BMW’s impressive fuel economy

Although it looks quite similar the whole car is new, with larger dimensions in just about every way to give more interior space. It does, however, keep the trademark front-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout of the previous 1 Series.

A range of four trim levels will be available right from the on-sale date of September 17, along with five engines all boasting impressive performance, fuel economy and CO2 figures. The two petrol engines are new 1.6-litre turbocharged units, for the first time in a BMW.

The base 116i petrol version has 134bhp, covers 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds and averages 49.6mpg, while the slightly beefier 118i has 168bhp, reaches 62mph in 7.4 seconds and returns 47.9mpg on the combined cycle.

Road tax for both will be £115 per year.

With 115bhp, the entry-level 116d diesel can’t match the acceleration of its big brothers, and nor does it better their fuel economy figures. The 141bhp 118d and the range-topping 181bhp 120d return the same 62.8mpg as the 116d, but the more powerful engines knock 1.4 and 3.1 seconds off the 116d’s 0-62mph time respectively, indicating that they’ll be much more punchy in the real world.

All three produce less than 120g/km of CO2, putting them in the £30 per year road tax band.

For those buying a 1 Series in Sport trim, an eight-speed automatic gearbox is available as well as the standard six-speed manual one.

Another first for BMW is a production car with less than 100g/km of CO2. In the near future a 116d with the company’s EfficientDynamics technology will be added to the range as a road tax-free option that also returns over 74mpg with a careful mix of driving.

Prices will start from £19,375 for a basic 116i ES, rising to £24,720 for the 120d Sport and Urban models.

The BMW 1 Series has been redesigned from the ground up