This economical BMW series comes in a variety of styles (hatch, saloon, five-door and convertible), although it has to be said that only the saloon has a touch of panache about it. It may not be an especially charming series, but these cars are functional and they do bear the prestigious BMW insignia! The driver and front passenger will enjoy ample leg room, but anyone sitting on the rear seat is best advised to be small in stature or at least not to spend too much time on it: its small back there. And while we’re griping about space, bear in mind that the hatch boot offers a meagre 330 litres to cart your weekly groceries or suitcases around in.

That said, as a rear-drive car it handles superbly, with excellent steering and an outstandingly controlled body guaranteeing comfortable, responsive driving. At the top end of the series, the 3 litre twin-turbo 350i will more than satisfy the power seekers amongst us but even the more humble models still offer outstanding engines. Along with the mammoth 3.0 litre 350i, there are two other petrol engines –1.6 litre and 2.0 litre. The three excellent diesel models (the 118d, 120d and 123d) are all 2.0 litre, although the twin-turbo 1.23d is undoubtedly king of the 1 series diesel castle. The latter comfortably surges from 0–62 mph in just 7 seconds, and squeezes a generous average of around 55 miles out of each gallon.

BMW 1 Series