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The 1 Series has been very, very lucrative for BMW ever since the first generation started production in 2004. The second saw the 1er mature into an even better car than the original, but for the all-new model, BMW might be going backward if rear-wheel-drive is the most important thing to you.
Despite the people who said the 1 Series Sedan (F52) from China wouldn’t influence the next Euro-spec 1 Series, BMW is morphing the 1 Series Hatchback to front-wheel-drive for the third generation (F40). Both the Chinese model and European-spec 1 Series are based on the front- and all-wheel-drive BMW UKL platform, and in applications such as the MINI lineup and X1, it does a fine job at offering an exciting driving experience.
Spied here as a right-hand drive model with a three-cylinder mill up front, the 2019 BMW 1 Series will be available with twin-turbo technology across the engine lineup. Confirmed for both the B37 and four-cylinder B47, the TU1 upgrade is focused on efficiency, not all-out performance. In the 1 Series, it is likely the powertrain lineup will kick off with the 116d, translating to the 116 horsepower and 270 Nm variant of the three-cylinder B37TU1 engine.
Something else we can anticipate about the F40 is the optional way of changing gears, which as opposed to the six-speed transmission offered in today’s MINI models, the newcomer will probably sport two clutches and seven forward ratios. At the same moment, it’s also possible for BMW to offer the Aisin AWF8XX torque-converter automatic on select powertrains.
According to the latest of rumors, BMW might have canceled the three-door hatchback body style because of falling demand. Then again, the 1 Series is more practical with five doors, especially now that the change to front-wheel-drive allowed the engineers to package the interior much, much better. As for the M140i, the big kahuna of the 1 Series lineup will step down from six to four cylinders, much to the dismay of the purists among us.
Spied here as a right-hand drive model with a three-cylinder mill up front, the 2019 BMW 1 Series will be available with twin-turbo technology across the engine lineup. Confirmed for both the B37 and four-cylinder B47, the TU1 upgrade is focused on efficiency, not all-out performance. In the 1 Series, it is likely the powertrain lineup will kick off with the 116d, translating to the 116 horsepower and 270 Nm variant of the three-cylinder B37TU1 engine.
Something else we can anticipate about the F40 is the optional way of changing gears, which as opposed to the six-speed transmission offered in today’s MINI models, the newcomer will probably sport two clutches and seven forward ratios. At the same moment, it’s also possible for BMW to offer the Aisin AWF8XX torque-converter automatic on select powertrains.
According to the latest of rumors, BMW might have canceled the three-door hatchback body style because of falling demand. Then again, the 1 Series is more practical with five doors, especially now that the change to front-wheel-drive allowed the engineers to package the interior much, much better. As for the M140i, the big kahuna of the 1 Series lineup will step down from six to four cylinders, much to the dismay of the purists among us.
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