Things are a little tamer inside, but the BMW 1 Series’ minimalist dashboard and 10.3-inch infotainment display look more modern than the equivalents in the old car’s cabin. It’s easy to get the hang of and comes with plenty of bang-up-to-date equipment too, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, optional gesture controls and BMW’s personal assistant system. The latter is similar to the A-Class’ ‘Hey Mercedes’ feature. A hearty 261bhp, delivered between 4,750rpm and 6,500rpm, from an “offshoot of the BMW Group’s most powerful four-cylinder unit”. Torque sits at 295lb ft, available from just 1,750rpm right through to 4,500rpm. How many MPG does the BMW 128ti get? With more interior space than ever before and plenty of practical touches, the 1 Series makes for a great compact family car. Although adults won’t find much spare space in the rear Folding rear seats are standard, but you’ll need to pay a little extra for the flexibility of a 40:20:40 split. The parcel shelf can be stored beneath the luggage compartment and in addition to some bag hooks on either side of the luggage compartment, you can also add two luggage nets which can be used with the rear seats up or down.

Three contenders that are also worth a look are the Volkswagen Golf, the Mazda 3 and the SEAT Leon. The Golf is a semi-premium hatch that does everything so well, it's easy to recommend it against all sorts of rivals, whatever badge they wear. The Golf is good to drive, has a superb interior and it's eminently practical too. The Leon is related to the Golf, which is why it's also dynamically accomplished. It also has a user-friendly dashboard and interior, which just like the Golf is roomy and well made. The Mazda 3 might not seem like an obvious rival, but it has excellent build quality, sharp looks and is great fun to drive. The running costs are also low, but it suffers from cramped rear seats and a boot that's not as spacious as some rivals. What to look for Deploying its many horses through that diff and into the front tyres, the 128ti records a 0-62mph time of 6.1s and tops out at 155mph. Not Slow, then. What is the BHP of the BMW 128ti?

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For the last word in frugality, the 116bhp 116d is the one to get. It can manage up to 61.4mpg in mixed driving, although we would stretch to the 150bhp 118d which is appreciably sprightlier and still manages 60.1mpg. The 116d has a company car Benefit In Kind tax rating of 29-30% while the 118d is 30-31% for the 2022/23 tax year. Aside from the M models (reviewed separately), the 128ti is the range-topper of the 1 Series offerings. It comes with a 265bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and will sprint to 62mpg in just 6.1 seconds. Its combined fuel economy rating of 40.9mpg is commendable but inevitably trails the rest of the 1 Series range. Its BIK rating falls between 36-37%. The BMW 1 Series is available in 4 main trim levels: The entry-level SE , the Sport , the M Sport , and the range-topping M135i. BMW has always been a step ahead of the competitions in terms of tech offerings. The features in the BMW 1 series, even on standard trims, shows that this is still a priority for the German automakers. The 150bhp diesel engine has a surprising amount of shove out of slow bends, but you will want the punchy 265bhp 128ti for its standard limited-slip diff (this limits wheelspin out of corners) and sportier suspension setup for the most fun.

The entry-level 136bhp 1.5-litre petrol-powered 118i matches the Mercedes A-Class in power and performance while being slightly more frugal at 49.6mpg overall vs the Merc’s 47.1mpg. The base Audi makes do with just 110bhp, but there is also a 150bhp model which is more comparable in performance and fuel economy. In essence, these German rivals are very evenly matched when it comes to entry-level models. Our wider test experience suggests that this car will cover off refinement and ride comfort better than the last one managed, albeit still not quite as well as the most comfort-biased cars in the class. A big proportion of UK-market 1 Series owners will by default plump for big wheels and M Sport specification, though – and without doing so with their eyes open, they may end up with a car that offers slightly less rolling isolation than they’re used to. Boot space is up from 360 litres to a Volkswagen Golf-rivalling 380 litres, too, and can extend to 1200 litres with the second row folded down. There is a small lip to navigate but a handy removable false boot floor too, so loading and unloading items is a painless undertaking. Under the real boot floor, meanwhile, you’ll find a bit more storage space as well as a puncture repair and first aid kit. The new BMW 1 Series is more spacious than the preceding model, in fact it feels hardly any smaller than the 3 Series from behind the wheel. The seats feel comfortable, with plenty of adjustability and the controls are all logically laid out and within arm’s reach. The centrally located starter button is just where you need it, but you may initially be pawing at the dashboard until you get used to its new location. An interesting one, this. While both cars are very evenly matched on paper, our most recent verdict resulted in a very slim victory for the (newly updated i30N).

In a BMW factory. Actually, two BMW factories, one in Leipzig – where the very first ‘F40’ generation 1 Series rolled off the line – and the company’s Regensburg plant. Both of these are in Germany. What’s the difference between the BMW 128ti and the BMW M135i? Internal exhaust amplification features to further differentiate the 128ti from its lesser-powered counterparts, giving a “richly sporting aural experience for the driver”, according to BMW, without making the car any louder from the outside. In terms of the clarity of its graphics and the sophistication of its software, this system is unquestionably one of the best on the market. The touchscreen itself is responsive to your inputs, while voice control is a handy if imperfect navigational feature. However, it’s the dedicated shortcut buttons and rotary controller on the centre console that prove to be the best way of operating this particular infotainment suite – particularly when you’re on the move. All the 1 Series models are strong performers and – given their outputs – the engines are paragons of efficiency too. Even the lowliest diesel manages 0-62mph in just over 10 seconds, while we’ve seen the high-performance M135i return over 32mpg. Every 1 Series gets a 10.3in infotainment screen operated by pressing icons on the touchscreenor using the rotary iDrive controller and shortcut buttons by the gear lever.

The BMW 1 Series has a decidedly posh looking and feeling interior and you get a decent amount of standard kit, too, although there’s not a great deal of personalisation The new 1 Series is a pleasure to drive around town, the steering is light and the expansive windscreen and front side windows make placing the car into tight spaces no problem at all.It may be front-wheel-drive, but this little BMW still handles with precision and even the sportier trims offer a comfortable ride In town The most modern Mk1 1 Series you can buy will still be over ten years old, so you should be able to source a relatively cheap example. There is a choice of either petrol or diesel power, while the six-cylinder 130i model offers 265bhp. Interior space isn't great, but the cabin still feels typically BMW, with solid build quality and easy to use controls. Read our full Mk1 BMW 1 Series buyer’s guide here… There’s plenty of performance on offer, for starters, even in base 118i form, as tested: it has a 1.5-litre turbo triple petrol with 138bhp. Diesel cars begin with the 113bhp 116d and work through from there to the 2.0-litre 118d with 148bhp and the 187bhp 120d, which has four-wheel drive. You can get the BMW 1 Series with a range of petrol and diesel engines; from the entry-level 1.5-litre 118i three-cylinder petrol that’s ideally suited to town driving to the 2.0-litre 118d version that’ll lap up longer motorway trips with ease. There’s a 265hp 128ti, which is front-wheel drive with an automatic gearbox and is a hoot. Finally, there’s a sporty M135i model that’ll sprint from 0-60mph in less than 4.8 seconds – although we’ve reviewed that separately. BMW ditched its historical preference for rear-wheel drive to make the 1 Series more practical, upsetting BMW fans despite most people who buy the car not caring either way. It's a bit like when McDonald's changed the way it fried its French fries – people complained for a while but they continued being popular.

Using sophisticated methods and some human assistance, TopGear.com can confirm that an actual family of Golden Retrievers fits perfectly well in the boot of a BMW 128ti: son (left), mum (centre) and daughter (right). Judging by the picture below, TopGear.com now regrets not attempting to fit in a fourth Golden Retriever from the same family into the boot where a space clearly exists. BMW has issued just one recall for the third-generation 1 Series so far. It was announced in July 2020 and it affected just 39 cars made in February 2020, which could suffer from components working loose within the engine. Also affected by the same recall were some 2 Series Active Tourers and some 2 Series Gran Tourers. In some instances the parts could simply be tightened up, but the worst-case scenario was a new cylinder head being required. Driver Power owner satisfaction

Is BMW’s Golf-rivalling hatchback a better car for ditching rear-wheel drive?

The powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 that delivers a peak 301 hp. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and powers all four wheels. Simulated engine sounds are played via the car's audio system to provide further excitement for occupants, and BMW said it revised the sounds to more accurately reflect the natural sound of the engine. Interestingly but perhaps not surprisingly, our tape measure also recorded a 30mm reduction in rear head room – from 940mm to 910mm. But while you do feel as though you’re perched to an even greater extent in the rear pews than you do in the front, there’s still enough head room here to ensure adults of average height can sit in comfort.