BMW 1 Series

The 118i comes standard with the following features:

• M Sport package
• 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• DAB+ digital radio
• Satellite navigation
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Six-speaker sound system
• Wireless phone charging*
• Semi-autonomous parking assist
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Colour-adjustable ambient lighting
• Cloth-Sensatec black upholstery
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• Automatic headlights
• LED headlights and tail lights
• LED front fog lights
• Automatic stop/start
• Single-zone climate control
• Rain-sensing window wipers
• Cruise control with braking function

Features with an ‘*’ next to it are temporarily unavailable due to semiconductor shortages.

The 118i Sport adds the following:

• Solid black paint
• 17-inch Orbit Grey alloy wheels
• Sport Line styling
• Front sport seats
• Cloth/Sensatec upholstery

The 128ti removes the front LED fog lights and adds:

• Limited-slip differential on the front axle
• M Sport brakes with red-painted brake calipers
• Adaptive LED headlights with auto high beam
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• M rear spoiler
• Dual exhaust pipes
• Cloth-Sensatec black with red stitching upholstery
• Velour floor mats with red stitching
• Keyless entry with push-button start
• M coloured seat belts
• Electrically adjusted driver and passenger seats
• Memory for driver seat
• Dual-zone climate control

The M135i xDrive Pure removes the adaptive LED headlights with auto high-beam and adds:

• M Sport steering
• M Sport brakes with blue-painted brake calipers
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• M Aerodynamics package with Cerium Grey mirror caps, grille frame, and mesh inserts for the grille and front bumper air inlets.
• Cloth-Alcantara black upholstery
• M Sport seats with integrated headrests
• Head-up display

The M135i xDrive adds:

• Adaptive LED headlights with auto high beam
• Panoramic glass sunroof
• Black ‘Dakota’ leather upholstery
• 16-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system

The BMW 1 Series is available in the following exterior paint colours:

• Alpine White
• Black Sapphire (+$1308)
• Melbourne Red (+$1308)
• M Misano Blue (+$1308)
• Skyscraper Grey (+$1308)
• Storm Bay metallic (+$2000)
• Frozen Pure Grey metallic (+$3846)

The 118i Sport is only available in solid black paint.

BMW offers two different capped-price servicing costs on the 1 Series. A five-year, 80,000km Basic plan is $1650, while the Plus plan costs $4340.

The Plus plan includes replacement brake pads and discs, clutch discs and plates, as well as wiper blades.

The company continues to offer a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, whereas many rival brands have moved on to five-year warranties.

While there are plenty of motorcycles with more power straight out of the box, it would be too simple to assume the entry-level 1 Series might be underpowered. It’s categorically incorrect.

Give the throttle a solid prod from a set of traffic lights and there’s plenty of go. There’s a decent sound to it, too, as there often is with three-cylinder engines.

Once you’re off and running though, there’s a smoothness and refinement to this three-cylinder powertrain befitting its luxury positioning.

Don’t count on a whole lot of feel from the steering, which doesn’t give much back to the driver, though I do like the weighting. On the other hand braking is solid, with good feel and progression from the pedal.

It feels solid in the corners too, even travelling at the maximum legal speeds in these parts. There’s more body bracing in this new model and you can feel the extra stiffness keeping the car in check when you’re leaning on it.

In the 128ti, the 2.0-litre turbo and eight-speed auto are a good pairing, shifting snappily on the move and allowing good control via the steering-mounted paddles.

Performance from the turbo’d four is strong, and the beefy mid-range means you can ride the 128ti’s torque band (380Nm on tap from 1500-4400rpm) making it a pretty effortless everyday driver. It also means it has plenty of shove when you’re giving it a go.

What isn’t so great is the occasional low-speed behaviour of the transmission, which I’ve noted countless times with BMW’s eight-speeders. It never seems to respond how you want it to, either being too lazy or too eager.

Further, the ride is quite choppy even by hot hatch standards. You feel every road imperfection and undulation, and it’s ‘engaging’ or ‘connected’ until it becomes tiresome and annoying. It’s not completely crashy but a layer of adjustability to the M Sport suspension in the form of adaptive damping would be welcome.

In the M135i xDrive, if it wasn’t for the smattering of BMW badges and the cabin layout, which is distinctly BMW in design, I probably would have thought I was driving a Mini. Yes, they obviously share mechanical hardware, but that rear-drive BMW DNA that was so great in the previous generation has been lost, and it’s worse off for it.

There’s plenty of grip courtesy of the xDrive all-wheel drive system, but drive it hard and it doesn’t always inspire confidence.

Performance in a straight line is very muscular, as you’d expect given the outputs and all-paw running gear. However, like I mentioned earlier, there’s nothing about it that screams BMW to you.

The M135i feels marginally more comfortable than the 128ti I sampled around the same time, though it’s still quite firm for daily use in the city. You feel most imperfections in the road with the standard chassis setup, though opting for the adaptive dampers would add more adjustability.

BMW has an extensive list of optional extras and packages for the 1 Series.

The Executive package (118i, 128ti and M135i xDrive) adds:

• Alarm system
• Sun protection glazing
• Gesture control
• HiFi loudspeaker sound system (118i and 128ti only)
• Tyre pressure monitoring (128ti and M135i only)

The Comfort package (118i, 128ti and M135i xDrive) adds:

• Keyless entry and start
• Electrically adjustable front seats with electric lumbar adjustment
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel (128ti and M135i xDrive only)

The Enhancement package (118i and 128ti) adds:

• Metallic paint
• 19-inch black alloy wheels
• Panoramic glass sunroof
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go (128ti only)

The Driver Assistance package (118i) adds:

• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Matrix LED headlights with auto high-beam
• Tyre pressure monitor

The M Sport Plus package (118i) adds:

• M Sports seats for driver and front passenger
• M rear spoiler
• M coloured seat belts
• M Sports steering
• M Sport brakes with red-painted brake calipers

The M Performance package (M135i xDrive) adds:

• Black grille frame and mesh insert, mirror caps and exhaust tailpipe finishes
• 18-inch alloy wheels

BMW Australia indicates the Enhancement, Driver Assistance and M Sport Plus packages may temporarily be unavailable due to production restrictions. It says to consult your local BMW dealer for further information.

For the most part, stock of the BMW 1 Series seems to be okay according to BMW's stock locator.

BMW has been temporarily removing a number of different features from the 1 Series so it can produce and ship the cars quicker.

"We are working closely with our dealer partners to provide alternative solutions for our customers to minimise wait time," said a BMW Australia spokesperson.

"This process is supported by the high degree of customisation of our vehicles."

The BMW 1 Series competes in the small luxury car segment and goes head-to-head with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mini five-door hatch, and the Audi A3.

The 128ti competes against the likes of the Ford Focus ST, Renault Megane RS and Volkswagen Golf FTI.

The high-performance M135i xDrive models compete against the Audi S3, Mercedes-AMG A35 and Volkswagen Golf R.

In 2021, BMW sold a total of 2741 1 Series models.

As the second top-selling model, it was outsold by the Mercedes-Benz A-Class (3793 sales).

It did outsell the Mini Hatch (1866 sales), Mini Clubman (342 sales), and Audi A3 (220 sales) though.

As a daily driver, the entry-level BMW 1 Series makes a lot of sense.

The 128ti in isolation it’s a fun, sporty little hatchback, and it retains core BMW strengths like interior quality, comfort and interior technology.

However, it’s let down by somewhat expensive options, a ride that may be too firm for some in daily use, and the fact that enthusiasts like myself will always lust for a rear-drive BMW driving experience. Again, this feels more like a big Mini and less like a small BMW to drive.

With the M135i xDrive, while it looks racy inside and out, and has an engine with the outputs and exhaust note to put a smile on your face, the M Performance version of BMW’s smallest passenger model doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from rival front-biased AWD hot hatches, and lacks the character of something like a Mini JCW Hatch or JCW Clubman.

There’s no disputing its performance or premium cabin, but the M135i doesn’t offer the tech or all-round usability of an Audi S3 or VW Golf R, nor can it blow any of its direct rivals out of the water in terms of straight-line performance or corner-carving ability.

Just like early models of the Ford Model T, BMW is currently offering a special edition 118i Sport model that's only available in solid black paint.