Hottest 1 Series lacks the drive to excel
AHHHH, Marketing types. Swan in, create an entire language/direction/ concept, collect cheque and disappear, not worrying for a second about what kind of life your campaign/missive/ communique will have.
BMW has long used the ‘sheer driving pleasure’ tagline, along with the tacit claim that if it isn’t rear-wheel drive, then get off our lawn. Well, um… that’s awkward.
The third-generation BMW 1 Series, shown here in its hottest M135i xDrive guise, isn’t rear-wheel drive. In fact, it’s barely all-wheel drive. Yes, BMW has bowed to the gods of manufacturing economy and plonked the 1 Series atop the same UKL2 platform that underpins cars like the Mini Countryman and the fraternal X1/X2 twins.
Pricing has not been released yet, but figure it coming close to the $60,000 mark of its predecessor. For that kind of money, it’ll likely undercut the similarly powered but potentially better-equipped Mercedes-AMG A35 that’s due around the same time and shares exactly the same 225kW and 450Nm headline numbers.
The new 1 Series body is five-door only and has, unfortunately, morphed from distinctive to derivative in a single stroke. Up close, it’s possible to see finer body details that give those slab sides some depth and contrast, but really, this is a BMW that will fade into the background rather than step forward, whistling tunelessly.
この記事は MOTOR Magazine Australia の September 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は MOTOR Magazine Australia の September 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Ged Bulmer
THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY
Dylan Campbell
WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS
HONDA NSX
Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker
TESLA MODEL S
Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT
PORSCHE 959
Weissach rethinks the supercar
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE
THE UNDEFEATED
HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear