THE ALL-NEW BMW 1 SERIES (F70) IS HERE WITH ANOTHER COMPLETE DESIGN CHANGE.
BMW was a little late to the hatchback wars, well compared to the regular automakers anyway. There were a few older BMWs with a rear hatch, but it was only really around 2005 when the 1 Series was launched with a nice and raspy normally aspirated 3.0 litre inline 6 that performance car buyers started taking note. Since then only a few of the newer generations sported a rear hatch, but the styling got really good, as did the choice of powerplants and drivetrains with the F20 generation that had the range-topping M140i with a turbocharged inline 6 with 245 kW on tap as well as xDrive underpinnings. The outgoing F40 model was topped off with a similar drivetrain but it lost two cylinders, becoming a turbocharged 4-pot. It was still strong though with a decent 225 kW of power on tap, but it was quite expensive, close to R1,000,000 in base trim, with available options taking it well past that. This model ran from 2019 to 2024, and it’s just been replaced by the F70 1 Series, at first glance, it seems to be quite a comprehensive upgrade that’s seen changes to every aspect of the car. It does look good, especially in the top version available, but buyers must know they will have to put up with a few months of teasing because it looks a lot like a new KIA. Social media is already full of memes about it, and the car’s reveal was only a couple of days ago, luckily these things blow over fast. Usually. We quite like the way the new car looks, but as this is SXdrv and we’re all about power and speed and performance, we only really like the one that sits on the top of the model rung, which is the BMW M135 xDrive. The dimensions of the five-door model have changed only slightly compared to its predecessor. The exterior length of the new 1 Series has increased by 42 mm to 4,361 mm, while the wheelbase is 2,670 mm. The vehicle width is 1,800 mm, while the height has increased by 25 mm to 1,459 mm. To put that into perspective we’ll compare to a hatchback we all know a lot better, the Mk8 GTi. The GTi measures 4,284 mm in length, has a 2,636 mm wheelbase, is 1,798 mm wide and is 1.456 mm high - so the new 1 Series is similar but bigger, but not huge. Nice.
As is the norm, the new 1 Series can be had with an optional M Sport Package and the M Sport Design package that adds in M-specific design features including large air intakes on the front apron, pronounced side skirts and a three-dimensional diffuser element in the rear apron, an M radiator grille with horizontal bars, M exterior mirror caps and four exhaust tailpipes, an M Compound brake system and 19-inch forged light-alloy wheels exclusively for the BMW M135 xDrive. It does look good in top-spec with the right options, way different to the base spec that does look very, well, basic. The optional packages will surely find their way onto most of the base-spec cars because they need the visual help. The BMW M135 xDrive has that same powerful turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder powerplant but the press release says BMW has rated the power output at 221 kW, which is quite odd because BMW rates the outgoing model at 225 kW. Anyhoo, the car also features an Adaptive M Chassis with sport steering and intelligent all-wheel drive as standard and the performance of the whole package is pretty decent. All models of the new BMW 1 Series come with a smooth and quick-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch Steptronic transmission as standard, and the top dog features xDrive which means it can be chucked around better than the other models. The new BWM hatchback can accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 250 km/h as all new cars these days. This all-new BMW hatchback should be available in SA by Q3 of this year, they can already be seen on the local BMW website, but the pricing isn’t there yet. Just as an FYI, the outgoing BMW 135i pricing starts at R940,000, if we configure it how we’d like, it lists at R1,136,585. So it sounds like the all-new version may just start off over the R1mil mark, but we’ll see.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the all-new BMW 1 Series, the German automaker's hatchback market competitor. It's definitely as BMW as you'd expect, but that also means it will not be a car for the regular buyer because it will cost silly money, well here in SA anyway: All-new BMW 1 Series Premiere REVIEW 2025 with M135 | Autogefühl