Several months before its official debut at the Frankfurt Motorshow (in September), photos of BMW’s second-generation 1 Series leaked onto the internet this past weekend.
As with many recent new BMWs, the design is causing plenty of debate. We’ll reserve judgement until we’ve seen the car in the metal (it will be on sale in South Africa just before year-end), but it has to be said that it is a peculiar looking machine…
The new 1 Series retains its predecessor’s rear-wheel drive layout but is 85 mm longer. The wheelbase has grown by 30 mm and the front and rear tracks by 51 mm and 72 mm respectively. These increases should address to some extent the rear space/access problem that was so often criticised on the previous model.
Powertrain details remain speculation at this point but the initial line-up is likely to kick off with two newly developed 1,6-litre petrol engines featuring twin-scroll turbocharging, high-precision injection, valvetronic and double-VANOS.
The entry-level model is a 116i with 100 kW and 220 N.m of torque. This model accelerates to 100 km/h in 8,5 seconds and has a 210 km/h top speed.
One step up is the 118i with 125 kW and 250 N.m, a 225 km/h top speed and a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 7,4 seconds.
On the turbodiesel front the 116d (85 kW and 260 N.m) will be available in standard spec and with a package of EfficientDynamics technologies to further cut fuel consumption.
The 118d has 105 kW and 320 N.m of torque on offer, enough for a 8,9 seconds sprint time and a 212 km/h top speed.
Finally, the 120d has a meaty 135 kW and 380 N.m, giving it a 228 km/h top speed and the ability to sprint to 100 km/h in an energetic 7,2 seconds.
Six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions will be offered on most models, the latter unique in this compact hatch segment.
Inside, the rumour-mill suggests a significant step up in terms of material quality.
