BMW 1 Series (F20) launched in Malaysia, priced from RM170k to 260k

After teasers, spyshots and a preview, the F20 BMW 1 Series finally lands on Malaysian soil. Having made its global debut a whole two years ago in Frankfurt, the second-gen rear-wheel drive five-door hatch is offered here in 116i, 118i and 125i variants – although only the 125i was present at the launch.

The 118i can be had in Sport or Urban trim while the 125i comes in Sport and top-of-the-line M Sport trims. The 116i only comes in standard trim. Only the 125i is fully imported; the others are locally assembled in Kulim, Kedah. Bookings for the 116i and 118i will begin on September 21, with first customer deliveries scheduled to happen in October.

The F20 is 85 mm longer (4,320 mm) and 17 mm wider (1,770 mm) than its E87 predecessor, and rides on a 30-mm longer wheelbase (2,690 mm). Height is unchanged at 1,421 mm. Tracks are wider by 51 mm up front and 72 mm out back. Rear legroom is up by 21 mm and boot volume by 30 litres. There’s 360 litres of luggage space (1,200 litres with back seats folded).

All variants get twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines that feature direct injection, Valvetronic and EfficientDynamics tech (including regenerative braking), plus an eight-speed auto. Kerb weights hover around the 1,400 kg mark.

The 116i’s 1.6 litre N13 unit makes 136 hp and 220 Nm of torque, enough to push the vehicle to 100 km/h from rest in 8.7 seconds and onwards to 210 km/h. Fuel economy and CO2 emissions are a quoted 5.8 litres per 100 km and 134 grams per km respectively.

The 118i has the same engine as the 116i, only here it’s tuned to give 170 hp and 250 Nm of torque. As a result, the mid-range car does the century sprint in 7.2 seconds before topping out at 222 km/h. Economy and CO2 figures are identical to those of the 116i.

Finally, the 125i draws 218 hp and 310 Nm of twist from a 2.0 litre N20 mill, enabling it to hit 100 km/h from a standstill in 6.2 seconds and max out at 243 km/h. This one returns 6.3 litres per 100 km and emits 148 grams of CO2 per km.

No matter what variant you choose, you get six airbags, xenon headlamps, fog lamps, rear park distance control, Driving Experience Control (Comfort, Sport, Eco Pro modes), auto start/stop, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and BMW Live.

The 116i gets 17-inch Y-spoke alloys with 205/50 tyres, satin silver interior trim and cloth upholstery. From here on up, cruise control, auto air-con and a chrome-trimmed steering wheel are standard.

The Urban line gives the 118i grille slats and trim which are finished in Alpine White, a lightly-grilled fog lamp housing and white 17-inch V-spoke alloys with 225/45 tyres. There’s a high-gloss black interior with silver highlights and upholstery in a mixture of silver cloth and black leather.

The Sport line bestows the 118i and 125i with a grille that has fewer slats than the Urban car; also, the slats are finished in high-gloss black here, as are other bits of exterior trim. The fog lamp housings have bars, and shoes are 17-inch star-spoke alloys with 225/45 tyres. Also, a Sport+ mode is added to the Driving Experience Control.

Both the 118i Sport and 125i Sport have high-gloss black interiors with red highlights (including within the instrument dials and on the key fob) and black cloth seats with red stitching, but the latter gets a sports gearbox with shift paddles and a seven-speaker audio system.

The 125i M Sport gets an all-round body kit (including more aggressive-looking bumpers and a rear diffuser), sports suspension, twin tailpipes and 18-inch star-spoke M alloys wrapped in 225/40 series front and 245/35 series rear tyres.

Its dashboard is trimmed in aluminium with Estoril Blue highlights, and the seats combine cloth and Alcantara. It gets all the 125i Sport’s goodies, plus an M Sport steering wheel, 8.8-inch Navigation System Professional (all the others get a 6.5-inch BMW Radio Professional unit) and BMW Apps.

If even that’s not enough for you, you could turn to the M Performance catalogue. Items offered as after-sales options include 19-inch twin-spoke alloys with four-colour M logo, a roof spoiler, plus black or white stripes that run across the bonnet, roof and tailgate.

You could also plump for an Alcantara steering wheel with carbon trim and Race Display (F1-style shift lights), a carbon gear lever, pedal covers and a stainless steel footrest, amongst others. Click here to see the list of available M Performance parts and their respective prices.

Body colour choices include Alpine White (not on Urban), Black Sapphire (not on Sport and M Sport), Crimson Red (not on Urban and M Sport), Mineral Grey, Glacier Silver (not on Urban), Sparkling Bronze (Urban only), Midnight Blue (Urban only) and Estoril Blue (M Sport only).

Also, BMW Credit Malaysia‘s Step Up Financing programme offers monthly loan repayment schemes that start from RM1,600 for the 116i, RM1,800 for the 118i, RM2,200 for the 125i Sport and RM2,400 for the 125i M Sport. BMW says the programme provides savings of up to 30% over a standard straight financing package. Click here to see details of the financing programme for the BMW 1 Series.

On-the-road prices without insurance but including BMW Service + Repair Inclusive (except 116i, although BS+RI may be offered as an optional extra at a later stage) are: