First Drive - BMW 1 Series

The two biggest criticisms of the BMW 1 Series concern its firm ride and lack of rear space. According to BMW executives, both were tackled as a priority on the new car, due for launch in September.

For the first time, a BMW was benchmarked on UK roads for ride and handling and the work carried out by the engineers has paid off. The new 1 Series’ ride is far more pliant than its predecessor, adding greatly to the driving enjoyment.

BMW’s Drive Performance Control enables drivers to switch the suspension settings (and throttle response) between Sport+, Sport, Comfort and, for the first time, EcoPro.
While the Comfort setting is the perfect riposte to the 1 Series’ detractors, EcoPro is the real interest for fleets.

Select it and the car will make a number of adjustments, including optimising the accelerator mapping and gear shifts and optimising fan/heater performance. It also offers tips, such as gearshift points and speed displays.

And it will record fuel consumption on the journey linking it historically to each chassis setting and projecting average fuel consumption per 100km (62 miles). A ‘bonus’ range shows how much fuel has been saved measured in terms of extra mileage left in the tank.

“EcoPro is an opportunity to reduce running costs,” said BMW small car product manager James Morrison. “You can get up to a 20% improvement on fuel by using it. This is a real world improvement – it will get you closer to the official consumption figure.”

BMW has addressed space concerns by making the car 83mm longer, 14mm wide and 30mm longer in the wheelbase. The increased cabin dimensions make most difference in the back where headroom and legroom are much improved.

This year, the fleet sector has accounted for 70% of 1 Series sales, although a 64% share is more typical.

According to Morrison, the Sport and M Sport trim will each take 30% of fleet sales; the SE will take 20%, ES will take 15% and the new Urban trim 5%.

“The Sport has 17-inch wheels and its residual value is higher,” Morrison told Fleet News. “It has its own look and feel so it’s easier to compartmentalise for residuals.”
BMW carried out extensive work with the pricing guides to ensure it offered the right equipment to maximise residual values.