Published:
4 May 2012You can buy an entry-level BMW 1 Series for around £18,000, and all the Alcantara and wacky orange ‘Kyalami’ stitching in the world cannot disguise the fact that the 1 Series M Coupé’s cabin has been designed down to a price – and that price was nowhere near £40,000.
The fascia is plain and unimaginative and, indeed, a lot less interesting and characterful than you’d find in, say, a Mini costing half as much.
That said, it presents its information clearly, and especially so if you spend two grand on the full navigation system. However, we don’t see why BMW felt the need to give the two main dials dull grey backgrounds.
Nor do we agree with BMW’s decision to fit the car with a fat, squashy-rimmed steering wheel. Even testers with big hands didn’t care for its squidgy feel, and it is unavoidable that at least some vital road information has been damped out before it reaches your fingertips.
Where it does hold a major advantage over its rivals is the provision of space in the back. It seems a little odd to be complimenting a 1 Series on its packaging because, looks aside, historically it has been the car’s single biggest weakness, but when your rivals include the Porsche Cayman and Nissan 370Z (no rear seats) as well as the Audi TT RS and Lotus Evora (joke rear seats), the fact that even quite large children can sit in reasonable comfort and over some distance is a distinct class USP.
