Hot off the international reveal of the fourth-generation 2025 BMW 1 Series, BMW Australia has confirmed local details ahead of customer deliveries commencing in the latter stages of this year.
Following a “successful run” of 9021 units of the third-gen car from late 2019 to now, the new fourth-gen model – which is a very heavy revision of the last – will launch in 118 and M135 xDrive versions during the fourth quarter of 2024.
Pricing is still to be announced for our market, but BMW Australia’s product boss told CarExpert recently that we can expect the new 1 Series to go hard on value – indicating the positioning may not shift far from the current 118i M Sport’s $54,800 starting point.
M135
The new 2025 BMW 118 will be powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo making 115kW of power and 230Nm of torque, up 12kW and 10Nm over the outgoing model. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Meanwhile, the flagship 2025 BMW M135 xDrive will use the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo as M35 versions of the related X1 and X2, making 233kW and 400Nm. That’s compared to the outgoing performance hero’s 225kW and 450Nm.
BMW claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds for the new M135 xDrive, which is officially 0.1s slower than the old one. Drive is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch compared to the outgoing car’s eight-speed automatic.
You’ll notice neither variant has ‘i’ at the end of their designations anymore, part of a new strategy for BMW’s model nomenclature.
Previously signifying petrol injection, ‘i’ will now be exclusively reserved for electric models, with ‘d’ to signify diesel and ‘e’ for plug-in hybrid.
M135 
The new 1 Series has grown 42mm in length (4361mm) and 25mm in height (1459mm). Width (1800mm) and wheelbase (2670mm) appears to be the same as the outgoing model.
BMW has confirmed two solid paint finishes, seven metallics and four BMW Individual finishes will be available on the new 1er, with the M135 to also offer a contrast black roof for the first time.
Inside, there’s a revised interior with leather-free materials as standard for the newly-designed seats, as well as a new steering wheel and gear selector.
BMW has also updated the 1 Series in line with the X1 and X2, which now adopts the 10.25-inch HD instrument cluster and 10.7-inch touchscreen infotainment displays running BMW Operating System 9 – more on standard specification below.
Under the skin, the new 1 Series is claimed to offer increased rigidity and body structure for “enhanced agility, steering precision and cornering dynamics”.
“The revised chassis includes optimised kinematics, highly preloaded anti-roll bar mounts and new shock absorber technology. The caster of the front wheels has been increased by 20 per cent, ensuring stable directional stability and optimised steering feedback,” BMW says.
As we’ll detail in the specification highlights below, the 1 Series also features a more comprehensive suite of driver assistance systems as standard.
Driving Assistant Professional with Steering and Lane Control Assistant will be available for the first time (standard on M35 xDrive); while Parking Assistant Plus with a surround-view camera is newly fitted as standard.
Full pricing and specifications will be announced in July 2024.
Standard Equipment
BMW 118 standard equipment:
- M Sport Package
- 18-inch M light alloy wheels
- Adaptive LED headlights
- High-beam assistant
- Adaptive M suspension
- Automatic tailgate
- BMW head-up display
- BMW Live Cockpit Professional
- 10.25-inch instrument display
- 10.7-inch touchscreen display
- BMW Operating System 9
- Comfort Access – keyless
- DAB+ radio
- Driving Assistant and Driving Assistant Plus
- AEB
- Front collision warning
- Lane change warning – blind-spot
- Lane departure warning
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Safe exit warning
- Speed limit information
- Electric seat adjustment – front
- Seat memory function – driver
- Interior, exterior mirror package
- M Headliner Anthracite
- M high-gloss Shadowline with extended contents
- Parking Assistant Plus
- Active Park Distance Control
- BMW Drive Recorder
- Surround-view camera
- Park Assist
- Reverse Assistant
- Personal eSIM – 5G connectivity
- Seat heating – front
- Sport seats – front
- Through-loading system – 40:20:40 split
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Tyre repair kit
- Veganza upholstery
- Wireless phone charger
BMW M135 xDrive adds:
- 19-inch M light alloy wheels
- Active seat – front
- Lumbar support
- Massage function
- Driving Assistant Professional
- Steering and Lane Control Assistant
- Lane-keep assist with active side collision prevention
- Front cross-traffic alert
- Evasion Assistant
- Crossroads warning
- Harman Kardon HiFi system
- M rear spoiler
- M Sport brake, dark blue metallic
- Panoramic glass roof
- Black roof
- Heated steering wheel
Click the images for the full gallery
MORE: Everything BMW 1 Series
