The 2016 1-Series gets updated exteriors with a more favourable and sportier appeal, while there are new 3-cylinder petrol and diesel engines on offer that will make it to India.
Taking criticism a tad bit seriously, BMW has unveiled the 2016 1-Series with a major facelift ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. Available in 3-door and 5-door iterations, the new 1-Series gets redesigned exteriors along with a comprehensively updated equipment list, while the Bavaria based automaker has also revised the engine lineup including new 3-cylinder petrol and diesel powerplants under the hood.
Starting with the front fascia, the 2016 BMW 1-Series gets new rectangular headlights updated with LED daytime running lights as standard, while full LED headlights are also available as optional. The double kidney grille is now larger and wider than the outgoing model and the bumper has been revised featuring wider intake and larger fog lamp enclosures lending a sporty feel. Coming to the sides, the wheel arches have been slightly accentuated that accommodate the new alloy wheels, while the profile gets stronger character lines on display.
The rear on the other hand gets the most comprehensive change of all with a redesigned boot-lid featuring new wraparound tail lights with L-shaped LEDs as standard that replace the square ones seen on the current model and add a lot of flair to the design of the new 1-Series. The bumper has been revised as well and gets sharper creases complimenting the boot-lid design. Albeit not the best facelift, the aesthetic updates do offer certain likeability to the 1-Series which was otherwise missing from the outgoing version.
On the inside, the 2016 BMW 1-Series gets a new M sport steering wheel, new upholstery, new controls for the radio as well as climate control. The centre console is also updated with chrome and gloss black inserts that extends to the i-Drive controller. The new iDrive system comes with a 6.5-inch monitor as standard, while an 8.8-inch screen is available as optional. The premium hatchback continues to get its host of high tech features including radar-based Active Cruise Control, Active Stop & Go function, new generation Park Assist and BMW Connected Drive among others.
Making some major changes under the hood, BMW has updated the 1-Series facelift with new 1.5-litre 3-cylinder turbo petrol and diesel engines available in different states of tune. The new diesel motor is tuned to produce 116 PS on the 116d and 116d Efficient Dynamics trims, while the petrol produces 109 PS and 180 Nm of torque on the 116i trim. There is also a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel available that comes in three states of tune namely 150 PS on the 118d, 190 PS on the 120d and 224 PS on the 125d. The 4-cylinder petrol on the other hand produces 136 PS on the 118i, 177 PS on the 120i and 218 PS on the 125i trims.
The top-of-the-line BMW M135i continues with the same 3.0-litre turbo petrol motor with power bumped to 326 PS and can do the 0-100 km/hr sprint in 4.9 seconds. BMW has made the new 8-speed Steptronic transmission as standard across all variants of the new 1-Series that offers faster shifts along with improved efficiency. Likely to be launched in India by the end of the year, around the festive season, BMW will continue to offer the 1-Series in 116i and 118d trims with the updated equipment list as it takes on the Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3 hatchback and the Volvo V40 Cross Country in the segment.
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