I had the good fortune to have this car for a week as a courtesy car and I was impressed! Didnt want to give it back in the end!
I have always liked the look of the 1 series as it is quite different to any of the other hatchbacks. I was given a brand new 2008 118dSE Automatic in Silver. I believe with the extras this retails at around £20'000-22'000.
Initially I was not looking forward to driving a diesel as I have only driven petrol cars for the past 10 years, however as soon as I started the drive was excellent.
The keyfob is not a conventional key, the entire fob fits into the dashboard, you then have to press the brake pedal and press the start button. This is the first car with start/stop button ignition and its something that really grew on me!
The diesel is fitted with a turbo, this was subtle when you were driving in town and when you opened it up a bit the turbo could really be felt. The acceleration in normal auto mode was very smooth as were the gear changes. Moving the gear knob to the left activates auto sports mode, quicker gearchanges and a more aggressive feel. Once in auto sports mode you have the option to maunal shift up and down through the gear, a nice option. This is particularly good if wanting to overtake on the motorway and need a quick burst of speed. Fuel efficiency was good, in and around town I averaged 30-35mpg and thats without economical driving.
The ride was quite firm but did not comprimise comfort. Driving around London I encountered numerous speed humps and the BMW remained solid and firm over them yet the impact was absorbed well. The handling of the car was excellent, the 1 series is the only rear wheel drive car in its class and you can really feel that in the handling. Its steering was very responsive and the power assisted steering was not too light and still gave you good feeling.
This car was an automatic so did not come with the new stop-start engine system. This comes on the manual and allows the cars engine to turn off while stopped at traffic lights and will automatically turn back on when you accelerate, very efficient on fuel and the environment!
The interior of the car was black cloth and quite smart. The storage features were excellent, an under seat tray on the passenger side, arm rest storage, medium glove compartment, sun glasses holder and a few more storage pods on the dashboard make it very convienient. The boot was smallish sized, if you have a family it might be hard to fit everything in!. The cd player and speakers sounded clear and crisp and had all the usual functions. The optional air conditioning was really easy to use and you could split the temperature between passenger and driver.
Overall, I was pleased with the 118d. It made me really consider the 1 series as a possible car for the future. It may be the most expensive car in its class but I believe you pay for the quality, reliability, design and performance associated with the BMW badge.
BMW 1 Series - Hatchback - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 142 mph - 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 140, 143 mph - 163, 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
BMW 1 Series - Hatchback - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Automatic, 6 Speed Manual - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 127 mph - 122 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Automatic, 6 Speed Manual - 2993 cc - Max Speed: 155 mph - 245 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE
BMW 1 Series - Hatchback - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Automatic, 6 Speed Manual - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 139 mph - 170 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, SE, ES
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 130 mph - 143 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
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Jun 10th, 2008
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