The next-generation BMW 1 Series is moving closer towards production readiness, with some of its camouflage foil shed from this latest test mule sighting by our spy photographers. Already wearing what appear to be production headlamps and tail lamps, we can see the door handles more clearly, which are located above the character line which runs most of the car’s length.
This coming generation of 1 Series marks the first that will adopt the BMW Group’s UKL platform for front-wheel-drive layout models, which aims to liberate more cabin space due to a transverse engine layout. The rear half of the car should gain more room as well, to the benefit of rear seat passengers and luggage space.
At its front, the signature kidney grilles are still concealed, though they can be expected to grow in size and gain prominence as with current models, such as the X3, X4 and the X5. This is also evident in the forthcoming car’s A-pillars which have been moved further forward relative to those of the outgoing model.
Further along, the next 1 Series rear end gains more three-dimensionality in its tail lamps like in the latest BMW models, and its exhausts are of a twin-pipe configuration, rather than the single exit seen on earlier development cars.
The latest 1 Series sighting also appears to affirm rumours that the forthcoming generation will do without three-door versions; indeed, both this and earlier sightings have been of the five-door bodyshell. A mix of petrol and diesel engines should continue to feature in the 1 Series model line-up, with an M140i performance variant rumoured earlier.
Front- and all-wheel-drive versions will be available, and though gearbox choice remains to be seen, it will almost certainly be mostly automatic. As for its interior, earlier spy images indicate an all-new dual-digital screen layout, with the requisite iDrive controller sitting beside a gearlever of BMW’s latest design, like in the G20 3 Series.
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