There’s good news from Bavaria, announcing the all-new baby BMW. The 1-series. While the 1 is not a new range of offerings from BMW, ‘this 1’, definitely is.

For the first time in 15 years of its existence, the 1 series will sport a front wheel drive set up. Apart from the changes in drive train orientation, the 1-series also wears the new BMW design language and displays some rather smart styling cues.

On offer are five engines, of which two are petrol, and three are diesels, offered in conjunction with various transmission options. The diesel range comprises of 116d, 118d and a 120d xDrive, while the petrol range features 118i and the top of the line M135i xDrive.

The base variants, namely the 116d and 118i come with a standard 6-speed manual transmission but can be fitted with an optional 7-speed dual clutch transmission too. The 118d and 120d xDrive have the option of 8-speed Steptronic transmission. However, the one grabbing our eyeballs is the M135i. Comprising of a powerful 6-pot motor that churns 302hp and mated to the 8-speed Steptronic ‘Sport’-box, it has insect-like agility, with a ton coming at 4.8s.

Talking of design and styling, the front wears the expansive double kidney grille akin to what is seen on the 1’s elder siblings. The front bumper is heavily contoured and sits below the diagonally placed headlamp units that house intricately designed lighting elements. At the tail, there are new sleek tail lamps, and in case of the M variants, twin exhaust pipes and a subtle diffuser too.

The cabin is roomy when compared to the outgoing 1-series, with an additional 19 mm headroom, 13mm elbowroom and 33mm legroom. Cargo capacity has also gone up to 380 litres from the previous 360 litres, and it can be further increased to 1200 litres by folding the rear seats that come in a 60:40 configuration.

The cabin is loaded with both convenience and safety features. The car is equipped with two 10.25-inch screens, one of which is the infotainment module and the other, a digital instrument panel. Customers also have a choice of including a 9.2-inch heads up display unit. Safety features include collision and pedestrian warning, Active Cruise Control, Lane change warning, rear-view camera and parking assist functions.

The BMW 1-series will begin selling in Europe in around September, so expect a little delay before the car lands on Indian soil.

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