The 1-series has had mixed reviews, to put it mildly, so I wanted to give the perspective of an owner who bought the car, not the badge. I didn?t choose a BMW for reasons of image or status, but because it is the only small RWD diesel car on the market. If Kia sold the same thing for less money, I would happily buy one.
I needed to replace my much-missed, but thirsty, Subaru Impreza Turbo, which had to go because of my ever-increasing mileage. My priority was to find an optimal combination of performance, economy, reliability and handling. Practicality wasn?t an issue, fortunately. I paid a very reasonable £11700 retail, for a 2.5 years old which had covered 55k miles.
I will start with the good bits?
The 120D is a fantastic driver?s car, and that begins with the superb 163 bhp chain-cam engine which delivers a combination of performance, economy and refinement which would have been inconceivable only a few years ago. It?s a winner.
Economy, however, has been slightly disappointing at an average of 42 mpg. It is possible to improve significantly on this figure on a ?steady run?, as they used to say. BMW diesels may be much smoother, quieter and more refined than VW group units, but they are certainly not as efficient.
The car handles, stops and steers quite brilliantly. The brakes are extremely powerful and reassuring, and feel like they have been transplanted from a much larger and more expensive car. The steering is quick and direct, body roll is minimal, understeer is almost absent and, of course there is no torque-steer. When pushed, oversteer is controlled well by the driver aid systems, and the result is a car which is a pleasure to drive in a manner that no competitor ? not even the Focus - can approach.
The interior, while not up to Audi standards, is a pleasant place to spend time. The design is contemporary and the infinitely adjustable driving position is perfect. The dual-zone climate control is a thing of genius, and a potential relationship saver if, as in my case, one person prefers to be warm and the other cool. Styling is subjective, of course. I prefer ?different? to ?boring? so I quite like it. Others may take a different view.
Running costs are reasonable with 42 mpg, relatively low depreciation, no cambelt changes and variable service intervals.
And now for the not so good?
The ride is awful on the standard runflat tyres. My car is the SE, with the allegedly softer suspension settings and riding on 16 ?s. I shudder to think what the even harder suspension of the sport specification is like. Many people would be put off buying the 1-series by its ride, and I can see their point.
Practicality is also poor. The boot is small (I have to fold down the rear seats to carry my Golf clubs!), door apertures on the 5-door model are tight, rear legroom is very limited behind a tall driver. As a family car, the 1-series would be fairly hopeless but it?s fine for 2.
Problems? One trivial niggle, the glovebox lid catch broke. It took two visits to the dealer to have it fixed under warranty, however, which was somewhat irritating. AM radio reception is also poor, but that is the norm for BMWs in my experience.
In summary, the 1-series is in many ways a sports car masquerading as a family hatchback. The new 3-door and coupe models may suit the car?s character much better than its original incarnation as a 5-door hatchback.
Would I buy another? If they sorted out the ride without compromising the handling, I would definitely buy a 3-door 1-series.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 19/10/2007 at 19:46
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