This is the new BMW M135i: a 296bhp 4WD hot hatch

BMW appears to have taken the whole ‘facelift’ thing quite literally. Because this is the new M135i, featuring a new set of lights that look so pinched and pulled back, we have no idea what this baby M car is thinking anymore.

Happy? Sad? Anxious? Angry? No idea. BMW’s 1 Series only looked cool once – the Bangle one – but even the more recent 1er’s distinctive face appears to have been traded for a rather more homogenous front that now just looks permanently surprised about something.

Maybe it’s the continuing fact it’s been demoted from the horsepower wars. Like its predecessor, the range-topping M135i features a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, kicking out 296bhp and… some torque. We don’t know how much, but we do know this little ‘un will go from 0-62mph in 4.9s – about a tenth slower than before – and on to a 155mph top speed.

So it’s not going to set the hot hatch world on fire, but, as we found with its predecessor, 300-ish horsepower is plenty enough in the world of 2024. There’s a seven-speed ‘Steptronic’ auto ‘box as standard, and of course four-wheel-drive.

The M135i gets a special bodykit befitting its status, including bigger air intakes on the front apron, bigger side skirts… on the side, and a ‘3D’ rear diffuser. You’ll also spot four-exhaust pipes at the back, along with more M-specific jewellery. Bigger brakes, bigger wheels, stiffer suspension and lightweighting options will all be available later this year.

Alongside the refreshed M135i comes the refreshed 120i, too (below), which will now serve as our model for the rest of the 1 Series’ new features. It’s only fractionally longer and taller than before – looks more crossover-y, now, huh – and features those botox’d headlights, a wide ‘forward-leaning’ grille, and the ‘wedge’ silhouette carried over fairly wholesale from the old car.

The biggest change has been saved for the interior, now dominated by that enormous ‘Curved Display’ spanning across the driver and centre: a 10.25in unit for the former, a 10.7in one for the latter. It’s running BMW’s version nine operating system.

There are standard-fit heated, leather-free seats, a redesigned gear selector, “high quality surfaces and trim” and even a new steering wheel. Looks fairly high-spec in there.

The 120i gets a three-cylinder petrol engine and a little electric motor snuggled inside the seven-speed auto ‘box to give it some electrification. This car gets 166bhp and a 0-62mph time of 7.8s.

There’s more caster up front. A stiffer bodyshell. Tweaked dampers. Tonnes of ‘automated’ driving systems (stuff like cruise control and lane control and steering assist and so on, not self-driving). Tonnes of apps, too.

There are only two cars available from launch in the UK – the 120i which starts from £29,950, and the M135i which is priced from £41,000. Surprised? Not as much as the new 1 Series.