BMW cars-1 series review
The new BMW 1 series is offered with a four cylinder or inline six motor which means the new model will suit a wide range of buyers. Australia will get the complete range.
Both 4 cylinder diesel and petrol motors are 1995cc. and poke out 136 HP in petrol form and 143 HP in diesel. This is adequate for a car of this size and allows for good fuel economy Although the diesel revs relatively high. (4.000 rpm) it does produce good torque down low. With the 4 cylinder motor this is an under-stressed chassis and should last a very long time while providing good performance and fuel economy under normal driving conditions.
The multi award winning six cylinder 3 litre motor (2996cc) is available in two levels of tune for the 1 series as well, so driving enthusiasts are well catered for.
The 125I pumps out a healthy 218 horsepower and the 135I a whopping 306 Horsepower!
Coupled with the six speed auto or manual transmission this is a very sweet car to drive!
The 4 cylinder diesel motor I will leave to diesel lovers, and I won't comment here other than to say that as diesels go, it is a beauty. Sequential twin turbos have certainly given it bags of lump down low in the revs.
The weight distribution thanks in part to the alloy front axle assembly is superb, with adhesion levels you may not expect to get even in a BMW.
This is also partly due to the perfect figure for weight distribution. The 1 series distributes it's wait dead evenly at a 50/50 split between back and front wheels. I once built a car for myself that had a 50/50 weight distribution and can attest to the advantage that even weight distribution makes to handling.
There is not much to dislike about this car, other than it's carved look not appealing to me perhaps. I like to see a car body made with strengthening shapes, I just don't think they should be a styling feature, ripping a waste line along the side of the car. All a matter of personal taste I guess.
No less than six airbags and automatic belt tensioners contribute to safety. Other standard features such as the very rigid passenger shell with crumple zones makes this a safe ride.
Acceleration and braking distance are both exceptional with 0-100 coming up in just 5.4 seconds with the big motor fitted.(The 135I coupe.)
I am not a big fan of the multi (5 way) dynamic driving control on the 1 series, and would have preferred a diff lock and 2 modes only
I would however put up with the couple of issues I have with the look of this model and the over complicated active driving controls and buy one of the new 1 series.
In Australia prices start at just under AU$58,000 and range up to AU$74,000 so you do pay for all the technology you get.
The truth is you still get great value for money no matter which model you choose, as in this case the technology works extremely well.
I believe this is going to be a winner for BMW
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