Hot Wheels EXCLUSIVE BMW SERIES SET OF 8 RED BMW M1, WHITE '92 BMW M3, ORANGE BMW E36 M3 RACE, GREEN BMW 2002, BLUE BMW M3 GT2,SILVER BMW M3, GRAY BMW Z4 M, AND BLACK/SILVER BMW K1300 R

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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 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 good news is that whichever BMW 1 Series you buy, it remains comfortable over lumps and bumps in town. That even goes for M Sport models with stiffer, lower sports suspension, and while adaptive suspension is available as an option, it isn’t really necessary. The 1 Series also has light, precise steering and decent forward visibility for easy urban manoeuvres. Rearwards it isn’t so good, but then, front and rear parking sensors are standard on all cars.

It worked flawlessly throughout. Indeed, when TopGear.com asked the 128ti if we could be friends, it replied "I think the two of us make a great team". 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.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%.

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 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. The BMW’s interior doesn’t quite nail its premium-car brief for material appeal as effortlessly as some of its homeland rivals. It’s bettered by the A-Class for visual wow factor and for solid tactile quality feel, while the cool minimalism of the (admittedly now rather old) Audi A3 still carries a degree more sway with some of our testers. Still, overall build quality is largely good and ease of use is impressive. 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.

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…

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. 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? 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. 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. BMW fans will bemoan the fact that this new 1 Series is front-wheel drive, but you would be hard-pressed to tell after a spirited run down a challenging piece of road. It offers high grip levels, absorbs bumps with ease yet doesn’t wallow about in the corners, just like a 3 series.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 least powerful was the 116d, with a 115bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, above which sat the 148bhp 118d and the 187bhp 120d, both of which were fitted with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. At first the 120d came only with an xDrive four-wheel drive transmission, but in March 2020 a front-wheel drive version was introduced. Sitting below the M135i xDrive and aimed directly at the VW Golf GTI, the front-wheel drive 128ti was introduced in November 2020, with a 261bhp twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Which one should I buy? 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. 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.