BMW 1 Series & M4 CS; SUVS from the New York and Shanghai Auto Shows; Mercedes-benz Concept A Sedan; Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk; Dodge Challenger SRT Demon; Volkswagen at Shanghai
The next 1 Series will depart from BMW’S RWD ethos, but will add more practicality
BIGGER, NOT BOLDER
BMW’S design ethos has sat under the play-it-safe bracket of late and the next 1 Series is likely to follow suit. The BMW styling signatures will have many of their rounded elements sharpened and applied to a canvas with crisper sheetmetal creases and a more angular profile. Although it will be underpinned by the BMW Group’s UKL compact platform, the new 1 Series will be appreciably taller and wider than the current car.
UKL MEANS FWD…
That’s right, the next 1 Series will utilise the Mini’s UKL platform and dispense with one of BMW’S most defining features: rear-wheel drive. The rationale is twofold: the 1 Series’ UKL platform will incorporate a longer wheelbase that, in conjunction with a FWD configuration, minimises drive-tunnel intrusion and frees up more cabin space; and the new car will display FWD handling characteristics that most hatchback drivers value, holding practicality above outright driveability.
…AND SMALLER ENGINES
The UKL platform’s current configuration is geared towards accommodating small three- and four-cylinder powerplants. This means that the next 1’s engine lineup could closely resemble that of other UKL models such as the Mini. This means the 116i and 118i kicking off with model-specific-tuned 1,5-litre three-cylinder turbopetrols and the 120i topping out with a 2,0-litre, four-cylinder. Four-cylinder turbodiesels will also be in the mix, as well as a plug-in hybrid utilising the 1,5-litre turbopetrol coupled with a small electric motor as part of BMW’S iperformance initiative.
4-SQUARED PERFORMANCE
Four-wheel drive and four-cylinder engines … that’s the likely path the next 1 M could follow. The UKL’S aforementioned engine/platform compatibility constraints will effectively call time on the presence of big inline sixes in small M cars. Instead, BMW could take a leaf out of the Mercedes-amg A45’s book, adopting a high-output four-cylinder turbopetrol engine. Although the Ukl-based products are predominantly FWD, there is provision for a recalibrated version of the AWD system underpinning some of Mini’s JCW models, placing the 1 M on a fairly level playing field with the A45 and Audi’s RS3.
BMW WILL MAKE PROVISION FOR THE AWD SYSTEM THAT UNDERPINS SOME OF MINI’S JCW MODELS