BMW 1-series hatchback (2011) first official pictures

BMW has peeled the last pieces of camouflage sheeting from their F20 1-series and announced details of the upcoming entry-level car.

As revealed in CAR's spy images last month, the 1-series is a clear evolution of its predecessor, featuring smoother lines but a more aggressively-angled front-end. The new headlight design dominates the nose, providing the 1-series with a pronounced squint compared with its predecessor. 

F20 has grown in most dimensions over the first 1-series: it is 85mm longer overall, and sits on a 30mm longer. Front and rear tracks grow by 51mm and 72mm respectively. BMW has kept the height identical but found 17mm extra width and delivers 21mm more rear legroom. Luggage grows 30 litres to 360 litres with the seats up, and 1200 litres with the seats down. 

BMW have also created two new trim lines for the 1-series, BMW Sport Line (the red car pictured) and BMW Urban Line (the blue car).

Under the bonnet, the big news is that the new 1-series has an all-turbocharged engine lineup. BMW's initial announcement relates to the four-cylinder engines, with the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine (116i, 118i) and 2.0-litre turbodiesel (116d, 118d, 120d) to be available from launch.  The performance leader in the initial lineup will be the 120d, with a claimed 0-62mph time of 7.2 seconds from the 181bhp/280 lb ft engine. On the green side of the performance stats, the 120d will offer 119-122g/km of CO2 emissions, and a claimed fuel economy of 65.7mpg.  A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, with an optional eight-speed automatic transmission.

By Mark Hamilton