LOVE it or loathe it, BMW's 1-Series has always stood out from the crowd.

It is a common sight on our roads with over 169,000 being sold in the UK. It has notched 1.2 million sales worldwide and is therefore a really important model for the manufacturer.

A new version arrives in September and BMW has taken an evolutionary approach with the newcomer.

The distinctive and edgy flame surfacing design has been scrapped to be replaced with a smoother classier look featured in the latest 5 and 6 Series ranges.

The front features larger kidney grilles along with curvy headlights, while the rear gets LED tail-lamps.

A wider stance and flared wheelarches helps give the new car a sportier look.

It goes on sale in the middle of next month with prices starting from £19,375.

On average, compared to the previous version, petrol models will cost £800 more while diesel cars will be about £400 more expensive.

There is some good news as SE models, which are the most popular in the UK, will cost almost £300 less.

The new 1-Series will remain the only rear wheel drive motor in its class and sales in the UK are only bettered in its home market.

Thanks to its increased dimensions there is now more leg and headroom for rear seat passengers and access to the rear is also improved by the wider opening doors.

Boot space climbs by 30 litres to 360 litres and the car now has a bigger capacity than a VW Golf. When the rear seats are folded the space stretches to 1,200 litres.

As you would expect from a BMW, the interior design is first class and all the fittings and fixtures are made with quality materials.

BMW's excellent iDrive system is now available as standard on all cars with SE spec and above and the round controller on the centre consule is combined with a good size high-resolution flat screen monitor.

It allows the driver to access all information, entertainment, navigational and telecom functions as long as you tick the satnav option.

At the heart of every BMW is its engine and from launch there will be a choice of two new generation four-cylinder petrol units and three modified four-cylinder diesel power plants.

I sampled one of each. The 118i features a new 1.6-litre TwinPower petrol engine which comes with direct injection, variable valve timing and a clever twin-scroll turbo, which makes more efficient use of the exhaust gases.

It  produces 170bhp and in the smaller 116i it will deliver 136bhp.

Performance in the 170bhp model is excellent with a wide spread of torque.

It also sounds good and performance is strong with a sprint to 62mph taking just 7.4 seconds. Top speed is 140mph.

It was mated to an excellent six-speed manual gearbox with a high top ratio - making it ideal for motorway cruising.

Fuel consumption is a claimed combined figure of 47.9mpg with CO2 emissions of 137g/km.

I also tried out the flagship 120d which offers 181bhp. The diesel range does not feature new engines but they have been heavily revised to make them more efficient and responsive.

Capable of reaching 62mph in just 7.2 seconds it can also push on to 142mph. It is capable of 62.8mpg.

The car featured the excellent eight-speed automatic box - with steering mounted paddleshifters - which  was a joy in heavy traffic but is a £1,600 option.

The 118d uses the same engine but with less bhp and will probably be the best seller until a 116d with EfficientDynamics arrives next year.

It is claimed that the 116d will do over 74mpg with emissions of just 99g/km.

For the first time in the 1-Series all models feature stop/start technology and there is also a raft of electronic systems to increase safety and driver pleasure.

All models come with BMW's Drive Performance Control which gives the driver four modes to choose from.

These include Comfort, Sport and  Sport+ but the most useful is ECO PRO which adjusts throttle response and also limits the use of heated seats, air conditioning and heated mirrors to save on fuel.

Owners will be able to personalise their cars more than ever before thanks to some trendy new choices and a list of options which includes lane departure warning and road sign recognition.

The old model has always been criticised for the harshness of its ride and BMW engineers have now improved things specifically for the UK market with the cars being tested on our roads.

Even the base ES model is very well fitted out and the SE for just £650 more adds everything you could want. You can also select Urban or Sport trims.

For now only five-door models are available with the three-door arriving early next year and an M version is promised for March.

The new 1-Series improves on its predecessor in every way and allows owners a greater degree of personalisation - right down to white alloys and striped door mirrors.

It is now an even more desirable entry to BMW ownership and  will surely win them even more conquests.