BMW 1 Series 2018 Review

Mixed emotions

When BMW launched the 1 Series it was all about sticking true to its rear-wheel drive values.

Sure, it makes more sense from a packaging perspective to make small cars front-wheel drive, but BMW was all about the pure driving experience.

Well, having endured those issues for two generations, the next time the smallest BMW gets a big makeover it’s going front-wheel drive, sharing its architecture with MINI… and the 2 Series Active Tourer.

Which means this drive of the 125i update (BMW calls it an LCI or Life Cycle Impulse) generates a mixture of feelings. Enjoyment because it’s a sweet and enjoyable drive and disappointment that a market niche will no longer be catered too.

But that’s economies of scale and all that kind of 21st century automotive guff for you.

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What’s it all about?

The 1 Series is a five-door hatchback. What we’re driving here is a model from the second generation F20 range. The first generation 1 Series first appeared in Australia in 2004 and the current model back in 2011.

Priced from $49,990 (plus on-road costs), the 125i is the second most expensive model in the 1 Series line-up behind the terrific M140i.

It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine introduced in 2016 that make a meaty 165kW/310Nm, averages 5.9L/100km and 134g km/CO2, and can accelerate – via an eight-speed automatic transmission – from 0-100km/h in 6.1sec.

The 125i comes standard with an M Sport Package that includes a sportier suspension tune, staggered run-flat rubber rolling on 18-inch alloys, brakes with blue calipers, Sport+ mode for the Driving Experience Controller, front sports seats, a body kit and a heap of trim bits and bobs like a hexagon Alcantara cloth upholstery and the grille’s kidney bars in black high-gloss.

Other 125i features include front, side and head airbags, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, a new 8.8-inch customizable touch-screen on the top of the dash that houses a ‘Professional’ sat-nav system, dual-zone climate control, LED headlights and a digital radio.

The 125i does not get autonomous emergency braking, although it will slow if it senses an issue ahead, and you can optionally pay for adaptive cruise control. But approach control warning, lane-departure warning, attention assist and pedestrian warning are standard.

There’s no Android Auto smartphone connection, Apple CarPlay is optional and as the 125i rolls on run-flats there is no spare tyre.

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The so-so bit

There’s no doubting you are residing in a BMW when you settle into the 125i’s supportive driver’s seat. The two flat dials in the new black-panel instrument panel, the reach and rake manually adjustable three-spoke sports steering wheel, the favourites buttons, the easily tunable climate control, the broken stick gearshifter and the controller for the latest iDrive6 system are all familiar.

And while familiarity sometimes breeds contempt, here it’s mostly fine. Okay, Audi does better quality and Benz does more drama, but BMW is closing in.

The main complaint I have is my favoured low-down seating positon means I can’t see the trip computer in the base of the IP. It’s a problem I have with just about every BMW.

All the good feelings in the 125i are up-front, because apart from adjustable air-con vents, the rear-seat passengers are treated as after-thoughts. For a full-sized adults, there just isn’t enough room in any direction, especially headroom in our test car that came with an optional sunroof. The middle rear-seat is almost useless because of the transmission tunnel and there are no seat-back or door pockets – unlike up-front where there are cavernous bins in the doors.

Mind you, the 125i does better than the 220i Coupe we had around the same time. It’s cruel and unusual punishment to put people in the back of that thing.

With the rear seat in-place the 125i’s boot offers 360 litres of space, which is very much average in the small car class. But split-fold the rear-seat – a process which can require you to temporarily move the front seat forward – and that balloons to 1200 litres. That’s enough to fit a full-size mountain bike, albeit with the front wheel out.

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The good bit

Like I’ve already hinted at, the 125i is a good fun drive.

The engine is quiet and compliant, but revs and fizzes into action when called on to get going. In that function, it’s aided and abetted by the excellent ZF transmission, which is intuitive in Sport and truly alert in Sport+ mode. It’s even better to manipulate manually by the flappy paddles.

On the flipside, our 125i didn’t get anywhere near the claimed fuel consumption average, managing 8.2L/100km on test. The idle-stop system was noticeably abrupt at times and there was also an occasional suggestion of lag at tip-in throttle.

It’s worth pointing out our experience in the 135kW/270Nm was quite similar. Not quite as fizzy, not quite as thirsty, but still rather enthusiastic and enjoyable.

The 125i has only limited suspension travel and the tyres are low profile, but the ride and handling compromise is decent. There is some feedback from the rear-end on rough corners and if you wind the controller round to Sport or Sport+ you might even get a little playfulness and slip from the rear tyres ... But sshh, don’t tell anyone.

Combine that with a sharp electric-assist steering tune and this is a really fun little car to take for a strop down a winding road.

I liked the steering best in Comfort mode because it weighted up without reward in the Sport mode. In any mode the steering felt more secure in bigger corners, rather than taking quick bites out of the tighter stuff. Then it felt a bit stuttery.

The 125i copes well with relaxed cruising. It is very quiet on coarse surfaces and around town feels more maneuverable than its 10.9m turning circle might suggest.

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The upshot

For all the fun it is, for all its worthiness as a sporting outlier in a class full of front-drivers, the 125i has some notable flaws that hamper it.

The packaging issues make it a sub-standard choice as a family trickster. Simple as that. Then there’s the lack of AEB, which is inexcusable for a luxury brand these days, although more people will probably be annoyed by the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Yep, the 125i is one for the driver. Clearly, considering BMW’s future plans, the decision has already been made that is not enough.

2018 BMW 125i pricing and specifications:
Price: $49,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 165kW/310Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 134g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A