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What's the difference?
There was a big kerfuffle a few years back when BMW made the decision to switch its entry-level 1 Series hatchback from a rear-drive platform to a newer, more efficient front-wheel drive architecture, shared with its Mini sister brand.
Despite the concerns of a few enthusiasts and motoring writers, the impact of the change in driven wheels hasn’t harmed the 1 Series’ reputation or sales.
As with the equivalent entry-level small car models from BMW’s premium rivals, the entry grade 118i is an expensive car for what you get.
But does the 118i hatch have enough charm to transcend the price and spec concerns?
Spoilt. That's what we are. If you're in the market for a hot hatch, you can have your pick of German-built and French ones from as little as $27,000. There isn't a dud among them now that the VW Polo GTI has had a bit of an update and you can pick and choose your style. Audi's S1 is aiming to be king of the kids with its stiffly-priced S1.
Set the finances aside and consider for a moment what's on offer. As it turns out, a lot.
The 118i has restored my faith in entry-level models from premium brands. Could it do with more standard gear? Absolutely, especially at $50K, and given what you could get in a higher-grade variant from a mainstream manufacturer, like the Mazda3 or VW Golf.
But the 118i is a cut above the mainstream hatchbacks in terms of performance, driver engagement and how the car makes you feel.
If value is the priority, look elsewhere. But if your budget stretches this far and you can live without some of the luxo features, there’s little to complain about with the 118i hatch.
Cars this small shouldn't be this fast and useable at the same time, but the Audi S1 is. It isn't without its problems - the ride is harder even than the Fiesta ST which might weary some prospective buyers.
It's also a bit difficult to justify the price - in its basic form it's missing a few creature comforts that you'd expect in a $50,000 car - reversing camera, high-res screen, that sort of thing.
However, in the hot hatch world, those things don't matter. It has the bragging rights, the tech and the outright blinding speed to take on the bonkers Focus ST and equally zany Megane RS. And even the Audi S3.
Since the first-generation model arrived on the scene in the early 2000s, the 1 Series has had a slightly awkward design, partly due to the rear-wheel drive underpinnings. But this latest third-gen model, that debuted in 2019, is by far the most sleek and stylish yet.
This is helped by the slimline tail-lights, rising shoulder line and well-executed front-end design with the signature BMW quad headlights and wide 'kidney' grille.
In Australia the 118i comes as standard with 'M suspension' that lowers the ride height by 10mm, which gives it even more of a hunkered down look. The 'Black Sapphire' paintwork of the test car also upped the sexiness of the little hatch.
The 1 Series, and its competitors from Benz and Audi, are all visually appealing in different ways, ensuring they will each appeal to different buyers.
The interior design is unmistakably BMW, which hasn’t evolved significantly for about 15 years. Although new-generation models like the iX and the soon-to-launch X1 SUV prove that BMW can evolve.
BMW’s overall dash design and layout isn’t a million miles away from the edgy angular look of the new Audi A3 - and that’s no criticism.
The mixed synthetic leather and cloth trim on the seats has a cool blue cloth motif to break up the grey and add a small splash of colour to the cabin. Matching blue stitching on the dash and doors is a nice touch.
The A1 is so small it starts to strain Audi's design language. When you cram on the S-style bumpers and raccoon-eyed trim on the hatchback, it's starts to look a bit busy.
It isn't quite a shrink-wrapped A3 - Ingolstadt's designers know better than that - but it's full of Audi design cues, such as the strong, light-catching character lines, distinctive LED daytime running lights and fondness for big wheels.
Inside is along the themes of the A3, with what are becoming Audi's trademark; round eyeball air-con vents, the manual fold-down screen familiar to Q3 owners (but smaller) and a good clear dash. The handbrake jars slightly as it feels cheap to hold and wobbles a bit.
The S Sport seats are big and comfortable, and the top half of the backs are capped in plastic, which was colour-coded on our car. The rear passengers will certainly get an eyeful of whatever terrifying hue you've chosen, so choose wisely.
Despite the five doors, the back seats are occasionals, like the Mini the A1 is gunning for, and the boot is very small, but okay for shopping for couples or singles.
The 118i kicks off the BMW 1 Series range from $49,900, before on-road costs. From there you can step up into the warmed over 128ti from $58,900, and the range is topped by the spicy all-wheel drive M135i xDrive in Pure ($67,900) or regular guise ($72,900).
The 118i’s circa-$50K price tag is a lot for an entry-level small hatchback, but it seems BMW has become better at including standard gear in its base variants. But it’s still not what you’d call generous.
Standard equipment in the 118i includes single-zone climate control, a head-up display, LED headlights and fog lights, an 'M aerodynamics' package, leather steering wheel, sports seats, a six-speaker audio system, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers, 'M Sport' suspension, wireless smartphone charging, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 10.25-inch multimedia screen with satellite navigation, digital radio and Apple CarPlay.
The only option fitted to the test car was premium paint ($1308) which brought the price-as-tested to $51,208, before on-road costs.
So there’s some good tech on the list, but there could be more premium features, you know, given it’s a premium brand, and all. Heated seats would be nice, for example.
Unsurprisingly, BMW offers a number of different options packs ranging in price from $1700 to more than $4000, depending on what you want.
Its two closest rivals are of course from the other big Germans - the Mercedes-Benz A180 (from $49,890) and Audi A3 35TFSI ($47,100) hatchbacks. The level of standard gear is relatively even across the three, although the Audi has the lead when it comes to safety (more on that below), hardly surprising given it's the newest of the three.
There’s also the question of value, especially when you compare with high-grade small hatchbacks from mainstream brands. Models like the Mazda3 X20 Astina ($43,190 BOC), or Honda Civic VTi-LX ($47,200 drive-away) could be good alternatives, or for similar money you could get into something sporty like a Hyundai i30 N Premium (from $48,000 BOC) or for a few grand more there’s the Volkswagen Golf GTI ($54,990 BOC).
Starting at $49,900, Audi S1 is by far the priciest of the small-hatch based hotties, at least until Mini's madcap JCW arrives. This price is just almost double that of VW stablemate's forthcoming 2015 Polo GTI.
Standard on the manual-and-five-door-only S1 is a ten speaker stereo, climate control, ambient lighting, remote central locking, cruise control, satnav, headlight washers, auto headlights with xenon low beams, partial leather seats, leather-bound steering wheel, auto wipers and rear parking sensors.
Our Misano Red ($990 option) came with two extra packs. The Quattro Exterior Package ($3990) adds bi-xenon headlights with red trim, red brake calipers, spoiler, quattro logos on rear doors (ahem!) and five-spoke 18-inch alloys that are part matt black, part polished.
The Quattro Interior Package ($2490) adds S Sport front seats with Nappa leather and red backrest capping with quattro logo (ugh), more nappa around the cabin with contrast stitching, flat bottom steering wheel and red rings on the air vents.
There's an S Performance Package that brings the best of these two packs together for $4990, saving about $1500 and the embarrassment of the quattro logos.
Our test car also had aluminium air vents ($220), black contrasting boot lid ($300) and black roof ($720).
The A1 is so small it starts to strain Audi's design language
The grand total is a sobering $58,610. There's a couple more options that'll easily pop you over $60,000.
Audi's MMI is dash-mounted in the A1 as there's no room on the narrow centre console. As ever, it works well and doesn't take much getting used to. The satnav is a bit grainy on the smaller screen but is otherwise a competent unit.
Sound is from a ten-speaker stereo and you can stream across Bluetooth or plug in a memory card. The sound was good but the system did take a while to find the phone whenever we came back to the car.
The 118i is powered by a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, offering up 103kW of power and 220Nm of torque. It’s the same unit found in the Mini Cooper, albeit uprated by 3kW for the BMW.
It is front-wheel drive and the engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
BMW says the 118i can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds.
If you’re after a quicker 1 Series, then the 180kW i28ti or 225kW Mi35i xDrive could be a better pick.
This is where the action is. The S1's tiny body packs a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder producing 170kW and 370Nm of torque. The S1 will streak to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds thank to the traction aid of quattro all-wheel drive.
All Audi S1s come with a six-speed manual
Despite a pretty solid hammering during its week with us, including more time than we'd have liked in Sydney traffic, the stop-start function helped deliver a pretty reasonable 10.2L/100km, however that's a long way over claimed 7.1L/100km.
All Audi S1s come with a six-speed manual, so dual-clutch haters can save the whining. The only downside from not having a self-shifter is the ECU can't deliver the boy racer farts, parps and crackles of the other S cars.
To be honest I wasn’t particularly hopeful of an engaging driving experience with the 118i given I have been underwhelmed by the base Mercedes-Benz A-Class. But after a week with the 1 Series, I reckon it might well be the pick of the premium players in this segment.
The 118i is also a much more enjoyable car to drive than the entry-level version of the outgoing X1 SUV with which it shares a powertrain. If you don’t need the extra cargo space or the ride height of the X1, then please test drive the 118i just to see what you’d be missing if you opted for the X1.
BMW has always excelled when it comes to building punchy powertrains for driver’s cars, and that continues to be true, even for its smallest internal combustion unit.
The 103kW/220Nm turbocharged three-pot is smooth yet responsive, offering linear power and torque delivery and acceleration that will bring a smile to your face.
Obviously it’s not as quick as its sportier 1 Series siblings, but make no mistake, you can still have fun in a 118i.
There’s a little bit of lag when taking off and some hesitation from the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission during shifts, but neither are deal-breakers.
That obsession with driver engagement has paid off with the steering which is quick and direct.
The suspension is geared towards dynamism and as a result of that, and the sharp steering, you’ll be seeking out the nearest twisty section of road every time you get behind the wheel. It’s planted in corners with excellent road-holding characteristics.
Unfortunately that dynamic tune, and the low-profile tyres, means the ride is on the firmer side and a little jiggly around town, but it settles at speed.
In terms of visibility, the 118i has huge B- and C-pillars, small rear side windows and a narrow rear windscreen, so you’ll be relying on the parking sensors and camera. The 11.4m turning circle feels large for a small car, too.
The cabin is well insulated from some outside noise but coarse chip roads will make their presence felt.
If you're buying the S1 as a comfortable urban runabout with a cool badge, you're half right. While the seating for front passengers is certainly supportive, the hard suspension tune will ensure you're well aware of road surface imperfections.
The S1 is a rocket
Thankfully, what it missed out on in the ride department it makes up for in every other way - the S1 is a rocket. The 2.0-litre turbo jammed under the bonnet has almost no lag and is paired with a slick six-speed manual that is terrific fun to manhandle through the gears.
The way the S1 picks up speed when it's on boost is addictive and licence-endangering. A flattened accelerator in second or third will obliterate just about anything this side of $100,000 and you'll be having more fun in this than big brother S3 because the chassis is more adjustable and there's a bit more life.
You can hear the turbo sing to accompany the bassy exhaust growl. Hit the massive brakes hard and the car remains stable even over rutted roads. Turning the wheel brings almost-instant turn-in, mashing the throttle again a fun little wriggle. It's superb.
It's tremendous fun point-to-point on a twisty road
You'll have to be a bit patient with the throttle to get the wriggle, though - give it too much too early and it will want to push wide, the quattro system shuffling power around to try and quell understeer while the electronic diff fiddles with the braking system to do the same thing. It gets there in the end, but you're better off meting out the power with your right foot for maximum rewards.
It's tremendous fun point-to-point on a twisty road - despite being a bit heavy for its size (1415kg), it's as chuckable as the next best thing, the Fiesta ST.
The 1 Series range was awarded the maximum five-star rating from crash safety watchdog, ANCAP, in 2019.
The 118i comes with front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, cruise control, low-speed auto emergency braking, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, driver fatigue detection, and six airbags.
It is not fitted with a front centre airbag to help mitigate against injury between the driver and front passenger in a side collision. Only the Audi A3 has this out of the three Germans in this segment.
In this grade, the 1 Series is fitted with regular cruise control, rather than the adaptive system that moderates speed according to the speed of the vehicle ahead. It is a surprise to see the more old-school system in a BMW.
The lane keeping aid works well, smoothly centring the vehicle in the lane when required.
Six airbags, stability and traction control, ABS, brake assist and distribution all add up to a five star ANCAP rating.