New BMW 1 Series and M2 Spotted Out and About
BMW has a tradition of making mid-range cars that sell quite well, but their vehicles on either end of the spectrum don’t do nearly as well. Both the 3 and 5 Series from BMW are near the top of their respective market segments, but Mercedes is giving the 7 Series a bit more of a run for its money than the market can support, and there’s just too many subcompacts and compacts on the market for the 1 Series to get much traction.
Though Only Three Years Old, the 1 Series Needs a Facelift
Although it’s only three years old as a model line, the 1 Series already looks old and tired. Our spies have caught what looks to be the new 1 Series for 2016 out and about on the roads recently, and what they’ve seen is heartening. Later this year the car will receive its Life Cycle Impulse-minor upgrades here and there to keep it “fresh.” The changes in store look to be pretty extensive.
The styling of both the front and rear bumpers will be changed slightly. It’s also likely that BMW will install the new Air Curtain elements that we’ve seen on the 3-Series. The bars in the grille will also have their shape or numbers changed. Since so many people have complained about it, the shape and styling of the headlights will probably be changed also. In the photos, it also looks like there were minor design changes to the rear lamps, as well. They may even be changed to the point where they dip into the rear door.
BMW has presented so many design variants and they’ve got such a small turnaround window that it wouldn’t really be surprising if these are the only changes we see. All the design changes and variants are seriously cutting into their profits, making it likely they won’t change much this time around.
BMW M2 Set to Get Bigger Changes
The 5Series.net spies have also caught the long-awaited BMW M2 Coupe during testing on public roads recently. This one looks very sporty and aggressive with its extremely wide front axle and wider rear track. That wide front end is going to make for some serious ground effects and air channeling. It’s also going to make for some exciting handling properties.
Changes Abound Under the Car
Although there have been other reports of the new M2 being seen on test drives, this time around we get to see the twin exhaust pipes. We can also see cross-drilled rotors for heat dissipation, and the calipers look like the same ones found on the M3 and M4.
Looking at the images, you can see that BMW has yet to make any significant changes to other styling elements. For example, the photos show a completely stock bumper exactly as seen on the M235i. However, word is that these design elements will be changed a little later before the car goes into production.
Due to lightweight construction and a small exterior size, the expected three-liter inline six, making around 380 horsepower (codenamed N55B30T0) should give the car performance that’s quite impressive, and, indeed, exhilarating. We should see this model in all its glory late next year as a 2016 model.
