The new BMW 1 Series go on sale in UK on 17 September 2011, starting at £19,375.
Not sure if the car’s looks will grow on you till then, but if it did, you can have the new 1er with a choice of three diesel and two petrol engines. The range includes 116i, 116d, 118i, 118d, and 120d. The top of the range model costs £24,720.All of them are of course rear-wheel-drive.
It’s not likely BMW offers the 1 Series with a V6 engine, like they did with the old one, but if they do it’ll cost well over 30 grand.
In terms of equipments and features, the base mode comes as standard with auto Start-Stop, six-speed manual transmission, 16-inch light alloy wheels, four airbags, DSC+, Drive Performance Control with ECO PRO, BMW Business radio with single CD player, air-conditioning, 60:40 folding rear seats, child seat ISOFIX attachments, Move cloth upholstery and leather steering wheel.
The 2012 BMW 1 Series is 83mm longer, 14mm wider and 30mm longer in the wheelbase than its predecessor. It’s also more efficient, and better built. In every aspect it’s a better car, except for the looks. My God it’s ugly!
Pricing and specs:
SE: Freestanding high-resolution 6.5 inch flatscreen monitor and iDrive controller, Bluetooth hands-free facility with USB audio interface and a multi-function leather steering wheel with speed limiting function.
BMW Sport: Sport style 17-inch star-spoke light-alloy wheels, Dark Chrome exhaust pipe and high-gloss black kidney grille, central air intake trim, side intake surrounds and rear bumper trim. Exclusive sport design sports seats, leather sports steering wheel, high-gloss black interior trim with Coral Red or grey accents.
BMW Urban: Urban style 17-inch V-spoke light alloy wheels, chrome kidney grille with white slat sides and trim bar for the central air intake, amongst a host of stylish design details. Inside, Metro cloth/leather seats, leather sports steering wheel and an acrylic glass interior trim in black or white with Oxide Silver accents.
Optional highlights
The new BMW 1 Series offers a comprehensive and unique (for a compact car) selection of optional driver assistance systems and mobility services. These include High-beam Assistant, Adaptive Headlights, Park Assist, Reversing Assist Camera, Lane Departure Warning including Collision Warning, cruise control with brake function, speed-limit and no-passing information. In addition, occupants can benefit from internet connectivity, smartphone and music player integration, real-time traffic information, as well as web radio, Facebook and Twitter apps.