The BMW 1 Series, last available as a 2013 model, was small and quick, and it handled very well. It was the platform upon which BMW built the limited-production 1 Series M coupe, which by all accounts was a very worthy M car.
Now, with the new BMW naming protocol, entry-level two-door BMWs are called 2 Series. Entry-level sedans would be called 1 Series, if there were any. But there aren't any—at least not for now. However, that may change, if we can rely on recent spy photos from automobile.com.
A small, four-door sedan that would fit the description of a 1 Series has been seen testing in Germany. If this is indeed a 1 Series Sedan, it means that BMW is serious about producing a worthy competitor to Audi’s A3 and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz CLA. Both of those are front-wheel drive cars with all-wheel drive available depending on the model. We already know that in this size range, BMW will build the car on its UKL front-wheel drive platform, but to be competitive with the A3 and CLS, it will probably also come in an xDrive flavor.
Speculation in the automotive media is that a new 1 Series would probably show up as a 2017 model, perhaps as early as 2016.
Drawing from the current assortment of motors, possible powerplants could include the 134-horsepower, turbocharged 1.5-liter engine as used in the 2014 Mini, the 189-horsepower, turbocharged two-liter engine that comes in the Cooper S, and the 231-horsepower, two-liter motor that powers the Mini Cooper JCW and the 225i Active Tourer.
If BMW wants a 1 Series Sedan to take sales away from its German rivals, the price point would have to start around $30,000.
As a front-wheel drive/all-wheel drive vehicle, a new 1 Series would share its platform as well as its numeral with the next-generation BMW X1.
As the other model ranges in their lineup have grown in size, BMW needs to make smaller, affordable cars for drivers to begin their BMW experience. Front-wheel drive BMWs are not going away, but as long as they go, handle, and stop like a BMW, that’s okay.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of automobile.com.]
