In an increasingly homogenised world, variety is always welcome – and from that perspective alone it’s a shame that BMW has abandoned rear-wheel drive for the 1 Series.
From a business viewpoint, it makes sense: BMW’s research suggests family hatch buyers care more about space and practicality than which axle is putting the power down. And the best way to achieve that is to switch to one of BMW's front-wheel-drive platform. The resulting size increases might be small on paper, but BMW believes they make a substantial difference in the real world.
The cost, though, is that instead of being the sole rear-drive car in the family hatch market, the 1 Series has lost a key point of differentiation from the Mercedes A-Class, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3 and just about any other class rival you care to name.
Thankfully, BMW also knows that performance and handling can help the 1 Series stand out in a crowded market, and has put genuine emphasis into ensuring it offers dynamic handling, notably with the use of all-wheel drive on the M135i range-topper.
A recent drive of an M135i prototype showed it offered strong performance and confident handling. Compared to the previous-gen rear-drive M140i, it might not be as distinctive in terms of handling or looks (although you suspect the latest version of BMW's kidney grille will draw comments), but it can still be a contender in the premium hot hatch ranks.
Read more
New BMW 1 Series reinvented with focus on practicality
BMW 1 Series 2019 prototype review
Opinion: Front-wheel drive will give the BMW 1 Series better handling
Join the debate
Add your comment
You're the idiot
Sure, motoring journalists were wishing the Porsche 914 was fwd so it could be as good as an Alfasud. ::eye roll::
As for touring cars and curvy tracks - wrong. The only reason BMW struggle(d) in touring cars is because of the weight penalty for rwd cars due to their superior handling balance. You don't need to be Gordon Murray to realise only putting drive through the wheels that do the steering is not gonna be optimal. The only reason manufacturers do it is cost and space. Don't celebrate cheapskates.
The rwd 1s were neither good
The rwd 1s were neither good looking nor great driving. And as charming as the M Performance cars were, they would not see which way an AMG 45 went on a twisty or wet road, or even a Golf R for that matter. Actually it wouldn’t even see which way a fwd Civic R goes.
So stop romanticizing a car that never achieved greatness.
The new model is however very good looking to my eyes, and hopefully better to drive too.
FWD is better when driven around a curvy track...
That's why BMW's 3 Series was never successful against FWD hatchbacks in touring car championships. When a FWD car dives into a corner, the front wheels automatically load up and get the traction you need to power out of the curve. With RWD it is quite the opposite. In daily driving, the more balanced feel of a RWD car can feel more rewarding.