BMW reveal all new ‘Concept Active Tourer Outdoor’

In 2009 those crazy Germans unveiled to us the exciting looking 5 Series Gran Turismo and while most saw it as a strong move in to the GT market combining the grunt of an SUV with the comfort of the more traditional comfort focused grand tourer, others saw it as a bit of a wart on the BMW line-up. Now the 5 series is not alone and the Gran Turismo badge and treatment has been given to the 3 series and has had the mouths of car fanatics around the world drooling for months.

So with this in mind it would only make sense that the 1 series gets the same treatment and will add to the upcoming onslaught of front wheel drive BMWs which will undoubtedly be giving those FWD fanatics in camp Audi and Volkswagen a bit of a headache. Along with the release of the 1 series GT comes the Active Tourer Outdoor Concept which BMW hopes will be “combining sporting aesthetics and style with compact dimensions and functionality”.

The Concept Active Tourer Outdoor will be a hybrid which takes a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and glues on a “high performance” electric motor. The total power output is 188bhp, and BMW claims a top speed of 125mph while 0-62mph can be hit in just shy of 8 seconds.

It isn’t all about speed though, and an aptly named “ECO PRO” will cut the energy used by the air-conditioning and other battery draining features while the driver will be given driving tips to improve efficiency. The Proactive Driving Assistant will give the driver the most economic route by working alongside the satellite navigation to look for roads with the least traffic.

Although this is still in concept stage we will be seeing the long awaited 1 series GT hitting showrooms hopefully in 2015 in long wheelbase and normal wheelbase forms, so for now we’re just going to have to fidget impatiently until it finally arrives.