Practical experience BMW 1-series (F40): is front-wheel drive sufficient?

As befits BMW, users have a wide choice of engines. The offer starts with a 1.5 three-cylinder – the horror! – and you look in vain for engines with double the number of cylinders. The top model, the M135i, has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine and all-wheel drive. Anyone who likes sporty steering, but cannot find driven rear wheels with ballast, can opt for the lighter 128ti. Indeed, an addition with which BMW harkens back to the past.

Space and seating comfort

It is clear that you do not choose a BMW 1-series for the space and that apparently also applies to the front-wheel drive variant. Users hardly pay attention to the practical features. However, we find a few comments that are particularly positive. “Plenty of room for the passengers in the back, and I am 1.90 meters,” said the driver of a 2022 BMW 116i. “It is quite spacious inside,” writes a driver about his 118i, “especially compared to the previous models. With my almost two meters tall, I can sit in the back quite comfortably! Only my mother and my girlfriend complain about the low entry and exit,” he reports. The owner of an M135i would prefer to be able to carry more luggage. “The trunk space remains somewhat limited and the extra space under the floor somewhat misses its purpose for me.”

This driver is very satisfied with the seats, but he also spent extra money on them. “You should definitely get M Sport seats. They look fantastic and fit even better: not ‘hardcore’ at all, but with enough support where it’s needed,” he writes. A 118 driver also spent more. “We opted for the High Executive, which has sports seats. I can recommend this to everyone. They provide sufficient support and it is nice, especially for taller people, that the seat can be made longer,” he writes. Yet he also has criticism. “It would be nice if the seat could be lowered a bit. Now you kind of feel like you’re sitting on the box.”

Dashboard and infotainment

A few drivers point out the difference with the previous model, with the new model impressing with its interior. “What I notice is that this F40 takes a serious step forward with the interior,” says a second M135i driver. “It looks nice and is solid with the typically very good sports furniture from BMW. Not as much bling as in an A-class, but if you come from a previous 1-series, this is a serious step,” he indicates. The aforementioned 118i driver is also impressed. “When you step in, you immediately notice that you are stepping into a premium product. The chairs are comfortable and the finish is phenomenal. Everything really feels like quality. No cheap plastic buttons and sliders, but solid ‘heavy’ buttons.”

This rider also likes the ‘tech’. “The digital instruments are really wonderful and with the mini map between the digital meters I have the feeling of driving in a game,” he reports. “The control of iDrive remains wonderful and the BMW ConnectedDrive is a real luxury. Spotify and the parking app are in iDrive, so a phone is not necessary.”

It doesn’t stop at just one positive review. “iDrive really works perfectly, as far as I am concerned it is the best system,” says the driver of a 118i Corporate Executive. “Dial and physical buttons are very useful and you can operate them without taking your eyes off the road.” He finds support from another 118i driver who has the same version. “In terms of connectivity and infotainment, I still think the BMW and Mini system is simply the best. I really like the combination between the rotary knob and the touchscreen. Because come on, clicking something on a touchscreen while driving doesn’t work, does it?” One more then. “The infotainment system of this generation of BMWs is perfect for me,” says an M135i driver. “I’m not a fan of screens and electronics, but this is definitely great.”

We conclude the topic with voice control. A 120i owner praises its extensive functionality. “It’s good that you can give commands to the car, for example to turn on the seat heating or to ask about the weather without taking your hands off the steering wheel.” The driver of a 2022 BMW 116i also uses this, but notices a striking feature. “The female voice assistant is moody. If you ask a question three times in quick succession, the answers become shorter and shorter. You would hardly dare to ask a fourth question. It remains entertaining.”

This is how the front-wheel drive BMW 1-series drives

So far everyone is positive about the first front-wheel drive Einser, but now comes the moment when he breaks through… right? “It steers nice and tight and you can go through the bend quite fast; there is always sufficient grip. It is wonderful to cross a roundabout very smoothly and at quite a bit of speed. The switch from rear to front-wheel drive is barely noticeable,” writes a 118i driver who also has a 5-series. “Maybe if you have driven the previous model 1-series intensively and then get into this one, but we don’t notice much of it,” he adds of the experience.

It is not the only driver who is pleased with the handling, as a second 118i driver proves. “The car is very comfortable and there is a nice peace and quiet inside. You have to pay close attention to your speed, because the peace and comfort can easily cause you to drive faster than permitted. This is the first 1 Series with front-wheel drive, but you notice very little of it. The car drives very dynamically and it certainly lives up to BMW’s slogan, ‘Freude am Fahren’.” A third 118i driver completely agrees. “The car is very stable on the road and is a real mile-eater on the highway. In fact, it is so stable that during the height of storm Ciara I could easily drive 140 over bridges and viaducts with one hand on the wheel.” And then the problem: “There is also a danger here: because it feels so stable in the car, you do not realize that you are driving much too fast.”

BMW 128 ti

So much for the standard versions, on to the front-wheel drive sporty top model. With its 265 hp, this 128ti only has 41 hp less power than the M135i. “Playing on winding Ardennes roads is of course different than with a car with RWD,” the owner admits, “but it is still a nice playmate. If you let off the gas while steering into the corner, he moves his butt out slightly. Giving him plenty of spurts as you exit the corner is also an option, but you won’t get him off track. In other words, it doesn’t tend to slide straight ahead, like most other FWD cars.” There is also a downside. “It is strange to feel so much driving force on the steering wheels while cornering and you have to apply a lot of force to maintain it. I had to get used to that in the beginning.”

BMW M135i.

An M135i driver also makes positive noises. “The steering is so fast and direct that I was correcting all the time during the first rides. So steer with your wrists instead of with your arms and then it turns almost telepathically, at much more speed than you think possible. When you think it’s going to slide, you feel the limited slip differential pushing the car inwards. Delicious!” He concludes with a bold statement. “Anyone who loses control with this car has really behaved like a complete hooligan.”

Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations

Although the front-wheel drive 1 Series is the first of its kind, BMW has already matured the technology in other models. This is evident from the limited number of reports of problems. Not every car is completely free of problems. For example, a 118i driver reports after 6,500 kilometers: “The door seals under the rear doors are already coming loose and that seriously affects the quality of the car. I’ve seen it before on several BMWs (including new 1s). Now just attach it yourself with a little bit of glue, but that shouldn’t be allowed.” More minor suffering for a 116i driver: “I had pulled out a rear door handle too far and it wouldn’t go back. The dealer resolved this immediately, quickly and at no cost.”

The owner of an M135i is concerned after seeing two warning lights in two weeks. At the beginning of January he wrote: “While at the end of last year I suddenly saw, to my great horror, the infamous orange light in the shape of an engine, it happened again in the evening. This time no engine management light, but an orange wrench. The notification? ‘Drive, make a service appointment with your service partner. You can keep driving.’” What next? “In another review on this platform I read that it could be the spark plugs. Let’s hope that it is indeed the spark plugs or perhaps a general voltage problem that can be solved with a new battery. Anyway, we’ll see!” We hope he will update the review when the issue is resolved.

Another M135i driver experiences no problems, but does share some maintenance costs. “510 euros for new brake fluid and new front brake pads. Ouch… That is the price you pay for parts that are adapted to the pace you can make with this car. And for the airport lounge furnishings of the BMW dealer, perhaps…”

Bottom line, it seems that BMW gambled well with the front-wheel drive 1 Series. Most riders don’t notice it or simply don’t think it’s bad enough. In addition, they now give drivers a considerably nicer interior with – for those who value it – more space and compliments for iDrive. Still, because after the upcoming facelift the iDrive controller will probably disappear…