BMW has literally begun taking the wraps off of the all-new F40 BMW 1 Series, as seen in this post on its Instagram page. This “strip show” is in preparation of the model’s debut, which the German carmaker says will take place in a few days’ time.
Unlike the development vehicle photographed at the BMW proving ground in Miramas, the car seen in this Instagram post does not feature any sort of fake body panels on it. Instead, there’s just swirly camouflage applied onto the metal, some of which has been stripped off to reveal important design cues.
For instance, the headlamps and taillights are clearly on display here, and we even get to see what they look like when lit up. The lighting units at the front are sharper evolutions of what was fitted to the outgoing F20 1 Series, with hexagonal “corona ring” daytime running lights within them.
The headlamps flank a conjoined kidney grille with vertical slats, which itself is much larger than what was found on the F40’s predecessor. Meanwhile, the lower apron features a wide, blacked-out section that results in “tusks” framing the corner inlets. These areas appear rather intricate, with horizontal fins, vertical slits and LED fog lamps within them.
There’re no shots of the of vehicle’s profile, but we’ve already determined that the new 1er will see changes to its proportions, with a longer front overhang and shorter bonnet. As for the rear, the taillights sport a distinctive signature – one that kinks upwards before descending towards the trailing edges.
Barring any official details, the car we’re looking at here is likely not the range-topping M135i xDrive variant that was leaked last month. This is due to the different grille inlay found on the high-performance model, as well as entirely new front and rear bumper designs.
Moving inside, we only get a glimpse of the car’s new steering wheel and digital instrument cluster display, the latter likely part of the BMW Cockpit system already present in recent BMW models.
Interestingly, said display appears a whole lot different from what we’ve seen in prior spyshots. Comparing the two, the previous development car appears to come with analogue dials, although this could be a sign of a lower-spec variant that was undergoing testing at the time.
The rest of the cabin appears to follow in the footsteps of the G20 3 Series, with trapezoidal air vents placed in close proximity to the climate controls, along with a centre console that houses the controls for the drive modes, electronic parking brake, Cockpit system and gear lever.
While the overhauled styling is an occasion on its own, the biggest change with the new 1 Series is the switch to the FAAR (Frontantriebsarchitektur, or front-wheel drive architecture) platform from the previous rear-wheel drive architecture.
As far as engines, the new 1 Series will come with the usual three-cylinder and four-cylinder petrol and diesel power units, with the range-topper at launch being the M135i that packs a 2.0 litre turbo four-pot with 302 hp (306 PS) – likely the enhanced B48 used in the X2 M35i xDrive. Getting excited yet?
GALLERY: F40 BMW 1 Series preview
GALLERY: F40 BMW 1 Series spyshots
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
For the first time we get to see the non M135i version…
Dare I say it, but it kind of looks like a larger VW Golf.
And Golf is a smaller version of Satria and Satria is a smaller version of Macan……
they really should work on that grille design
really beginning to look like piggy face
pointless…another fwd hatchback
There will be AWD versions. The cab forward design improve on cabin space and practicality, areas the old RWD 1-series lost to rivals like Merc A-class.
don’t buy bmw, a lot of quality and reliability problems. dont believe me, just see hundreds of them stuck at the service centres