BMW has launched the 1-Series in India and like we reported earlier, the prices start at Rs. 20.90 lakhs for the base trim, powered by a petrol engine. The diesel range starts at Rs. 22.90 lakhs and goes up to Rs. 29.90 lakhs. The BMW 1-Series is offered in four variants and the focus is on the diesel model as the company is well aware about the demand for diesel cars in India. The BMW 1-Series is assembled in India via the CKD route and competes directly with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, another premium hatchback.
The BMW 1-Series has 50:50 weight distribution and is a very balanced car around corners, just like all other BMW vehicles. The BMW 116i is the petrol version of the 1-Series. Only one petrol variant is on offer which is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine which uses direct injection and turbocharging to produce 136 BHP of power and 220 Nm of torque. The ARAI certified mileage for the 116i is 16.28 km/l. The 116i reaches from 0-100 km/hr in 8.7 seconds and has a top speed of 210 km/hr.
The BMW 118d is the diesel version of the 1-Series which uses the same 2.0-litre diesel powerplant that does duty on other BMW cars in India. This oil burner produces 143 BHP of power and 320 Nm of torque, with the ARAI mileage being 20.58 km/l. The 118d sprints from naught to 100 km/hr in 8.6 seconds and has a top speed of 212 km/hr. Both engines of the BMW 1-Series are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and power is challenged to the rear wheels. There are 4 driving modes – ECO PRO, Comfort, Sport and Sport+.
The base variants of the 1-Series gets 16-inch wheels while the Sport variant gets 17-inch wheels and the Sport Plus variant gets 18-inch wheels. The vehicle uses run-flat tyres and there is no spare wheel. The base variant of the BMW 1-Series gets automatic headlights, six airbags, brake energy regeneration, CD-player with AUX port, rear parking sensors, start/stop and ECO PRO mode, ABS and fog lights. The Sport Line variant gets front arm rest, dual-zone climate control, BMW iDrive, electric seat adjustment, USB port, etc. The top end Sport Plus variant gets rear AC vents, sunroof, etc.
BMW 1-Series Price (all-India, ex-showroom) –
* BMW 116i – Rs. 20.90 lakhs
* BMW 118d – Rs. 22.90 lakhs
* BMW 118d Sport Line – Rs. 25.90 lakhs
* BMW 118d Sport Plus – Rs. 29.90 lakhs
Mercedes A-Class Price (ex-showroom, Mumbai)
* A180 CDI Style – Rs. 22.27 lakhs
* A180 Sport – Rs. 23.11 lakhs
As can be seen in the price above, the petrol powered BMW 1-Series undercuts the petrol powered Mercedes A-Class by a significant margin. However one must remember that the petrol models of both cars are very different in terms of equipment. The A-Class come fully loaded while the 1-Series petrol comes in base trim. On the diesel front, the A-Class CDI is cheaper than the base 1-Series but there is only one variant of the A-Class diesel on offer which doesn’t get all the features offered on the petrol model. The 1-Series does come with more equipment but is costlier too. Surprisingly the 1-Series is priced higher than the A-Class considering its locally manufactured in India while the A-Class is a completely built unit (CBU) imported from Mercedes Germany.
BMW has started a second assembly line at its Chennai facility, boosting capacity to 14,000 units per annum. The company has acquired more land for manufacturing the new 1-Series and has the capacity to assemble 8 models. The company is offering BMW Service Inclusive Plus free of cost for first 100 customers. BMW is offering the following accessories for the 1-Series – folding table, detachable coat hanger, Tablet DVD system and media snap-in adapter. M Performance accessories are also offered including aerodynamic bumper kits, tail fins, rear spoiler and interior carbon trim elements.
