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FWD third-gen BMW 1-Series hatchback spied - Yes, I said front-wheel drive

9K views 62 replies 34 participants last post by  Car Problems 
#1 ·


via Motor1
Far from being the prettiest model in BMW’s extensive lineup, the second-generation 1 Series on sale since late 2011 received a comprehensive facelift early 2015, but it’s still not what many would call a handsome hatchback. Thankfully, the Bavarians are cooking up a successor and today we are able to bring the first set of spy shots depicting the all-new model.

Despite the swirly camouflage applied onto the extra fake panels, already it is noticeable BMW’s new entry-level model will have a sleeker shape. Basically everything has changed, from the shape of the headlights and taillights to the car’s proportions. The wheelbase has likely been stretched taking into account the rear doors appear to be slightly longer than those of the current model. It means the overhauled 1 Series will be more spacious inside the cabin, especially for people sitting on the rear seats.

The modifications brought by the third generation are going to be skin deep considering many rumors are indicating the hatchback will no longer be rear-wheel drive. Indeed, it is believed the next 1 Series will utilize to the UKL platform as the 2 Series Active Tourer & Gran Tourer minivan duo, so it will come as standard with a FWD setup.

It remains to be seen whether this demotion will affect sales of the car, although we have a strong feeling it won’t be the case since a study conducted back in 2010 revealed 80 percent of 1 Series owners believed the car had a FWD setup. Perhaps people are more knowledgeable now than they were seven years ago, but it’s unlikely this switch will take its toll on customer demand for BMW’s smallest car. After all, there are many people that simply don’t care about whether the car they’re driving is FWD, RWD, or AWD. Not only that, but sales of the two aforementioned MPVs are great, so why should things be any different with the 1 Series?

Keep in mind that not all 1 Series models are going to be FWD as the more expensive ones will come with an all-paw xDrive setup. By riding on the UKL platform, BMW’s most affordable car will be powered by a wide array of three- and four-cylinder turbocharged engines, so the M140i will likely lose its beefy six-cylinder unit.

With this being only the first batch of spy shots, it means the next 1 Series won’t come out in the near future. Chances are BMW will introduce the new generation towards the end of 2018 or early 2019. Meanwhile, the current-gen car will soon get a discreet second facelift. Watch this space for spy images of the lightly revised car, but don’t hold your breath for any drastic changes.







 
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#2 ·


via Motor1
After the X1 and 2 Series Active Tourer & Gran Tourer minivans, yet another BMW is preparing to land with a front-wheel-drive layout. The second generation of the brand’s entry-level model has been around since way back in 2011, so it doesn’t come as a surprise this partially camouflaged prototype of the all-new car already has most of the production parts.

If you look closely at the body, you’ll see there are extra panels slapped onto the real metal and plastic using black rivets. That represents BMW’s way of saying it’s not willing just yet to show us the goods. The same thing can be said about the taillights, which are provisional at this point, although the final shape of the clusters will likely remain the same. Despite the heavy disguise and some temporary bits, already we can tell the new 1 Series will represent a major departure in terms of design when compared to the current car.

It’s not just the styling that has changed, but also the hatchback’s proportions. It appears to be wider and longer than today’s 1 Series and that will translate into a more spacious cabin also helped by the switch to a FWD layout. While the prototype spotted three weeks ago was a normal version, now we might be looking at a hotter version taking into account the front blue brake calipers, lowered sports suspension, and the dual exhaust tips at the back where there also seems to be a prominent roof spoiler. The disguise applied onto the front bumper could be there to mask a pair of beefier vents.

If this is indeed a higher-spec model, it might just be the new M140i. Besides the obvious changes, there is going to be one other major difference between the old and the new. Since the next-gen 1 Series will get the UKL platform, it means the straight-six engine of the outgoing model will have to make way for a smaller four-cylinder unit likely hooked up exclusively to an xDrive setup.

There’s still a lot of testing that needs to be done, so don’t expect the new BMW 1 Series to come out in the near future. Our guess is the second half of 2018. It’s not known at this point whether the three-door version will live to see a new generation or if the sedan will finally be sold outside China.

Meanwhile, recent spy shots have shown the current 1 Series will get a second facelift, albeit this time around the changes will be minimal when compared to the previous and rather drastic refresh.

If you want a small RWD hatchback with a raspy six-cylinder engine, hurry up as time is running out.










 
#13 ·
X2 :thumbup:
 
#15 ·
Okay, that is funny :laugh:

BMW continues to shoot itself in the foot. Front wheel drive? Really? :laugh:
Someone needs to start purging the management that only care about beans and marketing! ASAP!
BMW already sells multiple FWD models.

The currently China-only 1-Series sedan:



The 2-Series Active Tourer:



The 2-Series Gran Tourer:



The X1:



Why bother buying an expensive brand when you can by a GTI that does the job just as well for far less money?
Because this will be nicer than a GTI?
 
#12 ·
BMW continues to shoot itself in the foot. Front wheel drive? Really? :laugh:
Someone needs to start purging the management that only care about beans and marketing! ASAP!

Why bother buying an expensive brand when you can by a GTI that does the job just as well for far less money?
 
#22 ·
M135i/M140i's are everywhere here. Not sure, but it looks like most of them are RWD's, not AWD's. Of course, as it is the only RWD hatch, in a way there's no competition for it. But when they change all of the enthusiast 1er models to AWD, it opens up possibilities to customers to check out how the hot hatch Audis and Mercs look like.
 
#36 ·
I'd kill for a 3 door M140i in red w/ a 6MT. Hell maybe I'd even settle for a 5 door. Its totally unique, theres nothing else like it. Small hatch with RWD and 6 cylinders. It's literally everything I want in a car. Golf R is a close second, but given the choice I'd have gotten the BMW. BMW made a mistake not giving us the 1 series hatch. I bet they would've sold decently enough. Atleast on par with the 2 series coupes. I see plenty of Audi A3 hatch and Lexus CT hatches. Watch them give us the new FWD 1 series hatch.... boo. They can keep it now. I want the proper 1 series.
 
#30 ·
That was my first thought too.

I welcome it. The GTI and the R could use more competition.
 
#55 ·
2019 BMW 1-Series Drops Some Of Its Front Fascia Camouflage

BMW's future A-Class rival is slowly but surely undressing to reveal a sleeker and at the same time, more imposing look compared to the current iteration.

Thanks to this particular prototype wearing less camo up front, we get a much better look at the size of the kidney grille, as well as the front bumper design, albeit just on the left side of the car.

Riding on the automaker's UKL platform, the all-new 1-Series will not only grow in size compared to the current model, but will also switch from RWD to FWD, allowing for a more spacious interior in the back, as well as more room in the boot.

Rumor has it, BMW will stop selling the 1-Series as a 3-door model once the 2019 car drops, focusing only on the 5-door hatchback, much like Audi has decided to do with their 2019 A3 hatch - and what Mercedes have done all along with the A-Class.

Not much is known about the next 1-Series' power units, however, a new M140i model is said to be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder unit, with juice going to all four wheels via the automaker's xDrive all-wheel drive system. The engine range will certainly include a fair share of petrol and diesel options, as well as a plug-in hybrid system.

As for the interior, we haven't been able to catch a glimpse of it so far, however, chances are it will remain driver-oriented, with modern connectivity features and semi-autonomous technology available at the touch of a button.
http://www.carscoops.com/2017/09/2019-bmw-1-series-drops-some-of-its.html










 
#57 ·
2019 BMW 1-Series Shows Its Interior For The First Time

New spy shots of the 2019 BMW 1-Series reveal for the first time the interior of the next Bavarian A-Class rival.

Perhaps the highlight of the heavily covered dashboard is the two big digital displays, one for the instrument cluster and another one for the iDrive infotainment system.

The design appears to be an evolution of today’s model, staying true to the BMW values with the dashboard tilted slightly towards the driver and the infotainment screen mounted just above the central air vents.

While it’s too soon to draw any useful conclusions, the dashboard looks cleaner and having the big infotainment display more integrated into the design but still slightly sticking out. There’s also a new center console that hosts the redesigned gear selector for the automatic transmission as well as the latest knob for the iDrive sitting next to it.

The new 1-Series will be a rapid departure for the baby BMW model as it will ditch the RWD platform for a more practical front-driven one shared with Mini. This will make the new 1-Series roomier inside, especially for the rear passengers and their luggage.

The next generation will reportedly come only in five-door versions, following the same path with its biggest rivals, the Audi A3 and the Mercedes A-Class.

The switch to the new platform also means that the engine range will not offer any six-cylinder options anymore, with the range-topping M140i expected to be powered by a four-cylinder turbo that sends its power to all four wheels. Entry-level petrol models will use the three-cylinder units from today’s 1-Series but expect minor updates for better performance and fuel efficiency.
http://www.carscoops.com/2017/11/2019-bmw-1-series-shows-its-interior.html


 
#58 ·
The next-gen BMW 1-series is coming and I have filmed the new hatch testing, this time testing on and around the Nürburgring during Industry Pool. Given the current-generation 1-series' recent facelift, we won't see its successor for a little while yet, mid-2019 is when it'll reach the market.

Most significantly, the new '1' hatch will no longer be rear-wheel-drive. The next generation will use the UKL2 platform that underpins the BMW 2-series Active/Gran Tourer and X1, along with the current Mini Clubman and Countryman. All of these models are engineered with optional four-wheel drive where applicable, so expect to see xDrive models populate the range alongside bread-and-butter front-drive versions.

Although rear-drive handling dynamics have previously been considered something a USP for the 1-series, a key advantage of the front-drive platform is more efficient packaging, so an increase in interior space and potential for a larger boot is on the cards. It should also mean that the large transmission tunnel of the current-gen '1' is slimmed down, meaning more rear legroom.

The car you see here appears to be a high-performance version, following on from the current-generation M140i. We can see huge brakes behind the black alloys, a notably low ride height and large twin tailpipes of the type that normally only appear on M Division-fettled cars. Regular 1-series models are likely to reach the market first, however, with M Performance variants following some months later down the line.

To ensure the hotter version keeps up with the likes of the Audi RS3 and Volkswagen Golf R, it will likely use BMW’s xDrive-branded four-wheel drive system. The UKL2 platform may mean the end of the sweet-sounding straight-six engine in the top 1-series, too, as a transverse engine layout will almost certainly enforce a switch to a four-cylinder, with twin turbos to boost its power output.

The UKL2 platform also allows the potential for plug-in versions to join later in the production run, like the 2-series Active Tourer iPerformance, Mini Cooper S E Countryman and China-only BMW X1 xDrive 25Le.

This time there may not be a three-door version; industry insiders suggest BMW may follow the wider market trend of a five-door only range, to cut down on production costs.
 
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