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19/09/2011
REVIEW by EWAN KENNEDY
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The biggest selling feature of the BMW 1 Series is its use of rear-wheel drive, with all that means in beautiful chassis balance. The dynamics developed by the smallest Bimmer are sure to make keen drivers smile. And it’s not just the traditional early Sunday morning drive that brings on this pleasure, even a boring daily commute can give you a sense of satisfaction.
The downside of RWD is that there isn’t a lot of room inside a BMW 1 Series. The cabin has good legroom in the front seats, though some may find foot-width is restricted, but there's not a lot of passenger space in the back. The loss of space is due to the long engine bay needed to house straight-six engines, to the need for a driveshaft under the centre of the floor, and having a differential under the back floor.
Interestingly, you can buy a front-wheel-drive BMW if you prefer the handling characteristics that driveline provides. BMW sells them under the brand name of Mini.
When launched in Australia in October 2004, BMW 1 Series came only as a five-door hatch. A smart two-door coupe and a pretty little soft-top convertible were added to the range in May 2008.
BMW 1 Series’ styling in hatchback format gives it a tail end treatment that's almost wagon like. So while the boot is relatively shallow, there a decent overall volume.
The coupe and convertible aren’t as useful in their luggage spaces as the five-door hatch, but that’s hardly unusual in the sporty market.
BMW 1 Series comes with a staggering choice of powerplants. In petrol format these range from 1.6-litre and four cylinders all the way to 3.0 litres with six cylinders. Some of the sixes have twin turbochargers, others don’t have a blower at all. The twin-turbo engine is a superb unit and takes the 300 horsepower, 224 kilowatt BMW 135i to close to the famed BMW M3 in its performance.
A very recent introduction is the 1 Series M Coupe, with even more power from its twin-turbo six than the others, but it’s still a long way from being on the used-car market.
Most of these small BMWs are powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine, even the so-called 118i has a 2.0-litre capacity, though most actually do displace 2.0 litres. To further add to the confusion, the 125i engine actually has a displacement of 3.0 litres (it's the six-cylinder unit without turbochargers).
An impressive 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine became part of the lineup, in BMW 120d format, from May 2006. The grunt of the modern BMW diesel is great, but they don’t have the virtually instantaneous throttle response provided by the petrol powerplants.
Improbably as it would have seemed a decade back, the 2.0-litre turbo-diesels are even used in BMW 1 Series coupes and convertibles. It is tuned for greater power, so has the title of 123d, rather than 120d.
Transmission choices are generally six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Some of the smaller-engined, lower cost models were sold with a five-speed manual for the first couple of years.
BMW manual gearboxes are a joy to use, with slick changes through the well chosen ratios. This is another benefit of the use or rear-wheel drive as the gearbox is close to the lever, not way out near one of the front wheels as in a front-drive car. Unless you do a lot of hard commuting we suggest the pleasure of the manual should be yours.
BMW is long established in Australia and there are dealers in all metropolitan areas, as well as in major country centres. However, if you do travel into semi-remote areas you may have trouble finding either a dealer or a mechanic experienced on the marque.
Ideally a BMW should be serviced and repaired by an authorised dealer as these are complex cars with a lot of electronic components. The car can be connected to a computer to assist in fault diagnosis. There are some mechanics with formal BMW training and who now operate as independent specialists. They generally have a high reputation.
A 1 Series with a written service record stretching back to day one will generally fetch a higher price on the used market. Smart buyers of second-hand models will keep up this record ad infinitum.
Insurance charges are high for a small car – but not too bad when you consider the complexity and quality of the BMW's body and the fact that you're buying an image machine, not simply a car.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Few BMWs are driven in a sporting manner, but many 1 Series live in suburban areas so could have had the odd bump or scratch. Look for signs of crash repairs such as mismatched paint, paint overspray and ripples in the panels.
A magnet will tell you if the material under the repaired area is metal – or plastic filler that has been inserted to try and fool the innocent.
Engine repairs can be expensive so make sure they start within moments of turning the key. Preferably arrange to do this with the engine stone cold after an overnight stop.
During your test drive feel for any hesitation under acceleration and look for oily smoke from the exhaust when the engine is worked hard.
Make sure manual gearchanges are quite and ultra-smooth. Fast changes from third to second gears are usually the first to show problems so try a few during your personal road test.
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