Video: BMW 1 Series

When BMW introduced its new 1 Series at the L.A. auto show, we had a lot of questions. Would the 1 Series live up to the high standards of the brand? Would it come in costing less than $30,000 yet still maintain any excitement? Would it steal business from its best-selling cousin, the 3 Series? Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder takes a closer look at the 1 Series to shed some light on the company’s much-anticipated new addition.

Comments

First of all, you sure you don't need the rear brakes to be stronger than this when this is a FR?
Then the 318ti is a piece of crap, because it is a FF BMW?

Are the rear calipers opposed two piston, or sliding two piston?

Not even a Porsche 911 needs bigger rear brakes, because on deceleration the typical 40/60 front/rear weight distribution goes to about 60/40 on a maximum stop.

The 318ti was junky because BMW used the semi-trailing arm rear suspenion, and no inline6. BMW could have used their 148hp 2.0 inline6 in place of the 138hp 1.9 I4.

The 318ti is not FF it is FR. There is no such thing as a FF BMW. The 318 is not a piece of crap. If you have ever driven one they are really fun to drive and it is a very well made car. If you take a company's least expensive model from 10+ years ago, it wont be comprable to the current model.

"If you take a company's least expensive model from 10+ years ago, it wont be comprable to the current model."
The Chevy Metro is a better vehicle than the Aveo. :P

"The Chevy Metro is a better vehicle than the Aveo. :P" neither one of these cars are really chevys. The metro is a suzuki swift, and the aveo is a daewoo kalos. They both happen to be rebadged as chevys

Even they were rebadged, they were still being sold by Chevy, then who cares?

The Ti is not a piece of crap. You should do your research before making such an idiotic statement.

From Autocar (E46 Compact vs. MB Coupe comparo article in 2001):

"... when production ceased in September last year almost 400,000 E36 Compacts had been sold worldwide without any palpable drop in brand strength. And the killer statistics are these: according to BMW's research, two out of every three people who bought a Compact were new to the marque, and roughly two-thirds again of those buyers went on to buy another BMW next time. In short, it's been a runaway success for BMW."

From Roundel magazine.
"Some facts might help put these arguments in perspective. For calendar year 2005, BMW NA sold 3,660 "sport wagons," including both new and old 3 Series, 5 Series, and all-wheel-drive versions of these models, making total wagon sales less than 2% of total BMW car sales of 197,833. By comparison, BMW NA sold 7,238 318ti Compacts in 1996---nearly 7% of 105,761 total sales. 318ti sales slipped to less than 4,000 in 1998, the last full year of sales for this model, but still accounted for 3% of total U.S. BMW car sales. How do you measure success?"

Where can I send my resume? This would be a great job for some as obsessive about cars as I am. I can give my sincerest promise that I would do a much better job of this than Mr. Joe Wiesenfelder.

I never realized quite how poorly informed and idiotic some car 'critics' are. I guess my naivety stems from not understanding how someone could blab out useless information about something I am so passionate about.

As A car enthusiast it deeply saddens me to see someone like Joe 'reviewing' cars. I use the words 'critic' and 'reviewing' very loosely due to the fact that neither of them describe Mr. Joe Wiesenfelder. Please, hire me for the sake of true car enthusiasts everywhere.

I don't see how 3% of U.S. sales is considered a success by any means. I don't think BMW is that impressed with wagon sales either. Hence the introduction of the X3.

the 318 was simply not a good car, it did not sell and BMW admitted all of this. This is why it took so long for a 1 series to come to the U.S.

To market it they didn't even bother with the economical hatchback that's in Europe, they're marketing a sporty coupe instead. It's not just Cars.com and other critics dissing the 318 it's BMW itself being realistic to American buying trends.

You don't see how 3% can be considered a success?
I don't think you've ever sold much of anything before. Hatchbacks at that time did not sell well in the US. To have one bring in 3% - 7% of total sales (and the majority of that NEW buyers who would remain loyal to the marque), that's an impressive feat.

Compare that to the sales of BMW hatchbacks or similars almost a decade later and you'd see that the 318ti did it's job very well. . .almost too well. We'll see if the 1er can bring glory back in a similar manner, but the 318ti at the moment is the standard bearer when it comes to these kind of cars from BMW.

A lot of people seem to forget that the semi trailing arm suspension used in the rear of the 318Ti is the same as the rear suspension used in the e30 M3. the e30 is an icon and cherished due to it's handeling so why not the 318ti? The suspension is also identicle fron and rear to the Z3 and almost the M Coupe.
Also, the M3 started as a 4cy engine and the M44 1.9L in the 318 was a direct decendant of that.
Lastly, 318Ti's sold well. they brought in a consistant percentage that was comparable to other modles throughout the BMW range. Don't forget to compare the 318ti to other single modles. how did the 318ti go V's the 328i or the 328Ci? the numbers will surprise you. People who have a 318Ti tend to keep them Long term. They are a great car.