In the US, our fling with the BMW 1 Sequence ended when the coupe morphed into the two Sequence for 2014. The nameplate lives on in Europe because the model’s entry-level hatchback, nevertheless, and it is getting into its fourth era with a protracted checklist of modifications in and out.
The third-generation 1 Sequence launched in 2019 ushered in vital updates: it switched from rear- to front-wheel-drive and its proportions shifted accordingly. Its successor is extra of an evolution than a revolution by way of design. Its entrance finish wears sharper-looking headlights and a grille that is thinner and wider than the outgoing mannequin’s, whereas the back lights stay horizontal however get a kink the place the bumper meets the hatch. The mannequin stretches 171.6 inches lengthy, 70.8 inches vast, and 57.4 inches tall, so it is barely longer and taller than the outdated 1.
Consumers may have a number of look choices to select from, together with high-gloss black paint on the roof and the M Sport Design Bundle. It isn’t all about design, although. BMW claims that it improved the 1’s steering really feel and cornering means by growing the physique’s rigidity.
Inside, the brand new 1 Sequence is jam-packed with tech options which have trickled down from BMW’s larger and dearer fashions. It is obtainable with the Curved Show that fuses a ten.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a ten.7-inch infotainment system touchscreen right into a single unit. This structure allowed designers to dramatically scale back the variety of buttons on the middle stack; even the local weather management system settings at the moment are accessed by way of the infotainment system. The shifter has been changed by a small change positioned on the middle console.
At launch, the vary will embody 4 variants referred to as 120, M135 xDrive, 118d, and 120d, respectively. It is 120, not 120i, as a result of BMW is dropping the “i” (which was rolled out to indicate gasoline injection). The 120 will get a three-cylinder rated at 170 horsepower, which is sufficient for a 7.8-second dash from zero to 62 mph. Positioned on the prime of the lineup, the M135 makes use of a four-cylinder turbocharged to 300 horsepower (oddly, it loses six horsepower in comparison with the outdated M135i). It hits 62 mph in 4.9 seconds and in addition advantages from a number of chassis updates.
On the turbodiesel aspect of the vary, the 118d and the 120d supply 150 and 163 horsepower, respectively, from a four-cylinder engine. The previous takes 8.3 seconds to succeed in 62 mph from a cease, whereas the latter posts a time of seven.9 seconds. It isn’t too far-fetched to invest that extra variants will seem in a while, although do not anticipate a full-blown 1 Sequence M. BMW notes 48-volt mild-hybrid tech is fitted to all fashions.
Entrance-wheel-drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch computerized transmission come customary on the 120, the 118d, and the 120d. Apparently, which means the stick-shifted 1 Sequence is lifeless — even Europeans seemingly not wish to give a shift. The M135 is all-wheel-drive.
The brand new BMW 1 Sequence will go on sale throughout Europe in October 2024. Nothing suggests we’ll see this little hatchback on our shores.
