When you take a look at the current 1 Series BMW, it is already an odd looking car in the sea of compact vehicles especially with its sporty rear wheel drive layout and available straight 6 engine. But you may ask yourself why do we consider it odd? Well, the fact is that its RWD setup is basically taking a lot of 1 Series’ interior space that is cramped already even without it. The other thing is the longitudinally-mounted straight six engine that makes the car longer in its front which is, you will have to agree, not that practical for a city use.
The performance freaks will definitely despise these facts, and they certainly will not love the BMW’s decision that its next 1 Series Hatchback will make a switch to the FWD UKL platform found underpinning a number of Minis and compact BMW’s, including a 1 Series sedan launched in China in late 2016. As you can see, to some extent, from the spy shots we have here for you, the next 1 Series Sedan will be closely related to the next 1 Series Hatchback. It will come with one important change, and it is the fact that the Hatchback will be sold outside of the Chinese market with one exception and it is, unfortunately, the US market.
What we managed to conclude from the spy shots 2019 1 Series Hatchback will have a more athletic look with a lot shorter hood thanks to the UKL platform which offers transverse mounting for engines. The roof of the new model sits a lot lower than on the predecessor, and it is slightly sloped to the rear of the car. As far as the stance is considered it appears to be slightly more aggressive with a lot wider tire print, as far as we can see. The spied prototype is a five-door version, which means that once again it’s not clear if BMW will offer a three door option.
The one more thing that is interesting is that the UKL platform will bring some weight savings thanks to the use of lighter materials and with that, it will help the vehicle achieve a boost in both performance and economy. BMW might offer an AWD variant which will be standard in more potent variations of the 2019 1 Series. Due to the change in the platform, the performance freaks will definitely miss the factory’s signature inline 6 engine, but the range topper (the M series possibly) will offer the inline 4 instead, with inline 3 and plug-in hybrid setup that will come sometime later.
2019 BMW 1 Series Hatchback Release Date
The reveal of the 2019 BMW 1 Series Hatchback should be expected sometime in late 2018 by when its main competitors like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Audi A3 Sportback, Infiniti Q30 and Lexus CT will almost all be renewed.
