BMW 1 Series (2011 – 2019) Review

A ‘real’ BMW with rear-wheel drive, this iteration of 1 Series, for enthusiasts, marks the end of an era. Its successor – the current model – switched to front-wheel drive. BMW’s posh alternative to a Volkswagen Golf, the 1 Series clearly hit the mark in the UK, becoming a fairly regular entrant into the top 10 best-sellers list.

This means there’s plenty of choice on the second-hand market – and as BMW also offered many different trims and engine options, there are plenty to pick and choose from. We prefer the facelifted cars from 2015 onwards, as they have a better-looking front and rear, but there’s little difference inside – and they’re all as good to drive as one another. The all-new BMW 1 Series is here, but the 2011-2019 version is still worth a look. 

The idea behind the 1 Series was simple: make a smaller, cheaper, hatchback version of the BMW 3 Series. BMW picked the perfect set of tools to achieve that, too – the architecture of the 3 Series itself, no less. This means 1 Series buyers really were getting a premium-grade car at a (slightly) more mainstream price.

Retaining the rear-wheel-drive setup was good news for handling, making the 1 Series a rarity in this sector – both Audi and Mercedes-Benz use front-wheel drive (with all three also building all-wheel drive versions as well). The extra balance and purity this endowed the BMW with was obvious from the first turn of the wheel.

The trouble is, rear-wheel-drive cars are not as space-efficient as their front-driven counterparts. That’s less of a problem in a larger car such as the 3 Series, but it did lead to compromises with the 1 Series. Most notably, in terms of rear-seat space. It’s pretty cramped back there, with the boot being similarly compromised.

There were fewer complaints up front. The driver-focused layout feels good, with seats that drop nice and low, a chunky steering wheel and a nice high-mounted gearlever. That this is backed up by such an entertaining drive makes it easy to see why the 1 Series appealed.

Most engines, even by today’s standards, are very good on fuel. The diesels are real misers and the four-cylinder petrol versions aren’t bad either. That’s despite nearly every engine serving up a surprising amount of pulling power, making even a mainstream 1 Series hatch a swift car.

The most driver-pleasing version of all is the M135i, later improved to M140i guise. Both have a wonderful 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo engine, and suspension breathed upon by the experts in BMW’s M performance car division. It’s great fun to drive, with superb sound effects, plus performance and handling more akin to a sports car than a hatchback.

Early BMW 1 Series of this era did have slightly ‘difficult’ front-end styling from launch. The headlights were too big and the rear lights too weedy. An extensive overhaul from 2015 fixed it at both ends – this was the better-looking model that began its ascent up the sales charts.

BMW also continually improved onboard infotainment systems, maintaining its leadership over rivals in this area. The best became ever-better, and it’s well worth your while to keep an eye out for second-hand models featuring the ‘widescreen’ premium navigation upgrade.

With the latest 1 Series becoming that bit more mainstream in its focus, this model is likely to remain sought after by a core of loyal buyers for some time to come, particularly in M135i and M140i guises. 

The well-balanced, rear-wheel-drive handling is pleasurable, with lots of grip and incisiveness, and engaging steering feedback.

If you’re not certain about a rear-wheel-drive car – we’re thinking using it in winter here – you might like to consider an xDrive 1 Series. These all-wheel-drive versions are almost as enjoyable as the standard cars, just with the extra reassurance of sending power to all four wheels to get you out of a sticky spot.

As a car biased towards sportiness, the 1 Series has taut suspension. Regular models with smaller wheels actually ride pretty well – they’re firm, but soak up city centre bumps well, and are controlled at speed. M Sport models have stiffer suspension and bigger wheels, so feel jigglier, with the occasional crash and bang, although they too smooth out on the motorway.

Look out for a 1 Series fitted with BMW’s optional adaptive suspension, which uses variable dampers to benefit the handling and also smooth out the ride. 

There are some great engines amongst the BMW 1 Series line-up. Sure, some of the pre-facelift petrol motors were a bit down on power, but the 118i and 120i were gusty enough, and almost every diesel apart from the unloved 114d is worth a look.

The post-facelift 118i is a lot of fun. It uses the same turbocharged motor as in the Mini Cooper for a surprising turn of speed and a fun, likeable character. Similarly, the 118d is efficient yet powerful – and the 116d even more economical for apparently not much less surge.

The charismatic six-cylinder engine is a gem. This 3.0-litre is a modern classic, with the classic BMW straight-six howl and performance by the bucketload. It’s ridiculously good fun to drive, and addictively fast with it. The M135i and M140 have future cult car status written all over them.

Euro NCAP predictably gave a full five-star Euro NCAP crash safety score to the 1 Series; that’s the benefit of using so much underneath from the bigger 3 Series. Adult occupant protection was rated 91 percent and child occupant protection scored 83 percent.

BMW was one of the first brands to fit eCall as standard to its cars, and is a feature of all 1 Series, even the earliest 2011 models. In an emergency, this will auto-dial the emergency services and even send across your location, so help can be sent even if you’re incapacitated. Other useful safety aids, such as adaptive cruise control, are available, but only as options.

Most BMW 1 Series are rated at between 1,200 and 1,500kg in terms of maximum towing weight. Regular towers might like to look at the xDrive versions, as their extra traction will help when carrying bulky loads across muddy fields.

Because of their specialist performance-focused nature, you can’t tow with the M135i or M140i models – not that you’d be buying this sort of car for that.

We dive straight into the 1 Series’ weakest area. Front-seat occupants are okau: space isn’t abundant, but it’s easy for most shapes and sizes to get comfortable, and the seats are supportive – particularly the sportier chairs in M Sport versions. The pedals are a bit offset to the right in manual cars, but this is less of an issue with the automatic.

The rear cabin is less forgivable. It’s tricky to get in for starters, as the doors aren’t very big and the roofline is rather low. Passengers have to slide past the chunky round wheelarch intrusions too – and as they take up a fair bit of space either side of the cabin, it means the 1 Series is only well suited for two rather than three people in the back. Headroom is cosy and legroom is mean.

On paper, the boot isn’t that much smaller than a Volkswagen Golf. But in practice, its 360 litres of space is much less usable. The shape is narrow, and the boot floor is rather high. Even folding down the rear seats only opens up 1200 litres of space, again below par for this class of car.

The dashboard is similar-looking, with many of the same buttons and displays, and it’s just a few too many spongy-looking black plastics further down that give cause for complaint.

The 1 Series feels a very robust and well-made car in use, with no squeaks and rattles to speak of, and a good sense of rigidity over bumps. It’s clearly a quality car that you can tell is built to last. And upscale M Sport versions do bring in a few extra tweaks and treats to improve the finish and make it feel a bit more special.

BMW is the past master here, making infotainment systems straightforward and easy to use many years before its rivals cracked it. Even today, BMW’s setups are amongst the simplest and clearest to comprehend.

The colour screen is mounted high on the dashboard – a 6.5-inch setup is standard, with larger widescreen systems optional. Users interact with it via a central controller wheel called iDrive, located next to the gearlever. Later setups added touchscreen functionality, so owners had a choice of which was most convenient.

Switching between screens is intuitive, entering sat-nav directions is easy and BMW later added the option of Apple CarPlay – although it was a cost-option, rather than the standard-fit of most rivals. 

Because the 1 Series is a robust car that stands up to high mileages well, it makes even early models with six figures on the clock a tempting buy. Prices from around £6,000 represent great value and we’re sure even a ‘leggy’ 1 Series will have plenty of life left.

Diesels dominate the second-hand market, because of their popularity amongst BMW 1 Series buyers when new. You’ll find plenty of 116d and 118d versions around – our tip is to look for one of the EfficientDynamics versions, as these are the most fuel-efficient.

We really like M Sport trim, as it looks more focused from the outside, with its lower suspension and bigger wheels, while the upgraded interior trim and bucket-style seats are also smart. Second-hand buyers share our desire for them, though, which is why you don’t often see such models below £10,000.

Hot M135i versions are now dropping below £13,000, with the later M140i costing a few thousand more. Facelifted mainstream 1 Series are slowly starting to drop below £11,000, but this is an able and well-regarded car, so don’t expect prices to suddenly crash. It’s also a premium car, carrying premium price tags.

The most popular body style is the five-door. Three-doors are harder to find, as they’re even less practical – and tend to sell for prices that are just a bit softer than a same-spec five-door.

For pre-2015 facelift cars, a 116d ED averaged 74.3mpg and even the powerful all-wheel drive 120d xDrive could average over 60mpg. Petrols weren’t bad either, with the 170PS 118i returning 47.9mpg.

All-new engines for 2015 boosted the 118i up to 52.3mpg and the outstanding 116d ED could now do a stupendous 83.1mpg (with, like the regular 116d, the added bonus of free VED road tax). A good all-rounder is the 118d, which you can combine with M Sport spec: 70.6mpg with the six-speed manual or 74.3mpg with the eight-speed automatic.

Even the performance versions aren’t bad, with the M135i averaging from 35mpg and the M140i in automatic guise jumping up to almost 40mpg.

You’ll be pleased for the economy savings with the hot versions – because they command insurance groups as high as 40. That’s a bit of a jump from, say, a 116d which is group 15, or a 120d in group 22.

One model actually fell in insurance groups pre- and post-facelift: the 118i was originally group 22, dropping to group 19 from 2015, as its engine was swapped for a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo.

When new, many 1 Series came with run-flat tyres, but subsequent owners may have replaced them. It’s worth checking what rubber is fitted – and if you’re picking an M Sport, remember that their bigger wheels will come with correspondingly bigger tyre replacement bills.

The most basic BMW 1 Series are branded ES, but they’re a bit light on equipment. We prefer SE versions, which bring 16-inch alloy wheels, a multi-function steering wheel, 6.5-inch infotainment screen and Bluetooth. Surprisingly, DAB wasn’t standard-fit on earlier cars.

Post-facelift cars have a better standard haul of equipment: the SE was now the entry-level version, gaining sat nav for the infotainment system, along with auto headlights and wipers, plus climate control. Bright LED headlights came on SE Business, along with rear parking sensors, while Sport models feature larger 17-inch alloys and a moody black interior colour scheme.

Our beloved M Sport cars have 18-inch wheels, LED fog lights, M steering wheel and M Sport suspension, leather sports seats and smart contrast blue stitching. And both M135i and M140i have the sort of features you’d normally associate with a proper upscale M car.