Luxury car makers in India are today looking to tap the lower end of the market by bringing in compact luxury hatchbacks. This move makes these high end marques more easily accessible and affordable to customers wanting to get into the premium car owners club. Mercedes was the first to set the ball rolling by bringing in the A Class. Volvo has launched the V40 Cross Country and Audi has brought in a cheaper version of its Q3 compact SUV. So now presenting here is BMW’s latest baby the 1 Series, which is now in India to take on its competition. What I have here is the diesel variant. So what’s this hatch from Munich like? Let’s find out.
Look at the 1 Series from the front and it is unmistakably BMW. The kidney grille along with the double barrel headlamps are trademark design traits. The long bonnet looks sporty too. It’s the rear end where the car loses the plot. It looks too plain jane when compared to its rivals and is flat instead of having any curves. The BMW logo on the rear hatch doubles up as a lever to open the boot. A subtle spoiler on the rear windshield adds a nice touch. The best way to view the 1 Series is from the front ¾ angle. The car I am driving is the top of the line Sport Plus which gets 17 inch alloys. The design of the alloys is fantastic and reminds you of wheels seen on the high end M models. To summarize, the 1 Series will not win any beauty contests but as they say never judge a book by its cover.
Open the door and you are greeted with a high quality cabin. I personally am a big fan of black interiors and so the 1 Series earns extra brownie points from me. Quality of materials used is top notch. The steering wheel is thick and feels nice to hold and also gets red stitching on it which adds a nice contrast. The front gets sport seats and they are one of the best Ive experienced and offer fantastic support and have superb bolstering. They are electrically adjustable and come with memory function as well. The instrument cluster dials are large and easy to read.
The glovebox is illuminated and has ample stowage space. The pedals are of a good size and a dead pedal is included as well. The rear has good legroom and headroom but comfort levels could have been better. You do sit pretty low. And the back rest is upright which can lead to some discomfort. Also the transmission tunnel is quite high which makes the 1 Series a strict four seater.
The top end Sport Plus comes loaded with features and goodies like dual zone climate control, sunroof, BMW iDrive, Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity and xenon headlamps. In contrast the entry level 116i petrol is a bare bones model. There is no iDrive, seats are manually adjustable, no climate control, you get fabric seats and there isn’t even a central arm rest between the front seats. USB and Bluetooth are also omitted. Some cars priced half as this get more features. The 1 Series comes with standard 360 litres of boot space which can be increased by folding down the rear seats in a 40:20:40 split.
BMW offers the 1 Series with the option of a petrol or diesel engine. The diesel which features in this review is powered by a 1995 cc turbo charged motor which is essentially the same unit seen in the 3 and the 5 Series albeit in a different state of tune. It makes 143 horsepower @4000 rpm with max torque of 320 Nm which comes up between 1750 to 2500 rpm. Press the Start button and the engine is quite refined at idle. Acceleration is refined once you start off and gear shifts are smooth. The engine is mated to an 8 speed automatic gearbox which can be driven in 4 modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport+. Comfort mode is perfect for everyday driving in the city and for relaxed cruising on the highway. Eco mode true to its name gets the gearbox to upshift much quicker which in turn gives good fuel efficiency. Additionally the 1 has the Start/Stop function. I prefer turning this off.
The 1 Series is most fun to drive in the Sport and Sport+ modes. The engine revs to the red line before upshifting and the way the car shoots forward will put a smile on your face making you forget the way it looks. Switch off TCS and you are easily rewarded with some tail happy moments. The 1 Series comes with electric power steering and even though it is pretty light, the fun factor remains. The 1 is fun to push into corners and while there is slight body roll, the car grips well. The test car was shod with 225/45 R17 run flat tyres and while the ride was stiff, it did take care of the normal irregularities on the roads in a decent manner. However bumps did filter in on really bad roads. I personally still prefer the regular tubeless rubber over run flats. Of course the advantage that the run flats have is that you can drive on having 0 air in your tyre as I experienced during my review when the front right got punctured. A spare in the boot is sorely missed.
Conclusion time then. The biggest virtue of the 1 Series is its engine. Though I haven’t tested the petrol, the diesel is a tried and tested motor, has oodles of power and is refined as well. It is mated to an excellent transmission which makes everyday driving a breeze. Where the 1 Series loses out is in the looks department. And looks do matter for a customer who is putting down serious money for a premium badge. Also it is a case of extremes as far as the variants are concerned. The cheapest petrol while priced well lacks even the most basic luxuries and the top end Sport Plus which gets all goodies goes oh so close into luxury sedan territory. But if you are looking for a driver’s car and the looks and price is not a concern, the 1 Series could just be the car for you.
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