BMW 1 Series
Now front-wheel drive. Can you tell?
When BMW’S own research revealed that 85% of 1 Series owners didn’t know which end of their car did the driving, it was clear the frontwheel-drive die had been cast for this all-new model. If the majority of your buyers aren’t fussed or can’t appreciate the differences in driving dynamics, then why bother developing a bespoke reardrive platform for your entry-level model when you’ve already got some perfectly good front-drive architecture in the pipeline?
Cynicism aside, there are a number of good reasons why the new 1 Series is now a puller rather than a pusher, not least practicality. The previous car’s old-school transmission packaging meant it always gave best to rivals for space and usability, but now BMW claims it’s squeezed more space out of a slightly more compact footprint. There are the weight savings too – with fewer transmission components to haul around, the new car is between 15kg and 25kg lighter, despite an increase in kit. And packing any potential electric or plug-in gubbins into a compact hatchback is easier on a front-driver
than a rear-driver, so you’re futureproofing yourself too.
What’s more, despite the radical change in direction, BMW is keen to stress that the new 1 Series drives with the sort of engagement and composure that allows it to wear ‘the ultimate driving machine’ tag without feeling it’s going to contravene the Trade Descriptions Act – and an early drive in a pre-production prototype suggested that BMW’S confidence wasn’t misplaced. Even so, it’s still a ballsy move to deliver such a seismic shift in engineering philosophy on one of your best-selling models. So has the gamble paid off?
Underpinning the 1 Series is BMW’S new FAAR platform (it’s essentially an acronym for the tongue-twisting German phrase for ‘front-wheel-drive architecture’). This will form the basis for a new generation of smaller BMWS, including the next 2 Series Active Tourer, which in its current guise is the firm’s first front-driver. Featuring struts at the front and a multi-link rear axle, this chassis is covered by a body that betrays its mechanical make-up – this could only be a front-driver.
Not only is it five-door only now, gone is the old car’s combination of long and low bonnet and upright cabin, replaced by a shape that’s part X2 SUV and part 2 Series Active Tourer, the slightly highsided stance exaggerated by the small-looking 17in wheels of our 118d. To our eyes it’s not an attractive shape, but the wider track and 20mm shorter wheelbase hint at the extra agility BMW claims to have engineered in.
Matters improve inside, on a number of levels. For starters, the increase in space is easy to detect. In the rear there’s an extra 33mm of leg room (created by the ability to move the engine much further forward in body) and 19mm of head room, making the 1 Series viable for four tall adults for the first time. And the larger 380-litre boot (up 20 litres) means they can all pack their luggage, too. There’s more elbow room as well, so those in the front don’t feel as hemmed in.
Behind the wheel is the latest high-tech iteration of the traditional driver-focused BMW wraparound dash. As you’d expect, there’s the usual array of screens, with our car’s optional 10.25in (an 8.8in
layout is standard) infotainment display accessed via either the touchsensitive screen or the intuitive idrive rotary controller. There’s the usual array of connected and live services, plus the surprisingly effective ‘Hey BMW’ voice control that mimics the similar system used in the Mercedes A-class. And quality is top-notch, details such as the knurled metal-effect ventilation controls and top-to-bottom use of soft-touch materials bolstering the car’s premium credentials.
But enough of the sensible stuff, how does it drive? Well, the good news is there’s some fun to be had here, even if it doesn’t exactly feel like a BMW. Move away and the 118d initially feels very familiar. Like all non-suv BMWS you sit low in the car, while the steering is quick and positive with a slick lightness that affirms BMW’S claim that its new single-pinion rack has reduced friction. And even on our car’s optional adaptive dampers (you can choose between Comfort and Sport), there’s a reassuring tautness to the ride. The familiar 148bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel is a decent performer too, while in this application it’s more refined than before, with only the occasional tingle through the controls under load at around 2000rpm betraying it as a compression ignition unit. A six-speed gearbox is standard, but our car had the slick and smooth eight-speed automatic option, which in combination with the 258lb ft of torque makes for swift and effortless progress. As is the norm these days, it also sips less fuel and delivers lower CO2 emissions than before.
Find a series of corners and you’re in for a surprise, because the 118d is genuinely good to drive, if not in a traditional BMW way. For starters the nose responds instantly to the steering, and even when pushing on, grip is tenacious and understeer negligible. Instead it’s the rear that moves, the combination of grippy front end, well-integrated torque vectoring and trick ESP (see panel) allowing the car to rotate quickly around your hips. Lift off the throttle and the 118d tightens its line further, creating a glorious sense of agility.
Factor in the excellent body control (even in Comfort) and quick, reasonably feelsome steering, and the 118d scythes through corners with a lovely fluidity and deftness, front and rear axles sharing the cornering loads equally, the whole car feeling like it’s breathing with the road. No, it doesn’t feel rear-wheel drive, but then it doesn’t really feel front-wheel drive either. This car delivers on the firm’s passion for delivering a true driver’s car without adhering to any rear-wheel-drive dogma. It’s a BMW, Jim, but not as we know it.
It’s not perfect, mind. For the most part, the steering is uncorrupted by its need to steer and drive, but accelerate hard in a straight line and there’s a subtle stiffening of the rack just off the straight ahead as you get the merest hint of torque steer fight.
Find a series of corners and you’re in for a surprise. It’s
genuinely good to drive
And while the ride is good most of the time, sharp imperfections such as potholes still send a jarring thud through the car’s structure.
Yet these quirks are a small price for a car that bests its predecessor in almost all areas. Those who know their onions will notice the swapping of ends for drive, but BMW has done a fine job of making the switch and, on these cooking models at least, the 1 Series is arguably one of the most entertaining driver’s cars in its class.