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There’s a new BMW 1 Series hatchback in town, and while it may fall under the ‘forbidden fruit’ category – sorry American hot hatch fans – it’s an important look ahead to what BMW’s planning for the updated 2 Series Gran Coupe. It’s also the first model to debut BMW’s new badging and nomenclature, which sees the “i” suffix dropped after decades in use. This was confirmed as a response to the naming becoming confusing – the letter i was used for both combustion models as a suffix and electric models as a prefix – and suggests the 48 trademarks found by CarBuzz for a renamed BMW lineup are likely to come to fruition soon.

Back to the 1 Series, though. What are we looking at? While it might look like a Kia from some angles, this is actually BMW’s new 1 Series hatchback, sold globally as a rival to the BMW A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

What’s Under The Hood?

A variety of powertrains have been launched, with market-specific availability. These include a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder in the 120; 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engines in the 118d and 120d; and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot in the range-topping M135 xDrive.This is the powertrain that will make its way stateside in the next-gen 2 Series Gran Coupe and boasts 296 horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque, and leverages the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive to dash from 0-60 mph in under 4.9 seconds before topping out at 155 mph. The dual-clutch gearbox is standard across all models, but only available on the 120 and 120d is a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with an extra 20 hp and 40 lb-ft.

Wait, Did I See An M1 Badge?

You did, sort of. BMW has tried its best to make the M135 xDrive look like a real M car, going so far as to put the “35” suffix of the badge in a smaller font than the “M1” portion. In fact, going forward, all BMWs will have this two-sized badging effect, with emphasis placed on the model series and the smaller trim designation taking a backseat.

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That’s a negligible detail, though (even if our initial response is to be incensed that this would try to emulate the badge of the iconic M1), as it’s quickly overshadowed by the rest of the hatchback’s design. From the rear, it looks good, with LED taillight clusters featuring a notched design similar to the headlights of the pre-facelift G20 3 Series. In profile, it looks good too, with 17-inch alloy wheels standard on non-M Performance models, while the M135 gets 18-inch items that fill the arches extra well thanks to an 8mm drop in ride height courtesy of the M Sport Package’s Adaptive M Chassis. 19-inch wheels are optional, as is an M sport brake system. A neat touch is the “1” debossed into the C-pillar, emulating the design element launched with the new 5 Series.

But the front is odd, as the new kidney grille design almost fuses the two halves into one, and the organically-shaped headlights drawn back over the front corners look distinctly to our eye like the Kia Cee’d GT (tell me this new grille doesn’t remind you of Kia’s Tiger Nose design?). The M Sport version does a proper job of making the 1 Series look aggressive, with bespoke bumpers and a new grille with a combination of vertical and diagonal slats, although the latter is not applied to the M135, which just gets horizontal bars. This model also gets a quartet of tailpipes.

Is It Still A BMW Inside?

You’re not going to climb aboard and think you’re in anything but a BMW, that’s for sure. For starters, the new 1er has the BMW Curved Display infotainment array, comprising a 10.25-inch instrumentation screen and a 10.7-inch infotainment screen joined behind a single glass display. This system runs on BMW Operating System 9, meaning downloadable apps, in-car gaming, video streaming, and a variety of customization options are included. Over-the-air updates will make it even more feature-packed as time passes. Unfortunately, BMW has ditched most of the physical controls, including for climate control, and even the gear selector is a minimalist toggle integrated into the transmission tunnel.

The base seats are Econeer-upholstered, but you can also get Veganza (vegan leather) and Alcantara if you prefer a leather-like feel to your driving experience. You also have two choices of steering wheel, with a standard sport option or an M leather wheel as part of the M Sport Package introducing paddle shifters.

It’s Not Coming To America, But Here’s What Will

America doesn’t get the 1 Series hatchback, but we do get its sedan-shaped sibling, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. When the current model is replaced, we’ll get a lot of what’s visible on this 1er with a trunk. Here’s what to expect:

• M135 xDrive engine only (unless a new ’28’ powertrain is added)
• New seven-speed DCT
• BMW Operating System 9
• Leather-free interior

Related

Next-Gen BMW M235i Gran Coupe Expected To Gain Disappointing Trait

Like the M5, it appears that the new M235i GC could get heavier.

That’s still at least a year away, though, despite prototypes having been spotted in the middle of last year. Those development cars carried the same front end design as this 1 Series, melded with a more shapely, coupe-like roofline.