Glisse

The new BMW 1 series is coming out later this year. It is front wheel drive.

Timmay

What about the M140? If they're only going to offer it with FWD, that's lame. Bimmers are meant to be driven with RWD.

Timmay

Somehow I'm already missing that little M140i. Maybe I'm also missing the freedom of letting loose on the Autobahn as well. Gotta go back, especially when the weather is better and Winter tires aren't required.

Glisse

There will be AWD versions, but it is a front wheel drive transverse engine platform (BMW's FAAR, which I think means Finance & Accounting Are Running BMW), so no straight 6 / M140 version.

M130iX will be the top model. Equivalent to S3, AMG A35 (not in NA?), Golf R, etc with a 2 litre 4 cylinder somewhere around 300hp.

Timmay

Wow, what a shame. The straight 6 is a terrific engine, especially in a relatively small car like the 1 series.

Economatic

I don't post on here much anymore but I remember seeing this thread a couple months back and I completely agree about the M140i. What a great little car! It's too bad we can't get these in the US because it would be a nice utilitarian and fun option for those looking for something in a smaller size.

For my experience, I just got back from Germany to do European Delivery on an M2 Competition but the day before my pick up I got an email about a stop delivery. I was rather disappointed until I was given a new M140i to drive for the rest of our trip. Couldn't have been happier to drive their car for free instead of putting miles on my own in an unfamiliar country, especially considering the M140i had the automatic instead of the MT in my M2C. We put 1,200 km on the car and the engine and the transmission are superb. I was also impressed with the ride quality--firm, sporty, and comfortable on most roads. I think the only time we found it harsh was while dropping off the car where we had to drive through some bumpy roads in a warehouse area in Frankfurt. BMW got a lot of things right with this car.