Top 3 things you need to know about the BMW 1 Series.

By Chad Lückhoff

We bring you three lesser-known facts about BMW's popular entry-level vehicle. 


The BMW 1 Series has been around since 2004 when it replaced the E46/5 BMW 3 Series compact (remember the 318ti?). While many scoffed at the idea of BMW producing anything smaller than a 3 Series, the 1 Series has gone on to prove itself in the market, with respectable sales volumes and creating a valuable entry point in the BMW line-up.

The first generation (E8X-range) was available in a variety of body shapes, including 3-door hatch (E81), 5-door hatch (E87), 2-door coupe (E82) and 2-door convertible (E88).

It was replaced in 2011 by the F20/F21 1 Series and is only available (internationally) in 2-door and 5-door flavours. South Africa only has the 5-door version on offer. The 2-door coupe shape that was found in the previous generation ultimately became the stand-alone 2 Series.


Here are three things you should know about the F20 BMW 1 Series.


1. There are only 4 engines on offer.

In SA, you only get a choice of four engines;
- a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo-petrol in the 118i
- a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbo-petrol in the 120i
- a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder turbo-petrol in the M140i
- a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel in the 120d

South Africa no longer gets the 116i model nor the 125i. The M135 was replaced by the M140i.


2. The BMW 1 Series is one of the only rear-wheel drive hatches on offer in SA.

While some may regard the Mazda MX-5 and the Toyota GT86 as hatches, the BMW 1 Series best suits the model of a hatchback. It's only competitors in the rear-drive hatchback market? The Smart ForTwo and Smart ForFour.

This makes the BMW 1 Series rather well suited for those that prefer the ride and handling dynamics of a rear-wheel drive car.


3. Reliability has been drastically improved.

BMW's first batch of engines in the F20 1 Series was known to have a few inherent flaws, primary of which was the timing chain issue in the N20 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder. This engine was replaced by the reworked B48 engine when the 1 Series underwent its facelift (or as BMW calls it, LCI) in 2015/2016.

All of the engines in the 1 Series were swapped out for the newer counterparts when the facelift took place so it's not uncommon to see pre-facelift models going for a song, as these are still running the plagued engines.



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