Right well I had one of these out and an initial test drive in the 177bhp guise and I have to say I was grinning from ear to ear.

As a drivers car it is great, handles really well and puts the power down extremely well.

The engine is pretty predictable and IMHO is a better engine than the PD170. A little less turbo lag so a little less punch in the back, but noticeably quicker, especially from a standing start.

In terms of space I think it compares well against it's peers, eg the golf, leon, focus etc.

In terms of price it is towards the higher end of the price scale, but IIRC still less than a golf GT TDI when you have added one or two options. The SE spec comes with dual zone climate and many other things standard that are optional on the golf and the options packs are very good value.

To summarise, if you are looking at buying a new car in the golf GT TDI price range and size range, then take a 120d for a test drive. It's a great car and great fun to drive. The thing also felt well built,and very comfortable too

I enjoyed the 120D M-Sport I drove.

They do a decent discount too - I got

so cheezemonkhai....... you gonna buy one?

I'm very very tempted

In terms of space I think it compares well against it's peers, eg the golf, leon, focus etc.

Are you sure it was a 120 and not a 320 you were in :confused: , the back has nothing like the same space as Golf or Focus :thumbdwn:

Was just gonna say - the space in the back was pretty tight, and I'm not that tall a person, knees were tight against the back of the drivers' seat

Sorry I mean in terms of boot space and front seats.

I never really gave a toss about rear seat space and not in a hurry to have kids, who would fit in the back anyway.

Compared to the MKIV golf I don't think the rear space is bad tbh, maybe less than a MK V but not massivly.

As I said though, rear seat passengers paah :P

So did you buy it?

Nice , Im interested in a 1 series but realistically dont want to pay over 12K , so I may have to wait a few years. I only use the rear seat to chuck shopping on (saves having to open the boot!) so space isnt a problem , the 118d is only

Does no one else notice that the pedals are waaaaay over the right!?

Does no one else notice that the pedals are waaaaay over the right!?

I didn't think they were at all :confused:

The 118d is good the 120d the best of the diesel 1 series and as fast as youd ever really need a good compromise and the 123d Hot hatch fast.

Also remember that the 177bhp 120d is only 8bhp down on the Mk1 330D and the 123d is the same as the Mk2 330d 204bhp.... and they offer better economy over the 3ltr

Rear seats are fine and Im a tall lad.

Boot is only 20ltrs smaller than the Golf and a huge 70ltrs bigger than the Fabia/Polo also its much better than the 3 series as you drop the rear seats i needed = huge boot.

these are nice cars my mate is lookin to get a 123d coupe, he has a 116i now i think there will be a difference lol

The BMW One Series are very good cars. I have driven a 120D M and was very impressed. Very drivable excellent handling great power and a wonderfully smooth and flexible motor. The 123D must be excellent. 204 bhp from an aluminum diesel of 2 liters and loads of torque, great stuff. I would have one like a shot but not enough ground clearance for my needs nor all-wheel drive. Supper economy. Perhaps with the money saved on fuel I could pave over the whole access track 2 of, one mile each to my property, now, thats a thought.

Edited 6 December, 200916 yr by Anthony 1

The BMW One Series are very good cars. I have driven a 120D M and was very impressed. Very drivable excellent handling great power and a wonderfully smooth and flexible motor. The 123D must be excellent. 204 bhp from an aluminum diesel of 2 liters and loads of torque, great stuff. I would have one like a shot but not enough ground clearance for my needs nor all-wheel drive. Supper economy. Perhaps with the money saved on fuel I could pave over the whole access track 2 of, one mile each to my property, now, thats a thought.

I swapped my Octy 1.9 DSG for a 118D MSport about 18 months ago.

Love the drive

love the engine

Love the seats

Love the built quality

great economy - 40 horse more and 5mpg better than the octy - Maybe doesn't sound brilliant at 46+ mpg but my daily commute is 36 miles each way on mainly B roads, and I don't tend to waste too much time.

Low depreciation and service costs make this a cheap car to run.

While the form ride is great for spirtited driving it is very crashy over potholed roads - this has largly been cured by dumping the run flat tyres.

Grip level also improved on non runflats.

Down sides -

Miss the octys boot space

Miss the DSG box at times

Really annoying when frozen up in the mornings - mine is a 3 door with frameless windows, the glass automatically drops abou 1 cm when you open the door and then goes back up when you close it. When the window are frozen this doesn't happen - the door will open but you can't close it!!! I can only assume they don't get frost in bavaria.

That is interesting about the 3 door windows getting iced up I can see that might be a pain. Run Flat Tyres have coursed a lot of complaints. It is surprising that they are continued with until they have been improved. My theory is that they would be less of a problem if run flats were used in less fashionable higher profiles.

Are you sure it was a 120 and not a 320 you were in :confused: , the back has nothing like the same space as Golf or Focus :thumbdwn:

I had a 120 as a hire car, and liked the quality and the handling, hated the (non-sports) seats, the very cramped rear space, and the fuel economy (it was a 2.0 petrol auto). I was gald to get my A3 back in several ways.

Does no one else notice that the pedals are waaaaay over the right!?

Seemed fine to me. It was a nice car to drive mainly.

Unless the sports electrically adjustable seats are specified in the BMW one is left to an unsatisfactory and manual adjustment. In a BMW I would not advise adjusting the back rake in a manual seat unless the car is stationary with the handbrake on. Otherwise a rather nasty shock will be experienced as the seat back lunges rearwards on to the passengers lap and one ends up gazing through the skylight instead of the windshield!

. My experience with the A3 showed a rather choppy underdamped ride and a car that showed increasing nervousness the faster it went over A and B roads. It showed a tendency to understeer also. Driven moderately it was very comfortable. I liked the interior of the A3 and generally thought it a very good car.

My theory is that they would be less of a problem if run flats were used in less fashionable higher profiles.

you hit the nail on the head there, ultra hard sidewalls of RFT's combine with low profiles + rattled teeth

I had a go in 135i was very surprised, pocket rocket springs to mind