After making its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, BMW India has silently launched the 2016 1-Series facelift priced at Rs. 29.9 lakhs (ex-showroom, Thane). The facelifted model is available only with a diesel motor and in the single 118d Sportline variant. The petrol powered version could be offered later in the future. BMW’s most affordable offering in the country, the baby Beemer looks much better now while retaining its rear wheel drive layout unlike most of its rivals in the segment.
The 2016 BMW 1-Series facelift measures 4329 mm in length, 1765 mm in width, and 1440 mm in height, and is longer and taller than the outgoing version, making it more proportional in appearance as well. The front fascia gets major revisions featuring a restyled bumper, redesigned headlights with Bi-Xenon lamps and LED daytime running lights and wider kidney grille that lends a dominating stance to the hatchback. At the rear, the hatchback gets new widened LED tail lights that look good and a revised bumper with integrated reflectors. There are also twin exhausts on offer which certainly look the part.
Moving inside, the 2016 1-Series has retained the overall layout from the existing model but gets subtle updates for a refreshing appeal. The cabin gets new chrome and piano black inserts all across that looks very premium, whereas the steering wheel gets mildly updated as well. The iDrive system has been carried over along with the freestanding display unit. The cabin continues to get leather upholstered seats with contrast stitching while single-zone climate control system is now offered as standard on the facelifted 1-Series while dual-zone climate control is an optional fitment.
Things remain pretty much the same under the hood with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine spinning the rear wheels as it produces 150 HP of power and 320 Nm of torque, paired to an 8-speed automatic ZF transmission. The BMW 1-Series is one of the most fun to drive premium luxury hatchbacks in the country and is locally assembled at the automaker’s Chennai plant. With the latest update, the hatchback is a lot more desirable and gets looks complimenting the power. The hatch competes with the Mercedes A-Class, MINI Cooper D 5-door and Volvo V40 in the segment.
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