The 2009 BMW 1-Series represents basic BMW at its best: It has design ties to 2002 and goes all the way back to the 1960s. Over the years, BMW's 3-Series line has evolved to the point that bigwigs recognized that the brand included a big gap at the lower end of the automotive spectrum. The goal of the 1-Series is to fill that gap--with new coupe and convertible variants.