In association with MotorEasy
Car of the Year Awards 2021: Best family car interior
There are several types of family car, but here we’re looking at traditional hatchbacks: large enough to be practical, yet compact enough to be easy and enjoyable to drive...
BMW 1 Series 118i M Sport auto
It’s true that you have to pay a premium for the BMW 1 Series, but you can see where your extra cash has gone the minute you open the driver’s door.
Your eyes fall first on the smart dashboard, which has been styled to ape those of larger BMWs, so the 1 Series feels from the off like an even more expensive model than it is.
What’s more, that impression only grows as you look closer, with it offering a more consistently high standard of finish than the Audi A3 Sportback and feeling more solidly constructed than the Mercedes A-Class.
All of this is combined with one of the best infotainment systems around, featuring clear, sophisticated graphics and responding quickly to inputs, whether you interact with it by touching the screen itself, using the intuitive rotary controller between the seats or asking the car to do something via the voice control. In fact, every button, stalk and dial responds with the sort of oily smoothness normally reserved for an executive model.
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