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| The BMW 1 series facelift + 3 door The facelift and the 3 door 1 series ... If you look at the pictures, you will notice a new shaped front bumper, with square foglights ... the kidney grille is a bit larger now and the headlights have a dark background! At the rear you will find a new bumper and a different layout of the light units ... now let's have a look at the interior: A new shaped dashboard and the addition of chrome trim to the (sport) steering wheel are the most visable details ... but the facelift 1 series also comes with MP3 and USB stick capability! Owners with their favourite music loaded on an Apple iPod or a USB stick can now plug these into the car to continue their listening. Tracks are selected via steering wheel controls or the iDrive system. The most important news would be the addition of the 3 door 1 series! Available with most engines (no 116i), the 3 door 1 series offers choice between either a four seat or a five seat configuration! In the four seat arrangement rear passengers are separated by a central storage compartment and sit in more sculptured seats. As a no cost option the five seat layout offers the traditional bench seat standard on the 5 door 1 series. Some of the new features on the facelift 1 series: Brake Energy Regeneration (iGR) ... this system uses an Intelligent Alternator Control (IAC) and an Absorbent Glass Mat battery to recycle previously lost energy, in turn saving fuel! This is achieved as IAC reduces drag on the engine by only engaging when required to charge the battery (a traditional alternator is always pulling power from the engine) ... additionally, the energy generated by the engine on over run (under braking or descending a hill) was previously wasted. Now this lost energy is utilised by IAC to charge the battery. iGR alone is responsible for a three per cent improvement in fuel economy! The facelift 1 series comes with Automatic Start-Stop function to cut fuel consumption. Standard on all manual transmission models (except 130i), the system automatically switches the engine off when the vehicle is stationary and the driver puts the car into neutral. To restart the driver only needs to engage the clutch again before pulling away in the normal manner. Should he not want to use the Automatic Start-Stop function it can be manually switched off. The available engines on the facelift 1 series: - 116i: 4 cylinder with 116 HP. (not on 3 door) - 118i: 4 cylinder with 143 HP. - 120i: 4 cylinder with 170 HP. - 130i: 6 cylinder with 265 HP. - 118d: 4 cylinder with 143 HP. - 120d: 4 cylinder with 177 HP. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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