 Series knew it gave its occupants about the most raw interpretation of a road surface of anything without supercar pretentions. This one is very, very different.

There’s a suppleness to it now and it manages to combine a superb bump absorption without actually erasing any of the important information about the road beneath you. It’s an amazing turnaround and, in an era where Mercedes-Benz brings its C-Class Coupe into being a firmer machine, BMW has gone the other way. But it needed to.

That said, it hasn’t lost anything in terms of its handling. In fact, the extra suppleness has probably given it more grip in most situations. The balance is unchanged, with a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution and the steering is crisp and meaty without falling into the trap of being intrusively busy.

The engine itself feels, unusually, a little bit strained at its upper reaches as though it’s struggling to spin. It could have been that our version was a bit new and not run in properly.

It’s a rugged little motor, though, and has enough mid-range urge, though its straight-line sprinting could be crisper as the “big” engine in the 1 Series range.

It’s not the peak engine, though, because that honour clearly belongs to the 120D. It’s a superb thing, and has strength everywhere without feeling much worse than the petrol engines for vibrations even though it’s a touch louder.

There’s not a single place in the rev range that finds the 120D inadequate, because it responds to the throttle sharply anywhere, anytime.

In fact, it’s easily the pick of the 1 Series range.

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