BMW 1 Series review

The M135 xDrive is one of the M Performance subset of BMWs, not a full M car. It's been lightly polished by that department, rather than fully transformed. So it won't set your hair on fire. It's a quick-witted machine that makes easy brisk progress, not a racer manqué.

The 2.0-litre's performance doesn't come too easily. You have to stretch the engine to its 296bhp red-line, rather than relying on a big over-boosted mid range. Not that 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds is hanging about, but some other hatches feel faster.

The even swelling of power from low revs does make it easy to mete out exactly the amount you want through a series of bends. The noise isn't exactly inspiring, mind. You can switch on an artificial sound augmentation, but it’s as cartoonish as its 'BMW Iconic Sounds' label implies.

New to this version is a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in place of the of eight-speed conventional auto. It can get laggy and confused at times when you're on and off the throttle. Use the shift paddles and the problem goes away.

The steering is measured rather than nervous, but get some load into it and there's good feel. In the dry, cornering is bullish and confident. If the surface is slippery, you can nudge the tail out with a little lift, and then work all the tyres out of the bend. There's a limited-slip differential at the front, but the centre diff is variable rather than configurable so you don't have any menu-mode choice over the torque split - or its damping. The body control is pretty tight, but mechanical frequency-selective dampers mean the ride isn't too harsh over sudden bumps or corrugations. Not that you’ll be welcoming potholes as they rush into view.

But is it... fun?

The M135 stops just a moment short of it. It'll be a delight to live with as a daily, its plush interior pairing with all-wheel drive for a proper all-year-round partner. Helping increase the M135’s focus is the newly available M Dynamic Pack. It’s a sizeable £3,000 extra, but reeks of skunkworks focus as you pore through its details: grappling sports seats up front, new 19in forged alloys wrapped in gnarly Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres beneath, a sharper chassis tune, and the drilled compound brakes of a full-bore M car.

Perhaps the car needs drier, warmer tarmac than we encountered – or indeed a racetrack – for its USP to crystallise. Because it buggers up the M135’s daily useability prospect, those semi-slick tyres making wet motorways a chore and the ride more unrelentingly firm day-to-day.

Get this little BMW in the zone – and those Cup 2s clawing into the surface – and it’s a brisk and borderline thrilling thing. But none of the Dynamic Pack’s tweaks do anything for the car’s sense of fun, and nor do they boost the performance or sound of its engine. One for committed trackday folks only – without it, the base M135 feels a more rounded, wholesome prospect.

What about the 120?

The one we tested was fitted with the M Sport pack, giving it the same frequency-selective dampers as the M135. So its general mien is similar, although there's a slight loss of precision and steering feel because the body doesn't have so much bracing.

Even in the wet, it doesn't want for the 4WD. The front tyres nearly always draw enough traction from the engine’s 168bhp. The little three-cylinder warbles cheerfully, and gets you to 62mph in 7.8 seconds. It has a 48V mild-hybrid motor that nestles in the transmission, delivering a handy pulse of urge before the turbo cuts in. It makes the whole assembly lag-free and progressive right through the revs.

Does it have decent driver assist?

Lots is optional, not standard. Where fitted it works well, and is easy to operate, and set up to your liking. The expected stuff like level 2 motorway assist is an option.

Interesting standard kit includes Reverse Assistant. Driven a tight twisty path to a parking space? No problem to get out. It memorises the path you steered. Take your hands off the wheel and it'll reverse the exact same track.