Uh, really? I knew someone would say this.

The 1-series, especially what we get in the US, is NOT lightweight, small, or agile. The coupe is 150lbs less than the base 3er sedan. Now, even if we start including EU models, the 1 still isn't that small or light. The wheelbase in the 118i hatch is just 100mm shy of that in the 318i. The overall length is less than 300mm (~10in for non-metric folks) shorter. The weight differential is ~200lbs. At 1365kg (3010lbs), a 118i 3-door is 300lbs lighter than the 128i coupe, which is a good start. But of course we have to factor in all the useless kit that comes with our coupes, like rain sensors, automatic this and electric that, so the weight differential is probably wider than it seems.

And for some reason, BMW decided to tune quite a fair amount of understeer into the coupe. And understeer just kills the fun out of any mountain road. The hatch may be slightly better (there seems to be a lot of comments on European reviews about how the 130i hatch is adept at power oversteer). So if we can't have tail-sliding, tire-screeching fun in a package that's significantly different from an obese 3er, what's so novel about that?