BMW Explains the Difference Between 1 Series 2nd and 3rd Generations

Because all of them have the kidney grille, it's easy to dismiss BMW esthetic changes as minor. However, the Bavarians do make bigger cuts than most of their German counterparts. We fondly remember looking at how the 6 Series GT diverged from the 5er or the dramatic new taillights received by the X4.

But the 1 Series is the most dramatic thing to happen since the X1. That's because, after two generations of basically running a shortened 3 Series platform, they've switched to a new front-drive architecture. It's not the same as that under a MINI, though we won't fully realize this until the plug-in models arrive.

In BMW's words, the new model "shows a sportier, more modern and dynamic appearance than its predecessor," which is their way of saying "we made the grille twice as large even though the engine is 2/3 the size." Pointing this out is easy when the overpriced new M135i is in the same shot as our darling M140i.

The front isn't an improvement in our book, but everything else is. In profile, the old 1 Series looked like a clown shoe because the hood needed to be super-long. The belt-line on the 2019 model rises towards the narrower taillights, which are even shown in 'night design' by this official video.

Once you're inside, the 3rd generation presents more room created by the platform, as well as modern features like the digital dashboard, touchscreen infotainment and modern climate control. But we'd like to point out prices have also gone up and most of the cool stuff is optional. Hopefully, dealers will have decent offers on base models.

Of course, the whole point of the FWD platform is to make a mass-market car. That's why BMW has also introduced a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder efficient engine for the 118i, as well as a combination of both DCT and automatic gearboxes tailored to the models. The least powerful current engine is the 116d with 116 HP, which we predict to be quite popular.