I recently purchased a 2010 BMW 118d Edition Sport from Jeff Gray BMW here in Wellington. The Edition Sport is some marketing name BMW New Zealand came up with for a limited edition M Sport 1 Series vehicle they out together. At any rate, it’s an M Sport without the M Badge on the door sills and that’s about it. Mine is Space Gray. Fancy huh?

This isn’t going to be a statistics and numbers review. You’ll find those all over the web. What you’ll find here is my thoughts on various aspects of the car and what they mean to me.

The smallest 1 Series you can buy in New Zealand is the 118i/d. It’s the same 2l engine as the 120s except for the mapping. Which I think is a logical way to limit power. Makes sense as you only need to maintain the same engine in multiple models and let the ECU do the de-tuning. Anyway, let’s get on with this.

Service
I’m huge fan of good service. This was my 3rd visit to Jeff Gray BMW looking for a car. A number of years ago I went there when it was still Shelly BMW and basically walked out. No one wanted to talk to me so that was their loss. I bought a STi. The 2nd time was again, a few years ago. Similar situation as the 1st, except the people who did talk to me just didn’t seem like they wanted to. I walked away. Bought another STi.

So 3rd times the charm right? Well, so it appears. I was greeted with a purpose and that was to sell me a car. It wasn’t a pushy sales pitch so we got on fine. That and the fact that I thought I knew what I was looking for.

Styling
The 1 Series isn’t to everyones taste. However, throw an M Sport body on it and it looks a lot better. It’s sublte but noticeable. To top it off, it came with some huge 18" M Sport wheels.

Performance
It’s got half the amount of ponies as my Altezza RS200 but twice the torque. That torgue however is the defining factor. It pulls like a school boy. It’s not super quick but you’ll get to the speed limit soon enough.

The gearbox is a 6 speed automatic jobbie with a sport mode. It’s not that smooth at low speed like peak hour traffic but silky as it’s moving through the gears. Interestingly, the auto changes down when speed/revs would dictate it. An unusualy experience for me with an automatic transmission and it means that engine braking is actually performed. The sport mode is surprisingly good. You have the option to “maunally” change gears at the appropriate time or let the auto do it for you. In auto sport the revs are (mostly) appropriate and it’s and fun to drive.

For such small brakes they have stupid stopping power. Haven’t activated ABS yet but then the large amount of rubber on the road may also be a factor. The traction control/stability control has been enticed a couple of times and it’s non-intrusive, but then I’m not a racing driver so who actually knows.

Handling
Not razor sharp but sharp enough. The car has an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution and in a short wheelbase package makes it lovely through the corners. The ride quality is rubbish but then it’s riding on 18" rims with runflats. The car has a very neutral feel with a slight tendency to over steer if pushed. Makes a change from the awesomely scary understeer I’m used to. There’s good feed back from the road while still providing a stable driving experience. No noticeable tram-lining unless the tires need some air or you need a wheel alignment. Since I live in New Zealand, it’s a given that I need a wheel alignment.

You’re held in place with some not so comfortable M Sport seats up front. But hey, I’d rather that then sliding around like I was on a bench seat. There is no direct lumbar support which I thought was unusual. If you decrease the lateral movement then you can additional lumbar. For some people this might be a squeeze.

Interior
The inside is pretty spartan. Except for the silver detailings which are annoying when the sun shines on them. It’s got an LCD display for the satnav and other iDrive controls. Because of the iDrive jog dialer thingy I lose a cup holder. There’s an option for an additional one that attaches next to the gear stick but it’s avaiable for left hand drive models only. Go BMW. The 3 Series have a rather good looking retractable one on the passenger side. Same dash so why not have that available in the 1 Series?

The car will somewhat confortably seat 2.5 people in it. Try getting 4 adults and you’ll be struggling. The fold down back seats are handy and while they don’t fold completely flat it’s good enough.

Conclusion
I like the car. It’s small, nimble and quick. I get on average about 850km per 50l tank. Can’t really complain. I’d buy another 1 Series but I’ve been spoilt by this one so it’d have to be something special. Perhaps a 123d M Sport or 135i M Sport.