The hot hatch segment might be at its peak at the moment, at least as far as old-school aficionados are concerned, with the turbo-five-animated Audi RS3 and the inline-six-powered BMW M140i being responsible for that. However, at least as far as the Bimmer is concerned, the compact performance formula is about to go through a double-controversial change, so we can't help but wonder how the 2019 BMW M140i successor will be like.
We've spied the spicy compact testing on numerous occasions, with the freshest sighting of the sort coming from the piece of footage at the bottom of the page.
However, as you can easily figure out by... not muting the Nurburgring spy clip, the M140i successor does show signs of understeer.
That's because the Bavarian automaker is giving up the RWD platform for the third-generation 1 Series, switching to a derivative of the FWD-based UKL architecture that already serves multiple BMW and Mini models.
Sure, the M Performance model will come with xDrive, but, at least when judging by what we can hear in the said test footage, the newcomer appears to be far less tail-happy than the model it replaces - interestingly, the video also shows a current M140i, probably an RWD model, not a xDrive one, allowing its posterior to slide on the Nordschleife.
As for the second aspect mentioned in the intro, this has to do with the downsizing. The turbocharged straight-six of the current car will make room for a turbo-four. The rumor mill talks about a beefed-up version of the B48 2.0-liter mill, which could deliver around 320 hp. Thus, we could see the hot hatch returning to the M135i nameplate.
When it comes to the positive aspects of the transformation, we can list the superior fuel efficiency, as well as the more generous rear passenger space and luggage compartment capacity, but these are more relevant for the non-performance versions of the 1er.
P.S.: The spy footage you see here was captured earlier this year, with the Nurburgring having now closed its gates. As we recently discussed, the Green Hell is receiving fresh asphalt and could get a few changes outside the resurfacing project before the 2018 season kicks off.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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