BMW 118i Sport Line 2012 Review

Price Guide: (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $42,800
Options fitted: (not included in above price): Steptronic auto transmission, sunroof, BMW Anthracite Individual roof liner, brushed aluminium trim, front/rear part distance control, BMW Individual high-gloss shadow line, interior lights package, split fold rear backrest, interior lights package, Servotronic power steering
Crash rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 134
Also consider: Ford Focus, Mazda Mazda3, Volkswagen Golf

BMW drove two points home when it introduced its five-door 1 Series hatch in late 2004.

One, the company was not going to compromise its stance on driveline integrity by following the rest of the field into front-wheel drive and, two, it was thus prepared to compromise passenger and luggage space as a result. Long bonnets, north-south engines and efficient packaging do not necessarily mix.

Seven years later, with an all-new replacement, the fundamentals of BMW’s 1 Series have not really changed.

Certainly it is a tad bigger and therefore a tad roomier, but it is hardly a class leader. Name just about any other small car and you’d be talking bigger cabins and more commodious luggage spaces.

For all that, the new 1 Series is a better car in all respects than its predecessor, indicative more of a maturing process than an attempt to come dimensionally closer to its competition.

Sure there’s more rear legroom (21mm more, says BMW) and more luggage space (up from 330 litres to 360 litres), but these things don’t necessarily loom large when making final judgements on the new 1 Series. How could they when Ford’s latest Focus takes up more space than the 1 Series in every direction except wheelbase, then puts it to good use with its transverse front-drive packaging?

As ever, it is the dynamic abilities of the smallest BMW that make it what it is. Good though its front-drive competition may be the 1 Series remains fundamentally the best-balanced in its class, even when you take into account cars like the now-defunct Ford Focus XR5, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Renault Megane Sport 250. The M3-equalling 1 Series M Coupe shows just how far and how fast the little BMW can go (the M Coupe’s zero to 100km/h in less than five seconds isn’t hanging around).

This is the stuff of which the BMW 1 Series is made, even if some detractors don’t see its dynamic aspects – especially those with experience of earlier 116i and 118i versions – as a convincing argument in its favour. To put it generously, previous four-cylinder 1 Series did not have the ability to explore the possibilities of the 50:50 weight distribution and rear-drive powertrain. The six-cylinder 130i Sport did, but that version was quietly put aside once BMW started experimenting with coupe and convertible versions of the 1 Series.

Paltry performance is a thing of the past with the new car – particularly with the 118i version, which uses the same base 1.6-litre engine as the milder 116i, but combines a fistful of BMW technology, plus turbocharging, to hint at the sports car hiding underneath.

Producing 125kW at a deceptively low 4800rpm, along with a strong 250Nm of torque between 1500rpm and 4500rpm, the 118i sits alongside a number of current BMWs walking the environmental walk while still delivering the performance expected of the brand. Certainly, in the case of the 118i, it wields a punch unheard of in previous four-cylinder 1 Series.

Employing TwinPower Turbo twin-scroll turbocharging, BMW’s high-precision fuel injection system, Valvetronic variable valve control and Double-Vanos camshaft timing, the auto version of the 118i slips past the 100km/h mark in just 7.5 seconds, yet the official figures say it consumes a mere 5.8L/100km (not equalled on test, where we averaged 7.2L/100km) while outputting 134g/km of CO2. This is quicker, cleaner and far thriftier than any of the four-cylinder 1 Series preceding it.

EfficientDynamics technologies including brake energy regeneration, an air-conditioning compressor that cuts itself out of the loop when not required, engine start/stop capability in traffic and a miserly ECO PRO mode all contribute to efficiency levels that show how far car-makers can go if they put their minds to it.

The 1 Series is also available with BMW’s super-efficient eight-speed auto that shows twin-clutch transmissions don’t always have everything their way. The shift lever takes a little acclimatisation with its push-button park mode and simplified, single-shuffle drive/reverse selection, but in the end it’s easy and satisfying to use. In the usual manner, sequential shifting is accessed by pushing the lever to the left, then nudging it forward for a downshift, or pulling it back for an upshift.

The best part of it all is the dual roles played by the 118i. Around town it is docile yet quite rapid off the mark, rarely hinting at its small capacity. But tromp it on the open road and the little 1.6-litre sings sweetly all the way to its 7000rpm red line, delivering a strong surge of acceleration that goes hand in hand with the quick-shifting auto, brisk, well-weighted steering (optional Servotronic with variable power assist on our test car) and the dynamic suspension.

BMW claims it does, and from our experience it actually seems to ride better than previous 1 Series models. The run-flat tyres have shortcomings and advantages (you can’t change to a spare if you want, but then again you’re not about to be caught out on cold, dark and windy nights), but the old bugbear of harsh small-bump impacts seems to have retreated somewhat into the background. Even with the lower-profile, 225/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza tyres optioned onto our test car, the ride was noticeably improved. There’s some bang-crash still there, but it is far less intrusive.

Our test car was the 118i Sport Line, which basically refers to trim and presentation rather than mechanical specs. It came with manually adjusted, red-stitched leather sports seats (with power adjustment for side support up front), leather-rim steering wheel, a combination of piano black and “Matt Coral” red trim on dash and doors, different instrument markings, star-spoke 16-inch alloys (probably smoother-riding again than our test car’s optional 17-inchers), and high-gloss black in the grille and rear bumper.

In this form the 118i looks and feels more legitimately BMW than previous four-cylinder versions. The body might be all-new, and a little more assertive in its looks, but it is still clearly a 1 Series in profile, proportions and details.

Front seat passengers have never had anything to complain about, and they still don’t with the new model, while those travelling up back – especially when long-limbed people are in the front seats – might not necessarily be so happy. 21mm of extra legroom doesn’t go far, but it at least makes for an improvement. Likewise, the newly expanded 360-litre boot, which can be augmented significantly by lowering the optional three-way 40:20:40 split-fold rear seat to take space out to 1,200 litres. Not a shopping trolley by any means, but a more useful 1 Series nonetheless.

Gripes? Not many actually, once you get your head around what the 1 Series is trying to be.  We did not necessarily like the way the idle start/stop actuation sent a judder through the car every time the engine was restarted, and even if it’s not a family car, more generosity in cubby spaces inside would have been appreciated. The centre console storage bin and glovebox were a bit squeezy, as were the door pockets.

But the drive, out on the open road particularly, was pretty much pure BMW. Smooth, responsive, and, even including a neat engine note which, so far, has been reserved for BMWs with six cylinders and more.

The new 1 Series is, in every way, a measurable improvement over its predecessors and -- especially in the 116i model which, at $36,900 pre on-road costs is better than five per cent cheaper -- doesn’t ask that any great premium be paid to step up to the latest model. Still, $42,800 for the 118i Sport Line before you start piling on the options is a pretty big ask when you look at other five door hatchbacks.

And the options on our test car added hugely -- more than $8,000 -- to the base price. As well as Sport Line equipment, it included a long list of extras including parking sensors, sunroof, triple-split rear backrest and Servotronic power steering.

All that adds to the premium you are expected to pay if you have a hankering for that BMW experience.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site