Just perusing the latest offerings from BMW, and actually fancied moving to a smaller car.

However the new 1 series is no longer rear wheel drive, and you can no longer get a nice straight 6 engine

What is the world coming to ?

RIP

Get an older one and save some cash?

Aye it’s bloody awful on the eyes too. Like a Focus and an i30 made a baby..

I’ve got a facelift F20 M135 I’m keeping hold of as there’s no way I’m getting out a 6cyl RWD car for an ugly 4 banger 4 wheel drive.

As above, get a 6 month old M140?

1 series has always been an ugly fugger, tbf. Wasn’t a high bar.

Just sold my 13yo 330d. Took it out for a last drive and realised just what a good car it was. Lovely manual gearbox, power steering that by modern standards feels like it’s failed, and computers that know their place.

Only consolation is the SORNed 20yo BMW in the garage.

Aye it’s bloody awful on the eyes too. Like a Focus and an i30 made a baby..

Agreed.

Terrible design phase Bimmer are going through.

Think you can sill get the straight 6 in the 2 series. I briefly considered a 2 series convertible with the straight 6.

I actually liked the 1 series, the wife had one with a 1.6 turbo engine which was fun, but the new 1 series looks like just another boring and bland euro box. But nothing tickles my fancy at the moment and going to go EV anyway. Have toyed with the idea of throwing caution to the wind and getting an older 991.1 and run it for a couple of years as a last hurrah, but not sure I can be bothered. Whats the point. Roads are crap, too busy and congested and can’t really use the performances so get all the downsides but none of the upsides.

nickewen

Member

Aye it’s bloody awful on the eyes too. Like a Focus and an i30 made a baby..

Except those are both better looking that this abomination.

The new 2 grand tourer is des-gus-tang too 🤢

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/bmw-extends-gran-coupe-family-with-new-2-series/41133

Terrible design phase Bimmer are going through.

they’ve been through a few…

I can see why they have done it, the RWD 1 series was always a bit of an odd car, mainly down to the slightly odd sizing – It wasn’t quite Golf / Focus size but its bigger and a lot more expensive then anything in the class below. They were still fairly popular, I guess it was a cheap way to get a BMW badge, if that’s your thing.

They have probably looked at the Merc A Class and decided FWD and a transverse layout is the way to go.
M135i is 4WD at least.

But that front end!

I sold my lovely 130i a few months ago. Worst car decision i’ve ever made

Bimmers new grill design..

I don’t even understand the product lineup any more, it was so simple.
I had assumed that the 4 series was a way to make things a bit clearer. E.g. 3 series was 5 doors, 4 series was 3 doors. But no, there are 5 door 4 series and all sorts. so much must overlap or have very minor differences it makes no sense to me.

Next you’ll be telling us they’ve removed that essential feature for driving on the public road, the ability to left foot brake! 😮

Did you really think that, in 2019 when we’re trying to limit climate change, anyone would keep sticking a six cylinder engine in a family hatchback?

Mercedes have said that the next C63 will be a 4 pot, not the current V8, so they’re all downsizing. Current emission targets are presumably driving this, and rightly so.

I’m not keen on BMW’s current design direction either. Might get a V60 next.

Did you really think that, in 2019 when we’re trying to limit climate change, anyone would keep sticking a six cylinder engine in a family hatchback?

Why not – ethics aside? that engine constituted a tiny proportion of the sales so no real impact on the environment, especially in the UK and Europe. I’m sure they’ll still offer the engine in the states and other countries where big engines still sell. The real reason for ditching it on the 1 series was the move to transverse engine layout so they could share the Mini platform. Nothing to do with the environment. Just production costs. And there are no guarantees smaller 4-pot engines are any better for the environment. My mates M135i with the 6-pot engine gets better MPG than a Golf R 4-pot, so the top of the line new M 1-series will be just as thirsty as the 6-pot engine.

But agree the writing is on the wall for ICE cars. Just a matter of time.

I was thinking of swapping my Golf for a 1 series in the later half of next year, didnt realise they binned the RWD. Such as shame. Nothing but basic hatchbacks forever more…

Aye that’s my experience too WS. BMW 6 pots can be surprisingly frugal for their performance/size. I regularly get 40mpg on a run and often get better fuel economy than my wife’s 320i (although some of that is due to the 6 speed manual in hers vs my ZF8B auto). Top Gear reported that the new M135i wasn’t really any better on the juice than the old one..

Anyway – my little hot hatch will likely be my last IC car.. almost signed up for a Model 3 Performance last week but waiting for zero BIK in April before reassessing.

They were still fairly popular

more than fairly – at times round here it seems like every other car is one !

We are in the last stages of Petrol Head dreams. So get your kicks now, soon it wont be possible. Im doing about two European trips a year at the moment in my 911 while I can. Plans for more next year. Probably to see some XCO/DH action and do some cycling in the Alps.

My mate took me out for a ride in his Tesla the other day, it was very odd. I didnt like the styling, but thats just taste. The car was quick, but it was like eating a virtual curry.

Without the noise and build up of speed / power it feels a little clinical. There is little to no driver involmement.

When I win the Euromillions I’ll be buying a 1969 Charger and a small oil refinery so I can enjoy it into my old age. 😃

BMW and Mercedes are downsizing in engine size and quality to meet the VED bands and the budgets of the massive emerging Chinese market. They are also designing crass, ostentatious vulgar rubbish for the same market. Only VAG group are retaining any dignity of design but even here I’m reading reports of unreliability in Audis.

Without the noise and build up of speed / power it feels a little clinical. There is little to no driver involvmement.

See, while I kind of agree (die-hard two stroke motorcycle fan here), I’m also kind of looking forward to not having to go to the garage to stick fuel in something and just plugging in it overnight. I’m umming and ahhing about trying to convert my (admittedly four stroke 250cc single, so nothing massively exciting anyway, no more 2Ts for me 😥) current (arf!) motorcycle to electric power… I love the idea of clean* and simple but I’d need to have to do me some book learnin’ up on that fancy, schmancy e-lectrickery before I even wave a spanner at it.

I’d like to think that our car (2007 Galaxy) will be our last ICE one too.

* not clean, I know, the energy has to come from somewhere.

Nothing but basic hatchbacks forever more…

If you want rear wheel drive shenanigans just go for a bicycle ride 😉

If you want rear wheel drive shenanigans just go for a bicycle ride 😉

If only I was zero emissions 😛

Did you really think that, in 2019 when we’re trying to limit climate change, anyone would keep sticking a six cylinder engine in a family hatchback?

On the contrary, it made sense. Someone who wanted a “nice” car – moderately quick and a little bit of comfort and build quality in the cabin, previously had to get themselves an executive saloon or SUV, and as everyone thought this way, size was status. For the last 10 – 15 years or so, the concept of a small but nice car has come on massively (mainly led by the Germans).

Get rid of the quick one series and that customer wont buy a slow one series, they’ll buy a quick 3 series, or a quick A3, A class, Golf etc.

if the rumours are to be believed Alfa Romeo are bringing out a RWD Giulietta replacement based on the Giulia/Stelvio platform.

IMO it wont happen, but I can dream.

If only I was zero emissions 😛

😆 I’m blaming the beans.

Who buys a “blow job” car these days?

1 Series/A-Class etc.

We’ve given them the knickname because they’re driven like:

Just had one

On the way to one

Having one whilst driving

Or

Giving one whilst driving

So erratic is the way they’re driven.

🤪🤷‍♂️

Have heard this was coming for a while now. I guess the move to 4 cylinder engines makes sense, as much as I like the sound, 6 cylinders are somewhat of an unnecessary and environmentally unfriendly luxury these days.

Rear wheel drive though – that’s a shame.

Seen the new 1 series a few times. One of the worst looking cars in modern times I’ve seen, so badly proportioned. 2 series GC is somehow worse, although I didn’t think that was possible. Irony really as lots of people gave BMW a hard time for the Chris bangle designs at the time, yet they have aged really well.

As for the front/rear wheel drive argument, there are so many contenders that are better than the new 1 series for front wheel drive that are cheaper and more driver focussed (i30N, new focus ST, civic type r, Golf Gti).

As for rear wheel drive, they are indeed a dying breed but there are still a few in the same price bracket (2 series, GT86/BRZ, MX5, Ford mustang or a used Cayman/M3/C63).

You can get it in 4wd though, which to be fair is just better than rwd for that kind of car.

Keep the fwd aimed at the person who wants a cheapish bimmer, I’ll bet the majority of owners won’t care, and then If you want a quick car – 4wd.

If you want something a bit more silly, then you’ve got the 2 series which just looks a million times better anyway.

As for rear wheel drive, they are indeed a dying breed but there are still a few in the same price bracket (2 series, GT86/BRZ, MX5, Ford mustang or a used Cayman/M3/C63).

Unfortunately you can’t get a dog in the boot of any of those. Unfortunately family commitments prevent a full on decent car.

Yes they do xdrive and although I’ve not personally driven the reviews just say they are dull to drive.

Unfortunately you can’t get a dog in the boot of any of those. Unfortunately family commitments prevent a full on decent car.

Used C63 estate? Although I don’t think the dog would enjoy it much 😉

Mercedes have said that the next C63 will be a 4 pot, not the current V8, so they’re all downsizing. Current emission targets are presumably driving this, and rightly so.

I’m not keen on BMW’s current design direction either. Might get a V60 next.

Autocar have made a wild guess to grab a headline, AMG haven’t said that. Not that it would be a bad thing.

Mercedes have said that the next C63 will be a 4 pot, not the current V8, so they’re all downsizing.

Latest Focus ST is a 2.3 rather than a 2.0. Still a four pot granted but bigger than the previous one.

The age of the mega power car is over, and that’s not a bad thing in my book. Not just of Climate Change but because the current and last generation of ‘performance car’ were stupid.

It’s not about not ‘needing’ 700Bhp or whatever in your mid-sized Family saloon, but they’re completely at odds with the world, driving it flat out on public roads is massively antisocial and dangerous. Drive it flat out on a track and it’ll manage 2 laps before the brakes and tyres are white hot and it needs to cool down before it breaks.

They were never about driving, they were about winning a pissing contest.

I suspect the next generation will have the same potential performance, but as no one ever uses all of it, it’ll be hidden away behind a set of perimeters most drivers will never use. The ones after that will be much smaller, lighter and less powerful with a onus on ‘dynamics’ or they’ll just be EVs like all the others.

Bit like bikes having 170mm of travel when all we need is 120mm 🙂

I dont / cant use all my 400bhp, but I like having it.

Mercedes have said that the next C63 will be a 4 pot, not the current V8, so they’re all downsizing. Current emission targets are presumably driving this, and rightly so.

I’m not keen on BMW’s current design direction either. Might get a V60 next.

Autocar have made a wild guess to grab a headline, AMG haven’t said that

True, I did read it on Autocar, but there are rumours abound that AMG are testing the 4 pot engine with electric assistance. Only time will tell, of course, but it’s going to go that way at some point, I’m feel sure.

I sold my lovely 130i a few months ago. Worst car decision i’ve ever made

Yep.. Still got mine after 10 years of ownership… Excellent car.
NA Inline 6, RWD, ohh and the sound! (especially with the factory BMWP intake and exhaust system 😉 )
(although it is on the cards to replace next year as it’s starting to feel old now at over 130,000 miles)

They are like 4k now, 6k for a really good one… True bargains.

If you can’t shake the desire for a 6pot small BMW with RWD that is more modern.. Then a last model M*35i/M*40i fits the bill. Or M2.
They will hold value as they will be the last of the straight 6 RWD 1/2 series.
Similar to the 130i, That was the last non turbo, large engined 1 series and subsequently holds value and interest, also a good talking point for petrol heads alike.
My 130i never fails to make me grin.
There is something about a large engine in a small car that turbo’d 2ltr 4pots fail to bring..

I also have a 130i, it’s 13 years old and 163,000 miles of which I’ve done 6 years and 89,000 miles. Love it, naturally aspirated straight six, manual, rear wheel drive, fast but (reasonably) discreet.