BMW 1 Series review – Engines, drive & performance

The big news when this generation of BMW 1 Series launched was that it would be the first to be offered with front-wheel drive rather than the rear-wheel drive configuration of the old car. It’s not quite as feisty as it once was, but the 1 Series remains the hatchback to beat in terms of driving fun, in both standard 120 and hot M135 guises.

The 120 feels agile, responsive and nimble to drive, but we’re happy to report that BMW hasn’t gone overboard in making this the sole focus with the caveat of a bone-breaking ride. In fact, the suspension feels well judged and deals with speed bumps and potholes well at low speeds. Spend a bit extra for the M Sport trim, and you get adaptive suspension, extra bracing and a lower ride height. This model feels even more agile, making it one of the best cars to drive in this segment.

The steering might be heavy for some tastes, though, and the turning circle isn’t the best. We found that manoeuvrability can be a little tedious since the manual gearbox was discontinued in favour of the auto – it was much quicker to switch from forward and reverse in the manual. That said, the automatic seven-speed gearbox feels well configured in general, with smooth shifts. In ‘Comfort’ mode the automatic transmission seems to judge which gear to put the 1 Series in well.

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The M135 xDrive is a more serious machine. It’s hugely fast, and the xDrive four-wheel drive system gives it a planted and controlled feel despite all the power on offer. It’s very easy to drive quickly, although we’d argue the Audi A3 has it beaten for overall fun. It doesn’t help that the M135’s driving position is quite high for a car of this type, although that does make it easier to drive around town in terms of visibility.

Take the BMW 1 Series onto the motorway and it does a good job of cruising at speed. It never feels jittery and there’s little wind and road noise to speak of. The front seats provide a lot of support during spirited driving but are still soft enough for occupants when they’re relaxing at a cruise, although the rear seats are rather flat.

Petrol engines

Since the 2024 facelift, the 1 Series’ engine lineup consists of just two options and the ‘i’ nomenclature has been dropped to avoid confusion with the brand’s electric models. Unfortunately, the engine lineup is much slimmer now than it was before, and many models that are still sold in other markets will not make it to the UK, such as the 116 non-hybrid and 123 xDrive petrol, not to mention the 118d and 120d diesel models.

The standard 120 is a 1.5-litre turbocharged and mild-hybrid assisted three-cylinder petrol engine which makes a healthy 168bhp. That propels it from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds and onto a top speed of 140mph. Though there may be less choice than before, it’s a good job the 120 is a good engine.

The performance-focused M135 xDrive gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with four-wheel drive. It now produces 298bhp, rather than the 302bhp of its pre-facelift counterpart, and it’s 0.1 slower to 62mph now, taking 4.9 seconds. The top-speed is the same at 155mph. Power delivery is smooth and gradual, but we’re not particularly keen on the synthetic engine sound piped through the car’s speakers.

BMW 1 Series diesel engines

Unfortunately the diesel 116d and 120d models have been discontinued for the UK market because of lack of demand. We think that’s a shame because they were well suited to motorway driving and were reasonably quick to drive.