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New report claims the hot 1er will feature all-wheel drive and AMG-rivalling four-pot turbo.
The BMW 1 Series may be switching to a front-wheel drive platform for its next iteration, but a new report has suggested the replacement for the M140i performance flagship will be no slouch.
An article by Carscoops claims the next performance version of BMW’s small hatchback will go toe-to-toe with all-wheel drive hot hatches and hyper hatches like the Mercedes-AMG A35/A45 and Audi S3/RS3.
The report claims the new M Performance 1er will feature a high-output turbo four making “close to” 400hp (298kW) – which is right up there with the current crop of hyper hatchbacks.
In terms of performance, it’s believed the next M140i will be capable of hitting triple figures in around four seconds, with a top whack of 250km/h (limited).
While the M140i will move up a couple of rungs to compete at the top of the performance hatchback class, it’s said BMW will introduce a new mid-tier M Performance model to fill the gap between the core range and the flagship.
Dubbed ‘M130i xDrive’, the entry-level M Performance variant would be a direct competitor to the likes of the Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R, along with the upcoming mid-tier AMG A-Class that should be revealed later this year.
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