Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 BMW 120 M Sport
Price: 1 Series from £31,065, 120 M Sport from £33,065
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol with 48V mild hybrid
Transmission: seven-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Power: 170hp
Torque: 280Nm
Emissions: 121-125g/km
Economy: 51.4-52.3mpg
0-62mph: 7.8 seconds
Top speed: 140mph
Boot space: 300-1,135 litres
Styling
Although BMW hasn’t really altered the 1 Series’ basic architecture – the new model is more of a heavy facelift than a fully fledged new model – the car looks quite different, particularly from the front. The nose has been redesigned with a lower edge to the bonnet, and the grille has changed from being tall and upright to being wider and flatter. In pictures, it looks quite good, but when you see it up close it somehow doesn’t work quite as well. Nevertheless, it still looks premium, and that’s what customers really want.
Interior
In the cabin, BMW has gone for a minimalist design that almost entirely eschews buttons in favour of touchscreen controls. As a result, screens dominate the car's cabin, with a massive central touchscreen and a huge digital instrument display sitting side by side in a curved housing that stretches across the dash. The screens themselves are very sharp and customisable, which is good news, but they have plenty of responsibilities, including drive mode selection and heater controls. We aren't great fans of touchscreen heater tech, but BMW's implementation is better than most, with the temperature controls permanently available.
As usual from BMW, the 1 Series' interior is also pretty well made, with lots of solid materials on display and all of them fitting together fairly well. The slight caveat is that it doesn't feel as solid as some of its predecessors, with some fiddly and flimsy-feeling air vent controls and a few other plastics that aren't quite as premium as you might expect. It's no worse than any of its rivals, but it doesn't feel much better, either.
Practicality
Exactly how spacious the 1 Series is rather depends on which version you choose, with the most capacious model getting a 380-litre boot that's roughly on a par with the VW Golf. However, that version is the high-performance M135, and the mild-hybrid 120 tested here has just 300 litres of cargo capacity. That's barely more than you got in the Ford Fiesta (God rest its soul), and it's way behind the curve in the family hatchback market. Fortunately, the 1 Series' rear cabin space is a bit more competitive.
Performance
For the time being, at least, the new 1 Series is offered with just two engine options. There's the high-performance M135, which we've already tested, and there's the 120 we're driving here. Given the M135's price, power and penchant for petrol, we're expecting the more parsimonious 120 to be more popular.
Not that it isn't plenty powerful enough. The 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine produces 156hp all on its own, which would be ample, but there's a mild-hybrid system on hand to up that to a nice, round 170hp. All that power goes to the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox, enabling a perfectly adequate 0-62mph time of just under eight seconds and a top speed of 140mph.
Perhaps more importantly, though, the combination offers economy of around 50mpg on a long run, it's smooth and plenty powerful enough. It isn't exactly fast, but the three-cylinder engine is hushed at low revolutions and makes quite a pleasant thrum when it's pushed, as opposed to the drone made by some four-cylinder competitors.
Ride & Handling
The 1 Series has always lived and died on its handling capability, and the new model is just as enjoyable to drive as its predecessor. The steering is a little lighter than we might like, but that's a good compromise around town, while the response from the wheels is still very linear, predictable and intuitive. That, combined with suspension that prevents too much body roll from creeping in during corners, as well as maximising grip from the tyres, means even the 120 is as fun to drive as some hot hatchbacks.
However, the rest of the field has caught up a bit, and the same could be said of the Ford Focus and the Mazda3, both of which are spectacularly good to drive. Even the Audi A3 has upped its game of late, and although the BMW is still more fun than the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the gap to the rest of the field has undoubtedly narrowed.
The suspension also means the BMW is a little less comfortable than some of its rivals as a result, and though it isn't as firm as the M135, it still allows the bumps to permeate the cabin more obviously than some of its biggest rivals, and that makes it less pleasant when navigating a town centre. At higher speeds, the ride settles a bit, and it's fine for longer journeys, but manhole covers and speed bumps are a bit more savage than they would be in, say, a Peugeot 308.
Value
BMW 1 Series prices start at just over £31,000, and though that might be the entry price, you hardly get an entry-level car for your money. Even the base 'Sport' version comes with the 1.5-litre, 170hp mild-hybrid system and automatic gearbox tested here, and there's plenty of standard kit. Climate control, cruise control and a reversing camera are all fitted as standard, along with 17-inch alloy wheels and LED lights. All of which makes comparisons tricky. The basic Audi A3, for example, is almost as well equipped and it's around £1,500 cheaper, but with 116hp, it doesn't have anything like as much power.
Verdict
With just two main versions of the 1 Series on the market – this and the M135 hot hatch – the 120 is by far the most sensible option. It isn’t perfect, but it’ll tick lots of boxes for lots of customers, and it’s still one of the best cars in its class for keen drivers. But the fact is there are lots of great cars in this class, and there are some that offer more practicality and comfort, while still offering as much quality. So while the 1 Series is very good, it isn’t necessarily the best of them all.
