New BMW 1-Series

KOMPAS.com - The original 1-Series was a great car for the driver, but not so good for passengers. Is the new model more accommodating?

BMW's current 1-Series has a stellar reputation as a driver's car, but for rear seat passengers it's always been a bit of a drag.

Sub-par rear-seat legroom combined with a jarring ride around town meant the car delivered driving thrills at the expense of passenger comfort.

BMW has attempted to address those shortcomings in the new model as it looks to turn around a sales slide and at the same time stave off competition from a growing band of compact luxury car offerings.

So has it succeeded? A short drive of the petrol version of the car on the outskirts of Berlin suggests it has definitely taken a step in the right direction.

The car has retained the typical BMW hallmarks, with well weighted, communicative steering, excellent balance and a ton of grip through corners. And the driving experience has been further improved by a more willing petrol engine that is better suited to the sporty character of the car.

The 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine in the outgoing model car is an underwhelming unit that needs to be revved hard to produce any meaningful urge.

But the new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine - a modified version of the engine in the Mini Cooper S and available in two states of tune - is a far more willing companion, with a strong mid-range and good in-gear acceleration for overtaking and climbing hills.

We only sampled the 125kW version matched to a six-speed manual transmission (a 100kW version will power the base model 116i). BMW says the new, smaller-capacity engine in the 118i is almost two seconds faster to 100km/h than its predecessor, while using up to 10 per cent less fuel.

It certainly feels noticeably stronger by the seat of the pants, while fuel consumption on our country drive was around the 7 litres per 100km mark, compared with a claimed figure of 5.7L/100km.