What's the news?
The second body variant of BMW's premium hatchback. Set to arrive in September the three-door 1 Series 'impressively underscores the compact model's sporting characteristics; Sporty, elegant design and attractive' (or so BMW says). Translated: the new car is for those who want a sportier looking baby Beemer. The arrival of the three-door also coincides with the launch of the new entry-level 114i and range topping M135i.
Exterior
Despite the loss of two doors the new car is proportionally identical to its five-door sibling, but, more importantly, larger than the three-door of old.
Interior
The three-door will be offered with either four or five seats, but other than that will be identical to the five-door model inside - only a little more difficult to get into the back. The driver-orientated cockpit has been retained as too have the iDrive system and BMW's usual high quality materials. Boot space has grown to 360 litres - or 1,200 litres with the rear seats folded.
Mechanicals
For the most part the engine line-up from the five-door model has been carried over to the three-door 1 Series, save for the M135i (read that full story here) and the new entry-level 114i. This car is powered by a four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engine that develops 102hp, can return 49.6mpg and emits just 132g/km CO2. The 114i is followed by the 136hp 2.0-litre turbocharged 116i that offers 51mpg and 129g/km. The same engine, with a higher state of tune, powers the 125i, which produces 218hp.
The diesel line-up consists of two versions of the 116d, a 118d and the 125d. Both of the 116d models are powered by the same 116hp 2.0-litre engine, but the EfficientDynamics model can return 74.3mpg and 99g/km, making it tax-free. The efficiency boosts are thanks to a change in gearing and aerodynamic tweaks.
These models will be joined in November by the 170hp 118i and a 184hp 120d. The 120d will be offered with BMW's xDrive four-wheel drive system, as will its five-door counterpart, but whether they will be offered in Ireland remains to be seen.
Data
The three-door BMW 1 Series is available to order now with five trim levels - ES, SE, Sport, Urban and M Sport to choose from. Pricing is expected to start from about €27,250 for the 11d ES.