This is the all-new generation of BMW 1 Series. And it looks like the car has a disease or major birth defects.

Some might say it’s become more elegant and classy than before, but to me that radical front-end with huge headlamps and small grilles looks ugly. But hey, that’s personal preference. The back-end looks much better, simple and nice. They seem to have cured the poor rear legroom issue by putting the car on a steroid diet. It is bigger and chubbier than the one it replaces. The wheelbase longer by 1.2 inches and it’s also wider as well.

These are the leaked pictures of the 2012 1er we have here, so there’s no official details as of yet. But it will share some its engines with MINI, which means it gets a 1.6 liter and a 2.0 liter diesel in the powertrain list. A year after the launch it might also get a six-cylinder option, just as the old gen did. The car comes with a six-speed manual, and an automatic which is the new 8-speed model.

The looks of the new 1er also hints at the way the next BMW 3 Series will look like. Oh dear! The car will make its official debut at the IAA Frankfurt autoshow.