2013 BMW 1-series review, test drive

The initial impression of the petrol is that it is a peppy engine. The mid-range is strong, it revs rather freely to almost 7,000rpm and there’s good top-end performance to be had too. Add to that a snappy gearshift and a progressive clutch and it’s a car that is a lot of fun to drive. The only fly in its ointment is the weak bottom end. Below 1,500rpm, especially if you have to start off on a slope, you really have to slip the clutch and feed in lots of throttle to get going. This, however will be less noticeable on the automatic that we will get here. It also gets quite thrummy near the redline, so you tend to up-shift early. Do that and the engine, like most direct-injection petrols, runs smoothly and quietly.

It’s a similar story with the diesel. There’s a bit of lag you have to work around initially, after which there’s strong acceleration from an engine that will happily rev to 5000rpm. It is surprisingly quiet too and it’s like that even when you accelerate hard. Both engines are reasonably smooth, although there are some vibes from the gearlever when you rev them hard, and though they aren’t particularly quick, neither will disappoint in a straight line. More importantly, both engines offer more power than what you get in an A-class. The diesel and the petrol we drove came with selectable driving modes that alter throttle response characteristics, among other things.

The 1-series is a lot of fun to drive – the steering on both cars is quick and well weighted, and there is lots of grip. That said, there some body roll and the car tends to understeer when you drive it hard.  The diesel, as expected, feels slightly more nose-heavy than the petrol, but both have lots of grip and come alive when you drive them hard. As for the ride, a drive over German roads is no test for a suspension – they are just too smooth. Still, it does feel pliant enough save for a few jiggles over lumpy tarmac, and the relatively high-profile tyres on 16-inch rims do their part as well. Sadly, BMW will continue to offer the 1-series with run-flat tyres when it comes to India.

BMW is assembling the 1-series in India and is expected to price it at around Rs 20-25 lakh. For that price, it’s a fun to drive and fundamentally sound car. The question is, how many of its potential customers in India will really want what the extra driving thrills it offers? It doesn't look as special as a Mercedes A-class, though, and when you're this much money for a hatch, special is what you want, isn’t it?