The Next-Gen BMW 1-Series. All You Need To Know About The Latest German Hot-Hatch

The 1-series is one of the cheapest BMWs on sale in the global markets. The 1-series was sold for a very brief amount of time in India and thus finding one on the road is quite difficult. Recently, BMW launched the 2025 1-series. The hot-hatch segment is quite desirable and BMW have tried their hand at it. Premium hatchbacks are out of fashion as of late, but can this be a game changer?

Exteriors

You wouldn’t classify the previous generation as beautiful. And it hasn’t gotten better after the latest revisions. The latest generation looks more like a south-Korean family hatchback, than a German hot hatch. To some the exclusivity of a BMW is lost, as far as looks are concerned. The grille seems out of place, like in most modern BMWs. The taillights are borrowed from the X2, and it looks equally appalling on this car as well. Competition like the A-class and S3 look significantly more purposeful than the Beemer.

Nonetheless, they have done a satisfactory job with the M-sport. Quad tailpipes, 19-inch alloys and the blacked-out grille make the M135 look handsome. The design may grow on us after some time but the chances are slim.

What About BMW’s Sheer Driving Pleasure?

If you think the issues were limited to the exterior of the car, you would be wrong. BMW has ditched the diesel and manual variants. You would miss out on the satisfaction of manually changing gears, which is one of the main factors that make a hot-hatch fun-to-drive.

BMW has made up for these niggles with the help of an improved petrol engine. The 120i is equipped with a 1.5L combustion engine, mated to a mild-hybrid system. The output figures are pretty decent at 170 horsepower. The m-sport version gets a 2.0L turbocharged engine that churns out 300 horsepower and 400 Newton meters of torque. These are astounding figures, but still slightly lower than those of its rival, Audi S3.

Other Details About The 1-Series

• 10.25 inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.7-inch infotainment screen
• 0-100 kph under 5 seconds for the M-sport variant
• Leather-free interiors
• 17-inch alloys as standard
• ADAS features like lane departure warning are standard

Will It Ever Come Back To India?

Given it’s a BMW, there are no doubts that this will be a pure delight to drive. With the quad pipes and diffuser treatment, the m135 looks sporty as well. But we all know that BMW designers can do so much better than this. The appearance leaves a lot to be desired, which seems to be the current trend for BMWs.

The 118d and 116i were sold in India from 2013 to 2017. People preferred its cousin, the X1, over the 1-series and thus the production ceased after a 4-year run. It is unlikely that the 1-series sees the Indian roads, but if it does, it wouldn’t be cheap. The range starts at 30,000 British pounds in the UK and with the heavy taxation, this number can exceed 45 lakh rupees if sold in India.