New BMW 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupé prove compact sophisticates
At one point in histor,y the BMW line-up was accounted for by three numbers. Nowadays there is a BMW model for every digit except nine — including a raft of X-badged models fitting into the crossover and SUV genres.
The original 1 Series was launched locally in 2004. It was regarded as something of an oddity. With dinky looks and a snug interior as a consequence of its rear-wheel drive layout, the model was less practical than front-wheel drive rivals such as the Audi A3.
But in typical BMW fashion, the 1 Series was the driving enthusiasts' choice, particularly when ordered in derivatives such as the potent 130i powered by a six-cylinder.
When the follow-up generation came in 2011, it retained the rear-wheel drive layout, while the design became more polarising. Some likened the front-end to the face of a beaver while the rear appeared to imitate the Volkswagen Polo of the era.
The facelift remedied the stylistic misgivings, with a more cohesive and substantial redesign. The third-generation 1 Series changed the recipe, adopting a front-wheel drive platform. It traded dynamic prowess for a more practical interior package, with greater cabin space and a more capacious boot.
The rationale behind the shift was that the 1 Series demographic had evolved, placing less of a priority on the engagement afforded by rear-wheel driving characteristics.
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Go-Kart experience, complete with fake sound and light show, turns hatch into a toy car. The new all-electric Mini Cooper SE does an excellent job of living up to the brand's ethos. Instant torque and enjoyable handling deliver the kind of fun experience the iconic Cooper S 3-door is known for. While the Mini Cooper SE is a lot bigger and more advanced than its Cooper S Mk1 forefather from the 1960s, there is number that is remarkably similar despite being separated by six decades on their birth certificates. Quite astonishingly, the power to weight ratio difference between the models are only 10kW/ton. The Mini Cooper SE has a power to weight ratio of 98kW/ton compared to the Mk1's 88kW/ton. Mini Cooper S an icon The Mk1 that famously won the Monte Carlo rally in the 1960s before and negotiated drainpipes and stairways in the original The Italian Job film was fitted with a 1 275cc engine kicking out a princely 57kW. 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