[Zadjali]

In the following picture we can see additional space in the exhausts side which looks like the rear diffuser is designed for quad exhaust pipes . . . I think this rear diffuser will be used for testing the M version which mean there's will be an M version in the hatchback model! . . . am sure this is not the production rear diffuser for the 135i.

[SCOTT26]

The interior is missing some "decorative" fixings especially on the upper part of the dash.

[Jblack4083]

Originally Posted by Sojourn76

Dual exhaust? One thing I wish my coupe had. Still need to see more before getting excited.

Can't wait to see dual exhaust on the coupe.

[M2]

Originally Posted by AMB

If they bring the Hatch Stateside this will be my next new car. Are you listening BMW!?

I hope they are... Scott26? We want this car! Please...

[deshields]

Badass! love the shape (wider then tall look), which is very reminiscent of a modern E36. Should be a great followup to the original 1 and a good seller.

[amdmaxx]

love practicality of the hatchbacks.. I'll take one over coupe....
bring to usa.. please

Originally Posted by AMB

If they bring the Hatch Stateside this will be my next new car. Are you listening BMW!?

[hmmcolor]

Originally Posted by AMB

If they bring the Hatch Stateside this will be my next new car. Are you listening BMW!?

+1

Do want.

[mtechnik3]

I'm importing this to the US. Want it so bad!

[derekL]

looks great!!! anyone realize they got pulled over?

[SF Dede]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

What's the big deal? You don't have to buy it, but other people would like to.

+1

[SF Dede]

Originally Posted by Zadjali

In the following picture we can see additional space in the exhausts side which looks like the rear diffuser is designed for quad exhaust pipes . . . I think this rear diffuser will be used for testing the M version which mean there's will be an M version in the hatchback model! . . . am sure this is not the production rear diffuser for the 135i.

That would be salt in the wound if we don't get it in the US.

[Mark]

Definitly one of the most agressive M-Sport cars to date! This would've been the equivalent ///M car styling only 1 generation back. I love that BMW is giving the second gen 1er the full attention it deserves

The question and hope in my mind, is if BMW will bring the coupe to the US with a turbo 6 or stick to an all turbo 4 lineup... Dual exhaust seems to say 6-cyl 135i Despite the all 4-cylinder lineup rumors!

[Grzechos]

Love it.
With this new 2.0 twin turbo this will be nice small ride.
I'm missing my old 120d M-sport, hope to buy this new one.

[BeemerBoyUK]

Originally Posted by Zadjali

In the following picture we can see additional space in the exhausts side which looks like the rear diffuser is designed for quad exhaust pipes . . . I think this rear diffuser will be used for testing the M version which mean there's will be an M version in the hatchback model! . . . am sure this is not the production rear diffuser for the 135i.

I'm totally with you on this one.... I see a 1M hatch coming.... this would sell ridiculously well in europe. Mights have to chop the 120D out for a freshy..

[bavarian19]

looks similar to current 135 front

[SCOTT26]

In Germany , prototypes are always stopped. It does not matter if it is BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche or a Volkswagen.

It is mainly curiosity , but no-one takes pictures or anything. They are forbidden to do so by their superiors, bystanders nearby can snap away as shown here.

Of course they are also on the look-out for the Test-driving thrill seekers who have been on the Ring and continue their high performance driving skills on the roads surrounding the Ring. I have seen an US spec M3 drift only to be appear at a Police checkpoint.
I hope it was nobody here. Because the officer was not amused.

In Germany though BMW and other manufacturers enlist the authorities in the testing of a new model for a example particularly if that said model is a fleet proposal which would be used by the authorities.

In the latter stages of a "fleet" model , The authorities are invited to test them in a variety of ways from loading with equipment , people and even dogs. But vast experience from the previous models are use to further progress incoming models , especially in relation to space , flexibility, performance and efficiency.

[edh]

I'm a long time reader but a first time poster, been looking at the F20 a lot.

Originally Posted by Jason

135i hatchback

I doubt this is a 135i. Someone else already suggested this might be an N20 powered car so perhaps 128i. There's a few reasons for this:
- The old 1 series only went as far as 130i which stopped production a few years ago. It wasn't that big a seller and given that Europe is the main market for this car, the interest is in diesels, not 6 cyclinder petrols.
- Why would they introduce a range topper that extends significantly beyond the existing range topping petrol (120i) by such a significant margin on the launch of a new model? If they wanted to come up with a 135i hatchback they would do so a year later, as they did with the 130i, launched a year after the rest of the range. A new 135i hatch would also be too close to the E82 135i coupe for comfort within the BMW range.

An N20 powered 128i could do with an exhaust like this to differentiate it from the naturally aspirated petrols in the range. Similarly could we see something like this for the next 123d (due some time later)? There have already been models seen with both single and twin exhausts on the right hand side. I think it likely that with the latest 520d having a twin exhaust (even though the 320d with the same engine does not) the F20 120d would have a chrome twin exhaust on the right side.

Unfortunately we can't get a good view of the tacho or the yellow labels (previous FEP stage cars are sometimes identified on a yellow label, a 184bhp 120d has already been identified this way).

It is clearly an M sport but I would think there are a few options on the interior as well. Can't tell if the screen is navigation or not, it would stand to reason that with the F10 and F25 coming with a screen as standard and the business or professional navigation charged extra that this was also be the case on SE and M Sport specs. Other models have been seen without a screen at all, I would suspect that this is the base model ES.

Originally Posted by Jason

No fog lights with M-sport kit

I don't think this is correct for the MSport. Although the E82 135i does not have them to improve cooling, this is not a standard model. As a junior executive car, vast numbers of E87's are bought in the Euopean market as company cars whereas the E82 135i is overwhelmingly not. Cache is important in this sector, hence MSport is a good thing and so are fog lights, metallic paint, 18" wheels even if your company only lets you have a 118d. For a car in this sector not to have foglights would hit sales.

Just my opinion and a bit of speculation.

The next thing above simple fog lights is LEDs. Maybe on Msport to distinguish itself from SE there could be some 6-series Msport style LEDs? Look at the pictures and you see that above the vents where you might expect the fog lights to be there is a line of camoflage set back from the bumper above it. Looks like a gap about the right size for a strip of LEDs.

Or perhaps as one size is covered off and the other isn't, this isn't a final configuration anyway. A set of standard fogs will appear in the gaps.

Whatever, I seriously couldn't believe that ALL Msport models would not have fog lights of any form.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by edh

- The old 1 series only went as far as 130i which stopped production a few years ago.

...

Why would they introduce a range topper that extends significantly beyond the existing range topping petrol (120i)...

Good post.

Only question I have is - is the 130i really completely gone from all markets, or just in the UK? I hadn't heard they had stopped producing it, so it surprises me to hear this.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by edh

I'm a long time reader but a first time poster, been looking at the F20 a lot.

I doubt this is a 135i. Someone else already suggested this might be an N20 powered car so perhaps 128i. There's a few reasons for this:
- The old 1 series only went as far as 130i which stopped production a few years ago. It wasn't that big a seller and given that Europe is the main market for this car, the interest is in diesels, not 6 cyclinder petrols.
- Why would they introduce a range topper that extends significantly beyond the existing range topping petrol (120i) by such a significant margin on the launch of a new model? If they wanted to come up with a 135i hatchback they would do so a year later, as they did with the 130i, launched a year after the rest of the range. A new 135i hatch would also be too close to the E82 135i coupe for comfort within the BMW range.

Well, to be honest, the exhaust layout says it all here, BMW typically uses the same exhaust layout for a given engine, regardless of which model its in. The N20 in the X1 (even with M-Sport as below) uses a two tips on one side exhuast arrangement.

Most of the other F20 test mules we've seen have had one pipe out on one side suggesting those were using the N20 or other 4 cyl. engine arrangements.



As for the range topper 135i not stepping on the toes of the E82 coupe, they are going to build a 135i for sure, and this car is in testing stages, so why not do the testing for the car? How they market it all is a different story for a different group of people to tackle, but the car and its various configurations need to be developed and testing at this stage, especially when engines such as the N54 and N55 are known factors.

We've been consistently seeing this M-Sport equipped car with the dual exhaust setup while the non-M sport equipped F20 mules have the single exhaust. Putting it together it really suggests this is a top end F20 variant, and what would be more top end then the N55? I guess the alternative is it could also be one of the diesels.

An N20 powered 128i could do with an exhaust like this to differentiate it from the naturally aspirated petrols in the range. Similarly could we see something like this for the next 123d (due some time later)? There have already been models seen with both single and twin exhausts on the right hand side. I think it likely that with the latest 520d having a twin exhaust (even though the 320d with the same engine does not) the F20 120d would have a chrome twin exhaust on the right side.

Unfortunately we can't get a good view of the tacho or the yellow labels (previous FEP stage cars are sometimes identified on a yellow label, a 184bhp 120d has already been identified this way).

It is clearly an M sport but I would think there are a few options on the interior as well. Can't tell if the screen is navigation or not, it would stand to reason that with the F10 and F25 coming with a screen as standard and the business or professional navigation charged extra that this was also be the case on SE and M Sport specs. Other models have been seen without a screen at all, I would suspect that this is the base model ES.


I don't think this is correct for the MSport. Although the E82 135i does not have them to improve cooling, this is not a standard model. As a junior executive car, vast numbers of E87's are bought in the Euopean market as company cars whereas the E82 135i is overwhelmingly not. Cache is important in this sector, hence MSport is a good thing and so are fog lights, metallic paint, 18" wheels even if your company only lets you have a 118d. For a car in this sector not to have foglights would hit sales.

Just my opinion and a bit of speculation.

The next thing above simple fog lights is LEDs. Maybe on Msport to distinguish itself from SE there could be some 6-series Msport style LEDs? Look at the pictures and you see that above the vents where you might expect the fog lights to be there is a line of camoflage set back from the bumper above it. Looks like a gap about the right size for a strip of LEDs.

Or perhaps as one size is covered off and the other isn't, this isn't a final configuration anyway. A set of standard fogs will appear in the gaps.

Whatever, I seriously couldn't believe that ALL Msport models would not have fog lights of any form.

I agree about the foglights, I'd venture to guess that the foglights simply were not installed on this mule, and will be fit at a later date, or maybee something more exotic like the LEDs you suggested is hiding somewhere under the tape

[edh]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Only question I have is - is the 130i really completely gone from all markets, or just in the UK? I hadn't heard they had stopped producing it, so it surprises me to hear this.

I stand corrected, it's still listed on bmw.de!

Having looked through the 130i specs, the current version is a 258bhp N52. Whilst not the same engine as the N53 in the F10 528i, it's got the same power rating and given that the F10 528i is now receiving the 245bhp N20 which more than matches in performance the N53, it would stand to reason that a 128i powered by an N20 would match a 130i powered by an N52.

Another thing to consider is the cars this is going up against. The Golf R et al all follow the turbocharged 2 litre route. A 128i F20 would already differentiate itself by being rear wheel drive and more up market so would compete well. An N55 powered hatchback would be up against another level of competitor: the next Focus RS, Audi RS3, the next crazy Astra, all cars which are extremely hard, loud, uncomfortable and shouty. The car pictured is far too soft to do this, something more like the 1-series M Coupe would be needed, a car that an N55 F20 would also get a little too close too, hence ruining the separation between M models and non M models.

Perhaps there might be an N55 powered car later but not without a much more aggressive configuration.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by edh

An N20 powered 128i could do with an exhaust like this to differentiate it from the naturally aspirated petrols in the range.

There won't be any naturally aspirated petrols in the F20, so like Mark says, this is quite likely a 135i. Also remember that this car has fixed piston brakes and thus appears to be quite similar to the current E82 135i. Anything but a turbo six would be a surprise. I agree with you however that they'll introduce the 135i a bit later, doesn't mean they can't already test it, right?

Originally Posted by edh

The next thing above simple fog lights is LEDs. Maybe on Msport to distinguish itself from SE there could be some 6-series Msport style LEDs? Look at the pictures and you see that above the vents where you might expect the fog lights to be there is a line of camoflage set back from the bumper above it. Looks like a gap about the right size for a strip of LEDs.

Or perhaps as one size is covered off and the other isn't, this isn't a final configuration anyway. A set of standard fogs will appear in the gaps.

Whatever, I seriously couldn't believe that ALL Msport models would not have fog lights of any form.

Here's a close-up of the air intake.



What is clear from this shot is that the left air intake is actually needed for some cooling and thus has a perforated camo tape while the right side doesn't seem to need as much cooling and is masked fully. Doesn't look to me like there will be LED's in this particular M-Sport bumper but you're right that it remains to be seen if this will hold true for all M-Sport models or just for the range topping car (like it is with the E82 135i).


Best regards,
south

[03///m3]

Originally Posted by deshields

Badass! love the shape (wider then tall look), which is very reminiscent of a modern E36. Should be a great followup to the original 1 and a good seller.

I love the E36! I wish they would make an updated E36 M3. I love that car.