While my 320d is in for a major service, I've been given a 218i 'Active Tourer' as seen in this article. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/2-series/88438/bmw-218i-active-tourer-review

 

What can I say about it.... on the outside it looks like a standard family orientated BMW... on the inside the interior is well screwed together and has plenty of toys.

 

But that's where the similarities to any other BMW end.

 

From the outset you a very much aware you're driving a 3 cylinder engine.. it sounds no different to other 3 cyl engines, with a coarse, rough, almost unbalanced sound to it. Which only gets worse when you push on to get it up to motorway speeds.

 

The manual gearbox was rather notchy, but was a pleasure to downshift as it had some sort of rev matching function built into the ecu. The 1.5 turbo unit has enough grunt for town and light motorway driving (138 bhp I believe) but the claims of 50+ MPG should be taken with a pinch of salt as I only managed 36 over 25 miles of mixed driving!

 

In the corners is where I was most disappointed. Every BMW I've ever driven has always felt planted and sublime through any corner. Even my 320d rep-mobile never fails to make me grin while chucking it into and through the many B road bends and twists on my commute to work. The 218i however just felt bland, I may have well been driving a FWD Golf or Astra. There was no poise, no balance, no indication that I was driving something from a car manufacturer that uses the tag line 'the ultimate driving machine'.

 

When I put it into Sport mode, the throttle was more responsive and the steering felt heavier....shame it couldn't send the power to the rear wheels though as the damage was already done.

 

I really hope BMW don't inflict this horrid eco, cheaper manufacturing cost mentality onto other models....

Edited 20 August, 201510 yr by Ally_bassman

Same engine i drove in a Mini Cooper then

I thought it was alright haha. Went alright in a mini too. As youd think really

Same engine i drove in a Mini Cooper then

I thought it was alright haha. Went alright in a mini too. As youd think really

 

The Mini is lighter surely? Which will help performance somewhat! Nothing wrong with how the power is delivered either..I just don't like the sound of 3 cyl engines.

So much for Autoexpress's 4 star review rating then

The Mini is lighter surely? Which will help performance somewhat! Nothing wrong with how the power is delivered either..I just don't like the sound of 3 cyl engines.

Oh yeah defo. I didnt get to drive it for long. Just a few traffic light GP's on Manchester.

I know what you mean (:

So much for Autoexpress's 4 star review rating then

 

Well I wouldn't say that... what do I know! :p

 

But I wasn't impressed..it's just another 'niche market' car to make sure BMW has a model to rival all of its competitors.

 

The fit and finish was what you'd expect from a BMW. Decent materials used and stuck/screwed together well.

 

The engine and chassis....not so much.

Edited 20 August, 201510 yr by Ally_bassman

Saw one and just thought, "WTF is that doing with a BMW badge".

Unless it has a 120 degree crank rather than a 180 degree, and/or has balancer shafts, an in-line 3 is naturally primarily unbalanced.

I love the sound of 3 cylinder engines.

 

A little Citroen C1 pulled out in front of me the other day and in a fit of embarrassment the driver gave it all it had - it sounded pretty good, better than any 4 cylinder diesel anyway!

.better than any 4 cylinder diesel anyway!

 

Wouldn't necessarily agree with that one! My 2.0d N47 isn't the smoothest by design, but when accelerating it's like it's run on butter compared to the 1.5 3cyl in this!

 

Surprisingly little torque considering it's a turbo charged engine too!

Must admit I've driven a Mini as well and like the sound of the wee three-pot.

I'll also take the characterful noise of a 3-pot over 95% of the 4-bangers on the road.

Well the 218i has been given back to BMW.

 

On the 35 mile drive back I took a different route and switched between the different driving modes ( Sport, Comfort and Eco pro ) to get a better idea of the driving characteristics.

 

My opinion still stands, the 3 cyl sounds cheap IMO, and the economy isn't that different to an equivalent 4 pot.... So why bother? It would make sense attached to a Hybrid system of some sort.

 

I was impressed with the ride quality though, very comfortable and the seats were sublime! Up there with my all time favourite MK2 Fabia VRS seats!

I'll also take the characterful noise of a 3-pot over 95% of the 4-bangers on the road.

+1.

Inline fours are abit bland imo.

But i can see why people dont like 3-pots in a way

True, everything is bland until you go to 5 in a row and above, or anything in a V configuration!

True, everything is bland until you go to 5 in a row and above, or anything in a V configuration!

V's are my favourite yeah (:

Three cylinders need driving for thousands of miles to get use to the optimum gear change points.

 

Is not the engine is the i8 some wonderful triple config?  

 

I expect they engine would do best with a bit of hybrid assistance.

 

Very pleased with my little 0.9 litre Renault engine,  55 mpg, does 110 mph, cruises at 80+ quietly.  A little hard worked with 4 adult and 200 kgs of holiday gear but overall does very well.

 

Less cylinders is the future until we get down to just one of probably about 400cc and 25 Kw, it is all that is needed when there is a hybrid reserve, you can drive at about 150 kph with that amount of power as it is a cube ratio.   

I liked the Mini Cooper with the same engine .

 

http://autoclique.co.nz/2015/02/2014-mini-cooper-5-door-road-tested-a-mini-for-the-whole-family-2/

The Mini is lighter surely? Which will help performance somewhat! Nothing wrong with how the power is delivered either..I just don't like the sound of 3 cyl engines.

 

Mini is about 1.5 tonne if the previous model is anything to go by, so not that much lighter.

Probably just a lot better set up for handling.

3 cylinders is, imo, a max of 50% of the required number to make a bmw badge justifiable...

Lots of people would disagree there - the S14 (and M10 the F1 related engine (m12 in race trim)) were 4 bangers. I love the smoothness of my 6 cylinders though, even if the M20 is a tappy old thing.

 

Personally, the 2 series AT is a mixed bag. I can see why they've done it, but I don't like it. They're trying to fill too many niches. Like the 4 series gran coupe - it's a four door version of the two door version of the four door saloon. Why not just stick with the 3 series?!

Edited 24 August, 201510 yr by TriggerFish

While my 320d is in for a major service, I've been given a 218i 'Active Tourer' as seen in this article. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/2-series/88438/bmw-218i-active-tourer-review

 

What can I say about it.... on the outside it looks like a standard family orientated BMW... on the inside the interior is well screwed together and has plenty of toys.

 

But that's where the similarities to any other BMW end.

 

From the outset you a very much aware you're driving a 3 cylinder engine.. it sounds no different to other 3 cyl engines, with a coarse, rough, almost unbalanced sound to it. Which only gets worse when you push on to get it up to motorway speeds.

 

The manual gearbox was rather notchy, but was a pleasure to downshift as it had some sort of rev matching function built into the ecu. The 1.5 turbo unit has enough grunt for town and light motorway driving (138 bhp I believe) but the claims of 50+ MPG should be taken with a pinch of salt as I only managed 36 over 25 miles of mixed driving!

 

In the corners is where I was most disappointed. Every BMW I've ever driven has always felt planted and sublime through any corner. Even my 320d rep-mobile never fails to make me grin while chucking it into and through the many B road bends and twists on my commute to work. The 218i however just felt bland, I may have well been driving a FWD Golf or Astra. There was no poise, no balance, no indication that I was driving something from a car manufacturer that uses the tag line 'the ultimate driving machine'.

 

When I put it into Sport mode, the throttle was more responsive and the steering felt heavier....shame it couldn't send the power to the rear wheels though as the damage was already done.

 

I really hope BMW don't inflict this horrid eco, cheaper manufacturing cost mentality onto other models....

Although I quite like 3 cylinder engines, Its a shame that BMW are eventually going down the route of other manufacturers. I guess the people who buy A3'sGolfs and such like don't car which end is driven, unlike the Bean Counters. Unless I go for a bigger car 3 Series/Merc C/ Jag I will have to have a car that is FWD based. I've owned several FWD cars that I have liked, but the cars with the North/South engine have always been my favourites (including 2 Scoobys I've owned which are 4x4 of course). The 3 series and it's competitors are just too big for my needs these days (and a bit too pricey ) so I am probably going to have to change to a FWD based car next time. It's a sad day really, as it was nice to have the choice of an alternative :( Maybe I will have to get an MX5

 

 

Personally, the 2 series AT is a mixed bag. I can see why they've done it, but I don't like it. They're trying to fill too many niches. Like the 4 series gran coupe - it's a four door version of the two door version of the four door saloon. Why not just stick with the 3 series?!

 

Like when Audi take 2 doors off an A4, and call it an A5, then add 2 doors back on again and call it an A5/ Sportback.

Going slightly OT here but ....

 

 

 

N47, have you had the chain checked ??? 

Going slightly OT here but ....

 

 

 

N47, have you had the chain checked ??? 

 

Yes, all is well.

 

My car was a May 2011 build which I'm led to believe has an updated version of the N47 (184bhp) with different guides and tensioners, the same engine that was in the F30 320d's when released.

 

It's the early N47 cars (177bhp) that are most prone to failing, but this could just because those cars will have rocked up more miles than newer cars!

 

I personally think that the problem is in part, due to BMW's 'keep the fleet managers happy' servicing procedures. As 20,000 miles between oil changes is just stupid. Now that my car has got fresh oil in it, the timing chain is much quieter than before it got serviced.

 

I'm just going to ignore the OBC and get an oil change every 10k or 12 months, whichever comes first!