2009 BMW 1-Series Preview-part 2
The A3 has been a surprise hit both in Europe and in America now, too, and its success worried rivals so much they've had to build premium compacts of their own to compete. In Audi's case, engineering the A3 was as simple as re-skinning the Golf, but for BMW, with no partner from which to 'borrow' a platform, they've had to take the 3-Series and shrink it. Fortunately the 1-Series is more than just a 3-Series with the backside hacked off (ah, who can forget the tail-less lizard that was the 3-Series Compact?) -- it's a unique and proper piece of design in its own right.
It starts off well, with its huge headlamp clusters and rather "friendly" expression (compared to the snarling aggression of the rest of the BMW range) and only gets better along the deeply sculpted flanks, bulging wheel wells, and dipping roofline. The recently unveiled three-door hatchback looks even better than the five-door model.
But once you get around to the back of any 1-Series the whole design comes asunder, it seems. The dreary, misshapen rear lamps and drab tailgate are disappointingly bland given how dramatic the rest of the car looks, and I've also observed that the 1-Series is extraordinarily wheel and color sensitive, too. Buy a silver 1-Series on 18-inch alloys and you'll stop traffic. Opt for a dark gray model on 16-inch wheels and you'll constantly lose it in mall parking lots.
Swing open a door and you'll notice the bulk of the dashboard, center console, front seats, most of the door trims, and the whole driving environment come straight from the 3-Series, so they look beautiful and work wonderfully well. From the driver's seat, you're aware that it's a smaller car than the 3-Series (it's almost a foot shorter and two-and-a-half inches narrower), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It somehow feels cozier and more cosseting than the 3. MORE--
It starts off well, with its huge headlamp clusters and rather "friendly" expression (compared to the snarling aggression of the rest of the BMW range) and only gets better along the deeply sculpted flanks, bulging wheel wells, and dipping roofline. The recently unveiled three-door hatchback looks even better than the five-door model.
But once you get around to the back of any 1-Series the whole design comes asunder, it seems. The dreary, misshapen rear lamps and drab tailgate are disappointingly bland given how dramatic the rest of the car looks, and I've also observed that the 1-Series is extraordinarily wheel and color sensitive, too. Buy a silver 1-Series on 18-inch alloys and you'll stop traffic. Opt for a dark gray model on 16-inch wheels and you'll constantly lose it in mall parking lots.
Swing open a door and you'll notice the bulk of the dashboard, center console, front seats, most of the door trims, and the whole driving environment come straight from the 3-Series, so they look beautiful and work wonderfully well. From the driver's seat, you're aware that it's a smaller car than the 3-Series (it's almost a foot shorter and two-and-a-half inches narrower), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It somehow feels cozier and more cosseting than the 3. MORE--
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