I have just covered about 2000km of driving in Germany in a new BMW 1-series 'pool car'. What a disappointment!
I am a pretty big guy (nearly 18st and 6'4") and found the 1-series very uncomfortable. The A-post is wide and sweeps back which made entry and exit difficult for me without banging my head. When driving the car I felt very cramped; my left elbow kept hitting the door trim and visibility felt very poor with a claustraphobic feel to the interior of the car. Anything over a 60km drive was a bit of a trial. Any considering one of these vehicles needs to take a LONG test drive before committing..I would say a Focus is a better car.
On the positive side it was another opportunity to practise my iDrive skills! One thing that puzzles me about BMW's is why they do two versions of their SatNav; the 'Professional' version (with map overview) and the 'Business' (no map, just an arrow). I had the Business version and was glad I took my TomTom along with me - its much easier to navigate when you can see a map. Also the BMW system kept throwing up odd 'random' instructions - e.g. coming up to a left turn it would show a left turn arrow but say 'Bitte rechts biegen' (please turn right) before, a few yards later, giving the correct 'Bitte links biegen' instruction. Very confusing. At least it better than the dreadful system in GM Vectra though!!
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Told you - last year. We had one on a two hour test drive, the car wasn't right for us. You confirmed my feelings. SWMBO must change her car in this finacial year and will not be looking at BMW. Agreed with the SatNav as I long argued, I have the Professional in the 535 and find that a correctly set up TomTom is more than it's equal.
Now being objective Aprilia, was the iDrive easier to use in a lhd car ? I am convinced that the system is set up for right handed people in German cars, consequently Left handers have no problem with in the UK. I find it easy two use being in my "right mind"
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I have been a passenger in one and thought it was quite good. The model I was in had lovely leather seats and a card you put in the dashboard to start it - although it didn't work very well. If you don't fit then there's always the 3 Series.
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Aprilia, I'll pop my head up here and admit to having '1' and I have to say that I can understand that for you it probably was not the right fit.
That said I am more vertically challenged than you 5'10" and a few stone lighter and I'd agree it is snug but that suits me, although if I was taller I can imagine entry/exit would be a pain. However the sports seats are the most comfortable I have ever had in a car in 20+ years of driving and long journeys are in my view the strength of this car/engine (120d). I havent got iDrive so cant comment on that.
P
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I had one as courtesy car a couple times and thought it was dreadful. The first time I was really looking forward to trying out the car, but as soon as I got it I came straight home and parked it...didn't get in it again until it was time to pick up my car. The only thing I liked about it was the redesigned and more informative OBC. The switch for the headlights was down by my knee and faced the floor I had to bend down to see the marking on it.
The push button starter seems a bit silly as you still have to physically stick the fob in its slot and push the whole affair in before the start button works. Surely thats more steps than just inserting a key and twisting. Its not like newer Mercs where the fob can be in your pocket and you only need to press the start button.
The one I had was a 120d SE model so it had a plasticky feeling steering wheel and in general just felt very cheap, it was a pleasure to get back into my 90,000 mile, 4 year old 3 series.
I am as tall and bigger than aprilia, but didn't have any issues entering and exiting the car that I can recall. Seat adjustment was sufficient though I didn't drive it long enough for the seat and ergonimic comfort to be tested.
The Golf V I test drove late last year was much more impressive.
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"The one I had was a 120d SE model so it had a plasticky feeling steering wheel and in general just felt very cheap."
That was the nail in the coffin of this prospective purchase. The thing smelt of Evo-Stick.
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Have driven a lot of 1-Series cars both petrol and diesel, and while I don't have a problem with the ergonomics, and the handling is brilliant, I do criticise BMW's choice of interior materials. I know the plastics are high-tech, super-durable, etc. etc., and therefore expensive, but they look and smell cheap. I was once asked hypothetically whether I would swap my 2001 E46 320d (pre common rail) for a brand new 1-Series. Er.... thanks but no.
Oz (as was)
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To be honest I didn't think the trim was too bad (it was a brand new one - well, about 3 weeks old - maybe they improved the trim?).
The button start is a bit of a gimmick and the keyless system is not as good as the one on a Suzuki Swift!!
Seats I found unusually uncomfortable and too hard (and I'm well used to 'firm' German seats). The real problem, I think, is that the steering column and instrument binnacle is a bit offset to the left (presumably to the right on a RHD car?). Visibility was very poor, I thought, and I felt very claustrophobic. A Polo, Micra or Swift feels a lot roomier in the front.
Gearshift was also not as good as it should be on a BMW - it wasn't bad, but not as good as say a Polo - a slightly 'rubbery' feel to it.
I have driven lots of BM's over the last year or two and so I've more or less got used to iDrive. It certainly works better in a LHD car if you are right-handed. I think iDrive is flawed in concept though - its not very intuitive. BMW could do better - Nissan did a bit better with nForm. The one I really don't like is the GM one - where the control knob is on a vertical face and has extra (and not very well marked) buttons scattered around it.
To be honest I think BMW have 'dropped one' with this car and it'll be interesting to see how values hold up.
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The Golf V I test drove late last year was much more impressive.
The 1 Series is rear drive which is more expensive to manufacture and means less space. Anybody who doesn't care about rear drive dynamics should not even try the 1 Series.
Recently I drove a Golf Plus TDi - not even the highest powered diesel yet still I suffered from torque steer. Heaven knows how the 200bhp GTi or 170bhp TDi can cope.
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Funnily, rear drive dynamics was the last thing on my mind when I was driving the 1 series, can't say I noticed torque steer on the Golf TDI either.
I guess comfort, fit and finish mean more to me than driving dynamic, though having only ever owned rear wheel drive cars by choice I imagine there is more to it than I probably realise.
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Guess that if you get torque steer in a Beemer it's serious !
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A truly hideous car, at least the one I test drove shortly after it coming on to the motoring scene. I'm tall but slim but found the driver's compartment cramped and was particularly worried by the lack of room around one's feet and kept on catching my clutch foot on the adjacent brake pedal as I released the former.
I thought that the start/stop button system was stupid and protracted, having first to insert the 'key' into a slot and then depress the clutch whilst pressing the start/stop button.
I was also not impressed by the run flats and thought what would happen, assuming a puncture and then driving the maximum permitted distance on that flat tyre - what do you do then, having nothing with which to replace it.
My childish yearning for the BMW badging left me at this point and I went on to buy the new MKV Golf which has turned out to be an excellent buy and I certainly look forward to driving it and don't feel embarrassed by its looks as I would had I bought the BMV 1er.
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Don't write off all of their products...
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>Also the BMW system kept throwing up odd 'random' instructions..
It runs Micro$soft Windoze. What did you expect?
Kevin...
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