Bosch European Motors

The BMW 1-Series hatchback has always been somewhat of an oddity in the world of compact cars, as it has always been offered with a sporty rear-wheel-drive layout and available inline-6 engines. This isn't the case for the third-generation model that was unveiled on Monday. The new 1-Series hatchback rides on a front-wheel-drive platform, specifically BMW Group's FAAR platform whose first application is the new hatch. The platform is an update of the UKL design found in the BMW X1 and X2, with improvements made to weight reduction and compatibility with electric powertrains. By using the FAAR platform, the new 1-Series hatchback sees improvements in space thanks to transverse engine mounting and a low center tunnel. BMW said space is up both in the cabin and the trunk compared to the outgoing 1-Series hatch. The automaker confirmed 1.18 inches more knee room in the rear and an extra 0.7 cubic feet in the trunk, and only a 5-door body is being offered this time around. A downside of FWD vehicles compared to those with rear drive is understeer, where a vehicle tends to turn less into a corner as the front wheels are the first to lose grip.

Among the solutions aimed at preventing this is what BMW calls actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation, or ARB for short. The technology already features in the i3 and works with the stability control to help prevent the wheels slipping by reducing power quicker than most stability control systems can on their own. On top of this is a yaw control system that further aids the handling by braking a wheel that's slipping. Of course, all-wheel drive is also available on some models in the new 1-Series range. Another downside of the platform switch is the farewell to inline-6 engines, due to the transverse engine mounting. As expected, the most potent engine in the new 1-Series hatchback is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 delivering 306 horsepower. It features in the all-wheel-drive M135i xDrive, which also comes with a standard 8-speed automatic and limited-slip differential. Other models feature less powerful gasoline and diesel powertrains.

Inside is a digital instrument cluster and large infotainment screen. Controlling the vehicle can be handled via buttons on the steering wheel and center console, or through the touchscreen capability of the infotainment screen or natural-speak voice activation or various hand gestures. BMW also loads the car with a number of useful electronic driver aids, one of which is the reversing assist first seen in the 8-Series flagship. The system can memorize steering movements for 50-meter intervals, when the speed driven is no more than 22 mph, and then execute them in reverse, causing the car to travel along the exact same line it took when moving forward. Sales of the new 1-Series hatchback is confirmed for the fall, with a public debut pegged for September's 2019 Frankfurt International Motor Show. While the car isn't expected on sale in the United States, we should see its same technologies featured on those BMWs based on its FAAR platform sold locally. One of these will be a 2-Series Gran Coupe confirmed for November's Los Angeles Auto Show.

Mass is always the enemy, and a big car paired with a small engine and a complex driveline is often sluggish on the road. The secret is aluminum, the lightweight alloy that Jaguar embraced when it launched its all-new flagship in 2011. Unlike its predecessors, the fourth-generation model boasted an aluminum chassis built in much the same manner of a jet aircraft. Instead of using an alloy frame covered in lightweight panels like the Audi A8, Jaguar chose to assemble cast and extruded aluminum structural members, and then cover them with bonded and riveted aluminum sheet. The result is a very rigid platform that is strong, corrosion-resistant and extremely lightweight. Like most premium automakers, Jaguar offers its XJ with a choice of wheelbase, engine and powertrain. 895 destination), this Stratus Grey over Jet tester arrived under 3.0-liter V6 power wearing a few options that rocketed its price skyward. 7,750), which pampers those in the second row with reclining and massaging rear seats, video entertainment and leather-wrapped tables. 1,700) brightens up the doors, trunk sills and air vents.

670) blocks prying eyes and the sun's rays. 100,745 to put an identical car in your driveway. Whether or not the Jaguar's sleek exterior styling pleases, the lofty sticker price is quickly justified after dropping into the cabin. Whether or not the Jaguar's sleek exterior styling pleases (its distinctive blackened C-pillar penned by Ian Callum is best masked by darker palettes), the lofty sticker price is quickly justified after dropping into the cabin. Unlike the German, Japanese and Korean offerings, which envelop their followers with technology and advanced styling, the Brit relies on traditional luxury to pamper passengers. Occupants sit within a completely leather-lined cockpit with a bold sweeping dash highlighted with glossy finished wood. The four polished chrome climate-control vents are featured prominently, and nearly all of the switchgear is trimmed in the bright traditional metal. Natural hides covering nearly everything are rich to the eyes, the nose and the fingertips - it's sensory overload. The driving position is good, with most of the controls in their proper ergonomic position.