Recently had one of these as a rental car courtesy of Sixt car hire in spain. The info provided below is for a spanish specification car, details for UK maybe different.

General:

The 1 series is a well put together car, with the drive going through the correct (rear) wheels. The only medium sized car in this sector to have the drive though the rear wheels.

Interior:

The interior is well put together, with good use of quality plastics and cloth in the right places. The dashboard is made of a soft feel material that is not only plesent to look at but should help reduce rattling noises. The seats are surprisingly good, and both front seats are height adjustable, and comfortable. However with the front seats all the way back on the runners there is no room in the back for anything other than children, because the legroom all but disappears. The Dualzone Climate control works well, and is very efficient at quickly cooling the interior down in the spanish heat of close to 40c.

Engine:

The 116 is the base spec engine, and it shows. The engine economy figures are less than its bigger brother 1.8, but despite using more fuel than the 1.8 the performance can only be described as lack-lustre. 0-100kmh takes quiet a while, and in gear performance is not that great either. The gearbox has six gears, with sixth only being of use on the autovia/autopista because of the gear ratio. To get the best from the engine it must be worked very hard to keep up progress.

Luggage space:

The rear hatch area is surprisingly spacious, and able to accomodate 2 weeks luggage for 3 adults with reasonable ease.

Overall:

The 1 series is a good car for front seat occupants, not so great in the back for adults. If I were to buy one, I would avoid the 1.6 engine due to poor performance and economy and get the 1.8 or 2.0 instead. The method of starting takes some getting used to, you place the key into a dashboard recepticle, press the clutch pedal down and then press/hold the start/stop button untill the engine is running.

Some pictures of the reviewed car.

I am still sorely tempted by either a 118d or 120d.

Very nice car IMHO

my mate works at BMW and had a 118D for 9 months, seemed a very nice car and when i had a quick drive it felt nice but i only 5 mins behind the wheel of the car on the day he got it on suburban roads so didn't exactly get to test it out

I took a 120D out for a test drive, and it's a lovely car... Just wondering how the 118D compares, but I guess there is only one way to find out.

I love the 1 series, but you really do need a decent engine to make it enjoyable imho.

As you say, the 1.8 is a far superior unit to the 1.6, when I was enquiring BMW say they hardly sell any, and they don't ever recommend them to customers. Tends to be those who can't really afford a 1 series, and hire companies etc who buy em.

The dash is superb, best in class in terms of design, and the quality of build and materials - nothing else in the class can rival it (and I've driven the Merc B180 which was also very nice, Golf, A3 etc). They are a very easy car to drive, and the steering wheels themselves are gorgeously chunky and nice to hold.

The boot is a half decent size, but I thought the floor was very high - great for loading and unloading, but does eat into the volume somewhat.

Back seats are not the easiest to access - the back door is a funny shape - and not all that roomy in the back either.

Ho hum, I'd love one, but alas I can't afford one I'd like. :(

Still can't find any love for them although the three door version looks better.

Still can't find any love for them although the three door version looks better.

I agree the 3 door looks best, especially in white!

I hated the 1 series, until I drove it

Ah the 1 series, the successor to the 3-series Compact

Chris

I have to give it to the coupe version of the 1 though.

BMW 1 Series Coupe - Clearest Spy Shots Yet

I thought about purchasing one but choose the fab Vrs for a number of reasons. The bm is just too small inside with a small boot area that could not fit two sets of golf clubs in never mind trolleys shoes etc. I am 5.11" and banged my head getting into the drivers seat and also got my legs stuck getting out of the rear of the car. I wanted Derv so looked at the 118d M with leather to be quoted a price of

Ok the drive is not the same but hey on British roads you cannot really appreciate rear wheel drive.

Why's that then?

Chris

On the earlier E30 the British roads were totally unsuited to it's RWD with trailing arm suspension. Mid bend whilst applying slight power if the rear wheels caught a slight bump (there being so many on our roads) it would dislodge the whole back end and you'd either catch it or send it fishtailing down the road. The later E36 Z axle fixed that making it much more stable and predictable.

RWD on the whole is a joy to drive as the front wheels feel uncorrupted by the need for braking and steering in addition to making the car go.

The only drawbacks are drivetrain power losses are greater (you seen the size of the propshaft on Beemers?) and they require a bit more skill to drive well.

There's also more to go wrong as BMW diffs are known for ripping out of the rear subframe when overstressed, they whine with age and the halfshaft seals go thus they leak oil.

I was going to say I've driven a fair few high powered RWD cars recently (on British roads) and not had any problems enjoying them None of this silly traction control to get in the way either!

Chris

I have discovered the joys of losing your back end in the wet:eek:

I presume a BMW 1 series isn't as prone to this as an mx 5??

Must find somewhere quiet to practice:D

Just placed an order for a 120d so the Fabia will be up for sale soon.

As if being a Skoda driver wasn't bad enough in the eyes of the British Public I am now going to become a BMW driver

I'm not fussed about the BMW's looks, but its a great fun car to drive and put a smile on my face.

Anyone else thinking about ordering one, ignore the list prices. BMW dealers will be happy to give you nearly 15% off without even flinching.

I have discovered the joys of losing your back end in the wet:eek:

I presume a BMW 1 series isn't as prone to this as an mx 5??

Must find somewhere quiet to practice:D

Might be able to answer this better in a couple of months time, but with all the electronic gizmos switched on it seemed very tame no matter how you treated it.

Might be able to answer this better in a couple of months time, but with all the electronic gizmos switched on it seemed very tame no matter how you treated it.

agreed, when I test drove the 120d, I thought it just handled great, no threat of putting you @ss end first through a hedge.. (not unless you drive like you stole it! )