BMW 1-series facelift revealed

BMW has released first photos and information about the updated 1-series hatchback. The BMW 1-series facelift will be shown to the public at the Geneva motor show 2015.

The updated BMW 1-series gets revised front and rear styling, a better infotainment system and a new range of three-cylinder engines for international markets. The current four-cylinder engines will also be updated to churn out more power and consume fuel more efficiently.

The new diesel engine range is shared by the new Mini Cooper D (3- and 5-Door), already available in India. But since the 1-series is rear-wheel driven, the motors have been turned 90-degrees into a longitudinal set-up. For international markets, the entry-level BMW 116d will come with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder motor good for 114bhp mated to a six-speed manual transmission. There is no word yet on whether the India-spec 1-series would get this engine.

The BMW 1-series facelift will also get an updated ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox that will be standard across the line-up. Three 2.0-litre diesel-powered models, 148bhp 118d, 188bhp 120d and 221bhp 125d will also be sold in international markets. Some models will even come with BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive tech.

The performance oriented M135i will come with the same motor as the M235i – a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo good for 322bhp. The updated M135i will do 0-100kph in a claimed 5.1seconds for the manual and 4.9seconds for the auto.

The updated 1-series hatchback’s petrol range will start from the 107bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder 116i; however, while the other engines are revised versions of the existing turbocharged 2.0-litre unit, they all bring more power and better efficiency. The 118i sits above the 116i model and comes with a 134bhp motor. The 120i will get a 174bhp petrol engine good for a 0-100kph timing of 7.4seconds, or 7.2seconds with the auto gearbox. There's also the 125i, making 215bhp; it cracks 0-100kph in 6.4seconds (claimed).

The front-end styling revisions were actually made owing to the revised engines, some of which require greater cooling than before. The air intakes are larger as a result. BMW used this modification as an opportunity to alter the shape of the headlights too; they're now more rectangular than before, with space for revised lens units.

The specs of the lights themselves will change too. Even entry-level cars will get daytime-running lights as standard, while the old optional xenon units have been dropped in favour of full-LED set-ups. M Sport editions of the car will get LED headlights as standard for international markets. In India, BMW’s 118d variant comes with more options than its petrol sibling, it remains to be seen how the India-bound 1-series hatch is specced.

The tail-lights are now more in line with BMW's family style, thanks to a shallower main unit and distinctive 'blades' that run in from the edges of the rear hatch itself. They also get LED technology as standard across the range.

The 1-series' cabin gets more modest upgrades, including a piano-black finish to the centre console on all trim levels, chrome highlights on the radio and air vents and, in a throwback to BMWs of old, an analogue real-time fuel consumption gauge on models without a digital instrument panel.

All 1-series models will now get single-zone climate control as standard, with the option of a dual-zone system, and the infotainment system has also been revised. 

Expect the updated BMW 1-series hatchback to launch in India later this year.