In an increasingly homogenised world, variety is always welcome – and from that perspective alone it’s a shame that BMW has abandoned rear-wheel drive for the 1 Series.

From a business viewpoint, it makes sense: BMW’s research suggests family hatch buyers care more about space and practicality than which axle is putting the power down. And the best way to achieve that is to switch to one of BMW's front-wheel-drive platform. The resulting size increases might be small on paper, but BMW believes they make a substantial difference in the real world.

The cost, though, is that instead of being the sole rear-drive car in the family hatch market, the 1 Series has lost a key point of differentiation from the Mercedes A-Class, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3 and just about any other class rival you care to name.

Thankfully, BMW also knows that performance and handling can help the 1 Series stand out in a crowded market, and has put genuine emphasis into ensuring it offers dynamic handling, notably with the use of all-wheel drive on the M135i range-topper.

A recent drive of an M135i prototype showed it offered strong performance and confident handling. Compared to the previous-gen rear-drive M140i, it might not be as distinctive in terms of handling or looks (although you suspect the latest version of BMW's kidney grille will draw comments), but it can still be a contender in the premium hot hatch ranks.

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