WITH sat nav about to become standard on every BMW the Bavarian car maker is really putting the baby of its line up on the map.

Little cars don't normally come kitted out to such a level but BMW is raising the bar with the latest 1 Series.

The hugely popular hatchback - it makes up some 20 per cent of BMW sales in Britain - is getting a significant upgrade 10 years after it first hit the scene.

The new models not only look more striking with some sharp styling and new look lamp clusters which at the back now cut into the tailgate, but also come with an all-new family of diesel engines as well as more powerful petrol variants.

The diesels are very impressive and go from one extreme to the other.

For eco minded drivers there is a three cylinder 1.5-litre with incredibly low emissions of just 89g/km and an official fuel return of 83.1mpg, while for those who crave performance there is a 2.0-litre four cylinder which develops 224bhp, tops out at almost 150mph with a 6.3 seconds 0 to 60 time yet is still rated at 61.4mpg with a CO2 figure of 121g/km.

Both deliver in no uncertain terms and in the case of the ultra-lead 116d it will return more than 75 to the gallon without trying too hard to spare the horses.

It is priced from £22,560 which is only £850 more than the entry level diesel in the new 1 Series range and despite being so frugal it demonstrates plenty of urge if needed.

It can be driven either lean or mean when switched into sports mode and it is good for 0 to 60 in 10.4 seconds.

The high performance 125d costs from £30,330 and that is not far short of the potent M135i six cylinder, 3.0-litre petrol version which heads up the new 1 Series line up.

The M model is a car to be enjoyed by serious enthusiasts and pumps out 326 horsepower which makes it a five second 0 to 60 car - true hot hatch standard.

Being rear wheel drive - as are all but the 120d xDrive all-wheel-drive model - the M135i is one for the purists and handles with typical BMW accuracy while rapid fire gearshifts from the eight speed auto box have been tweaked to make it even more sporty.

However, although BMW claims it can manage 37mpg with emissions of 188g/km that is for light footed drivers only. Driven how this car demands and it will return closer to 20mpg such is its zest to perform.

Inside the new models the trim is as smart as any other car from the German stable which means the 1 Series is a high class hatch.

There's a new look gloss black trim and if you go for the full navigation and communications package - still an £1,800 extra even when sat nav becomes standard in September - and it makes the car cutting edge with Internet connectivity and a full set of apps and streaming music available.

BMW now fits all of its cars with a 4G sim card to enable emergency assistance and remote servicing telemetry and the sim also gives access to many online features without having to connect your own phone.

Size-wise the dimension haven't changed since the current second generation model arrived in 2012 and the 1 Series remains available in both three and five door body styles.

Extra onboard storage including a centre console, drink holders and a luggage net in the boot are now features on all versions while boot space stays a handy 360 litres extended to 1,200 by folding the rear seats.

Like for like the new cars cost between £350 and £605 more than the models they replace and that is a small price realistically for more kit, more oomph and more efficiency.

To reflect the improvements there has been some tinkering with the numbers worn by the cars and the new range now starts with a 118 instead of a 116 - and the previous 118 becomes a 120.

BMW says that the rebadging is all down to the added power even though the engines remain at 1.6-litre capacity.

That really is semantics and what count is value for money and in the premier hatch league where the 1 Series sits it has just regained to slot. You can almost hear the ouch from Audi and Mercedes.