The best thing about the exterior appearance of the BMW 1 Series is that this time around, it looks like a real car, unlike the old 318tii which was a cheapened, cut-off version of the 3 Series that attracted a small cult following but never sold well in the U.S.The 1 Series proportions were more carefully considered and while it is definitely short in the poop compared to the larger 3 Series, it looks good that way, thanks to the designers. It doesn't look cheap or cut off or bandaged. Every major part of the car, the nose, the bodyside, the roof and the rear end, blends beautifully with the rest of the car to make a shorter, narrower version of the 3 Series with a different and special roofline.
We're particularly fond of the M Aerodynamics Package made standard on the 135i (but not the 128i), including the huge air intakes below the bumper, necessary for cooling the turbocharger intake air. The 128i has a cleaner, albeit more conventional, full-width opening below the bumper, divided into three parts by two angled struts. The outboard sections are then sub-divided horizontally, with a fog light at the top and a small grille underneath. The bottom edge of the opening turns up at the ends, smile-like.