BMW 118d M Sport 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $43,900?
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Metallic paint $1308; Automatic transmission $2693; Glass sunroof $2246; Parking Distance Control (front and rear) $600; M Sport Package $5385.
Crash rating: Five-star (EuroNCAP)
?Fuel: Diesel?
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 4.5 ?CO2 emissions (g/km): 119?
Also consider: Audi A3 TDI Ambition (from $45,300); Lexus CT200H (from $39,900); Mercedes-Benz A200 CDI (from $40,900); Volvo V40 D4 (from $41,990).

If you’ve read many road tests about BMWs then you’ll be aware of the options lament.

It goes something like this: “The BMW (insert name here) might be a nice car, but we wouldn’t know because the example we drove was so laden down with optional extra it didn’t really bear that much relationship to it or its price”.

That issue most definitely applies to the BMW 118d we’re testing here, which is fitted with more than $12,000 worth of extras. They not only inflate the price way above the standard $43,900, but also significantly change the character of the car.

The biggest single item is the M Sport package that combines both mechanical and cosmetic changes. But at least there is some justification for fitting it because nearly 50 per cent of all new BMW buyers tick that box.

The most important items included in amongst all the goodies is M Sport suspension and bigger 18-inch alloy wheels fitted with low profile Pirelli P-Zero run-flat tyres.

Well, they are the most important items if ride quality and cabin quietness are important to you. That’s because the comfort level on sharp-edged holes and road edges is wincingly bad, while too much tyre roar is generated off coarse road surfaces.

Having said that though, the 118d is still a fundamentally enjoyable driver’s car, retaining the essential dynamic quality that have marked the second-generation (F20) 1 Series as a substantial improvement over the original.

So just a short reprise is appropriate here; the 1 Series is BMW’s attempt to prove you can have your cake and eat it too, or in this case have a small car and retain BMW’s signature rear-wheel drive layout.

With a 30mm longer wheelbase and 85mm longer overall length than its predecessor, the new 1 Series does address some of the issues the original created. Most noticeably you can now fit in the back seat if you are still fortunate enough to be in possession of a set of legs.

It’s still not great though, and even BMW acknowledges this because it has confirmed the F20’s replacement will swap to front-wheel drive. However, that’s not until later in the decade.

So for now the 1 Series has a unique selling point against Benz’s popular new A-Class and Audi’s next-gen A3, which lobs in May (prices listed above are for the current car).

The good news is that even with the suspension screwed down and the tyres reduced to liquorice straps, the 1 Series still rides ok – albeit stiffly – when not encountering the worst of our lame excuses for roads and handles remarkably well everywhere.

It has terrific electro-mechanical steering offering both feel and prompt response, a really nice front-end that grips determinedly and rear-end that will wag the tail or stay in line dependant on what you ask of it. There’s also some less edifying bump steer on rough corners. But the chassis is mostly enjoyable, and undoubtedly the primary appeal of the car.

Running it a close second is the combination of 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (despite the 118d name) and optional eight-speed auto. The engine pumps out 105kW at 4000rpm and 320Nm between 1750 and 2500rpm. The acceleration claim from 0-100km/h is only 8.6 secs, but that doesn’t do justice to its strong and useable mid-range.

But the most impressive claim is the 4.5L/100km combined fuel consumption. However, it was a figure we didn’t threaten, averaging 6.6L/100km during our week-long test.

That’s maybe a reflection of the fact the 118d was driven with some enthusiasm, which it certainly responds to. For a diesel it’s a pretty flexible unit, happy to rev meaningfully to within reach of 5000rpm, respond punchily with little suggestion of lag and not too much clatter or vibration.

No doubt the ZF auto helps here, with a ratio for every situation. If you want to go manual then the shifts are quick via the paddles, although the actual feel of mechanical connection is poor.

You can change the character of the drivetrain via the Driving Experience Controller. It swaps between sluggish Eco Pro, Comfort (which is comfortable), edgy Sport and Sport+ (part of the M Sport pack) which disables stability control.

You’ll spend most of your time in Comfort, a little in Sport, a fraction in Sport+ and when cruising on the freeway slotted into Eco Pro to save fuel.

The interior is orthodox BMW yet nicely presented. Standard (not optionally added) equipment includes six airbags, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes, foglights, rear parking assist, climate control, a CD player, Bluetooth connectivity and a USB interface.

The M Sport pack includes some brilliantly supportive front seats standard leather trim, an M steering wheel. Other interior equipment is more familiar and works well, like the iDrive controller, a rectangular monitor at the top of the centre stack and simple instrument panel dials.

But in the rear seat there is little sense of occasion or being special, just being confined to a reasonably tight and upright space space with only limited headroom.

Storage is adequate front and rear. The way the front door pockets are divided into three is a very neat touch. But the glovebox is small and so is the centre lidded bin. BMW claims that at 360 litres the 118d’s boot is bigger than a Volkswagen Golf’s. But remember that’s without a spare tyre. The rear bench does split-fold to create 1200 litres of space, but it would be helpful for the rear headrests to retract to make the folding job a little easier.

In the end what it comes down to is a 118d that will probably cost $60,000 by the time you get it on the road. We’re not interested at that price. The good news is that if you strip all the extras away, the basic package is a good and enjoyable one. Primarily for drivers of course, but then that’s one thing about BMWs we do know and like whatever options boxes are ticked.

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