BMW tipped to offer turbo, AWD Audi S3 rival

The man in charge of developing BMW’s first front-wheel-drive 1-Series says “there is definitely space” for a performance hero to rival Audi’s S3 and the VW Golf R.

Patrick Haussler visited Australia for BMW’s local X2 launch in his role as the head of driving dynamics for the brand’s smallest crossover.

With that job signed off, Haussler is working on the next-generation BMW 1-Series hatch, shepherding the shift from a longitudinally-mounted engine configuration driving the rear wheels to a transverse, front-drive layout shared with the X2 and Mini Cooper.

“The 1-Series for sure should be another step forward when it comes to sportiness, because we have a strong predecessor.

“We have some hard targets for where we should be with that car. That’s where we will see the angle of sportiness.

“If you look at the platform the Minis are showing where you can go.”

Mini’s John Cooper Works hatch offers a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine with 170kW of power. A report in Autocar by Drive correspondent Greg Kable suggests the top-spec 1-Series will be an M130iX combining a 220kW 2.0-litre engine with all-wheel-drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Haussler is an enthusiast. He sets his calendar according to the Nurburgring trackday season, has completed more than 10,000 laps around the world’s most daunting circuit and has a Porsche 911 Turbo ready for moments when a company car won’t quite scratch his itch for speed.

As such, the Munich-based engineer believes there is room in the 1-Series family for a model to rival the Golf R.

“I think, personally, there is definitely space,” he said.

“I would love it.

“Do you know a car that has too much power? I don’t. I always think there should be more and more, but it’s not my decision.

“I don’t know personally if they will decide for that.”

BMW Australia spokesman Adam Davis said it is “a bit far ahead” to discuss performance variants of a car which has not been revealed, adding that Australian customers love performance cars and that “if there are opportunities we’ll be looking at it”.

Acknowledging the next-gen 1-Series will not exhibit the tail-happy tendencies of the current M140i which sends 250kW to the rear wheels, Haussler said committed enthusiasts will still be able to choose proper performance cars such as the BMW M2 and M3.

Even though the new model will put more emphasis on practicality than performance, Haussler still wants it to be “fun to drive”.

“People want more spacious roominess so they want the front-wheel-driven architecture,” he said.

“Many customers don’t even know which axle is the driven one.  Why should you build a car with less interior space when they don’t appreciate the rear-wheel-drive cars?

“I prefer the rear-wheel-driven cars, but when the customers don’t appreciate that, why should I build a smaller car?

“For the enthusiasts we still have the M cars.”

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