The BMW 1 Series (code name E87) is a compact car / small family car produced by the German automaker BMW. Designed to compete against the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf, the 1 Series is the only vehicle in its class featuring rear-wheel drive and a longitudinally-mounted engine.
The 1 Series was first offered to the market in 2004 as a 5-door hatchback. It replaced the BMW Compact range and is currently the smallest and most affordable vehicle in the BMW range. Unlike its predecessor, the new vehicle is built on its own platform (E87), however, it shares many components with the E90 3 Series. These include MacPherson struts in the front of the car, and a trapezoidal-link rear axle.
The 1 Series is built in Regensburg, Germany, with some of the engines coming from the Hams Hall plant in Birmingham, England.
During its first full year on the market in 2005, it became one of BMW's most successful products. 149,493 units were sold, coming in third place: only the 3- and 5 Series sold better.
Engines
The engines available for E87 are basically the same as found in the E90/E91, with exception for the 3.0 L inline-6, which is slightly modified to produce more power. The engines below are preceded by their model year introduction.
In early 2006 the 5-speed manual transmission in the 116i and 118i, were phased out. Consequently, all models are equipped with the 6-speed by default.
