Rejoice: BMW Has Facelifted The 1-Series And It's No Longer Ugly As Sin

Just when we thought BMW had well and truly lost the plot with facelifts after the ludicrously subtle 6-series update landed, the German company has come out with this: the newly revised 1-series. Sure, it’s not massively different, but there are lots of obvious changes, and it now looks a damn sight better.

At the front, those big, goofy headlamps have gone, swapper for a more slender pair which look similar to the ones found on the 2-series coupe, and the kidney grills are a little curvier, making it look much less ‘buck-toothed’ than before. The intakes are all a little bigger, too.

The rear meanwhile gets a new set of elongated light clusters and a neatly re-styled boot lid, among other tweaks.

The M Sport version (below) perhaps showcases the changes best, although as we’ve seen before from aftermarket 1-series/2-series front-end swaps, some further copying of the 2-series couldn’t have hurt.

The 1-series has also received a full complement of revised engines with more power and efficiency. Most importantly for us power-obsessed folk, the range-topping M135i’s 3.0-litre turbo six now sports the same power output as the M235i: 322bhp up from 316bhp.

The refreshed 1er will go on sale in the UK this spring.