BMW 118i vs Gac Aion Ut

What's the difference?

The 118i has restored my faith in entry-level models from premium brands. Could it do with more standard gear? Absolutely, especially at $50K, and given what you could get in a higher-grade variant from a mainstream manufacturer, like the Mazda3 or VW Golf.

But the 118i is a cut above the mainstream hatchbacks in terms of performance, driver engagement and how the car makes you feel. 

If value is the priority, look elsewhere. But if your budget stretches this far and you can live without some of the luxo features, there’s little to complain about with the 118i hatch.

The Aion UT is a cleverly-specified little hatchback and a great entry-point into electric motoring. The software needs a bit of work from a usability perspective, plus the spongy ride and cutesy styling might not be for everyone. 

However, with strong points including driving range, cabin space and value, there’s even a pitch for it in some cases to be an only car compared to most of its price rivals, which are more likely to be thought of as a second car runabout in a two-car garage.

The pick of the range is definitely the entry-level Premium. It comes in at a headline-grabbing price with specs to blow rivals out of the water, while only missing out on a few luxuries.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Since the first-generation model arrived on the scene in the early 2000s, the 1 Series has had a slightly awkward design, partly due to the rear-wheel drive underpinnings. But this latest third-gen model, that debuted in 2019, is by far the most sleek and stylish yet. 

This is helped by the slimline tail-lights, rising shoulder line and well-executed front-end design with the signature BMW quad headlights and wide 'kidney' grille. 

In Australia the 118i comes as standard with 'M suspension' that lowers the ride height by 10mm, which gives it even more of a hunkered down look. The 'Black Sapphire' paintwork of the test car also upped the sexiness of the little hatch.

The 1 Series, and its competitors from Benz and Audi, are all visually appealing in different ways, ensuring they will each appeal to different buyers. 

The interior design is unmistakably BMW, which hasn’t evolved significantly for about 15 years. Although new-generation models like the iX and the soon-to-launch X1 SUV prove that BMW can evolve.

BMW’s overall dash design and layout isn’t a million miles away from the edgy angular look of the new Audi A3 - and that’s no criticism.

The mixed synthetic leather and cloth trim on the seats has a cool blue cloth motif to break up the grey and add a small splash of colour to the cabin. Matching blue stitching on the dash and doors is a nice touch.

GAC tells us the UT hatch was designed in Milan, Italy, but it also isn’t ashamed of the Chinese influence on its overall appearance, like the ultra-short bonnet and Chinese city-car style face.

Along the side it has a modern, aerodynamic profile, and the ultra-short overhangs and long wheelbase maximise the amount of room for batteries under the floor and interior space.

The rear feels a lot like a modern Mini, with its bulbous tailgate and protruding light clusters, spiced up with a sporty spoiler piece jutting out.

It’s not a bad looking thing and it’s available in an array of fun colours.

On the inside it seems to follow the established rule-book of Chinese automakers, with plush trims, big screens with minimal physical buttons as well as a contemporary two-spoke steering wheel.

There’s a trendy floating console which hosts the cupholders and wireless charger on the Luxury grade, and an array of interesting patterns and textures through the doors and dash which you wouldn’t have once seen on a car at this price-point.

However, it is worth noting that while the seats are quite nice, and the steering wheel is a stand-out touchpoint, the trims on the doors and across the dash-top are hard plastics, more so than some of this car’s rivals.

Up front the 118i’s sports seats offer unbelievable levels of lateral support, and despite the bolsters being adjustable, it might be a little too snug for some. It’s expected for a pricey hot hatch but not the lower grade 1 Series. And given how much side support there is, it could do with a touch more under-thigh padding. The driver’s seat is power adjustable while the front passenger has to adjust their seat manually.

The typically chunky BMW M leather steering wheel looks and feels expensive and offers good grip. The minimal steering wheel controls are well labelled with text or clear icons. I appreciated the analogue air conditioning controls instead of them being buried in a multimedia screen menu.

The multimedia system menu is unfussy and while it’s not as tech heavy as some other systems, I don’t see that as a negative. It just means there are fewer functions you’re forced to remember. You can control the system via the 'iDrive' controller in the centre console or it can be used as a touchscreen. I like the way users are given both options. The 10.25-inch screen is nice and wide but quite narrow. Overall, BMW’s operating system is easy to use and functions well.

In terms of devices, the 118i has a wireless charging pad, as well as a USB-A and USB-C port, and a 12-volt charger up front.

It has a smallish central bin, but it’s fine for a number of smaller items. Tall bottles fit easily in the door storage bin and there’s a secondary slot for other items. The 118i comes with a decent sized glovebox, and two front cupholders with a nook for phones just behind it.

The 118i is more spacious than anticipated, especially in the second row. The back of the front seats are scalloped, allowing for a little extra knee room, but there is a good amount of legroom generally, and plenty of headroom, despite the lower roofline. 

The rear seats are on the flat side but still comfortable, and there are ISOFIX points on the two outboard seats.

Rear seat occupants have access to map pockets, two more USB-C ports, and storage for big bottles in the doors (just), but there are no rear air vents. The seats fold 60/40 and there’s no central armrest.

Open the hatch and you’ll find a reasonably sized boot that can swallow 380 litres, expanding to 1200L with the rear seats stowed. There is plenty of under-floor storage because there’s no spare tyre on account of the run-flats favoured by BMW. There are, however, a couple of tie-down anchors and shopping bag hooks.

In terms of interior space, the Aion UT stands out with its spacious cabin. At 182cm tall, I am easily able to find a comfortable seating position, and visibility out the front sides and rear, while not as good as some small SUVs, isn’t bad.

There’s lots of headroom, and while I mentioned the hard plastic door cards before, there’s enough padding everywhere your elbows are going to touch to make it feel a bit nicer than perhaps it is.

The main drawback of this car for me is the lack of tactile buttons and the frustrating software.

The main screen isn’t particularly well utilised, being taken up by either a background or the navigation map, with an array of typically small shortcuts across the bottom for important features like the climate control or settings menus.

You can pre-set a few information panels which sit above the shortcut bar as in many rival cars and there’s also a shortcut tray which can be hosted on the driver’s side and configured with a variety of shortcuts and settings.

It’s just a bit clumsy to use, and the array of poorly-labelled settings menus for things like active safety equipment feel needlessly complicated.

I’d love to see this car with physical controls for climate and multimedia to make it easier to live with.

Up front the storage is decent. There are big pockets in the doors and a large storage tray between the driver and front passenger thanks to a flat floor. There’s also a slightly weird storage box under the touchscreen which has a net inside, good for more delicate objects you don’t want flying around the cabin.

On the floating console there are two cupholders which are a bit too shallow for my liking, and the wireless charger feels almost pointless because its made of a hard plastic, so your phone just slides right off in the corners. The cabled outlets are hidden beneath which allows for tidy cable management and the centre armrest console box is a healthy size.

The rear seat is comparatively basic, although touches on the key points. Its main advantage is how generous the space is. My frame was able to fit behind my own driving position with heaps of room for my knees, and just enough room for my head despite the dip in the roof for the sunroof shade in the Luxury-grade car we tested. There may be even more headroom in the base car.

The flat floor makes the space useful even for three across in a pinch and there’s a drop-down armrest with (again, shallow) cupholders. There are pockets on the back of both front seats and smallish pockets in each door. The array of soft trims continues, too, and the back of the centre console features a partially adjustable air vent. Luxury spec cars get a single USB rear power outlet.

As with many Chinese cars in this segment, the generous rear seat space comes at a cost to the boot. It measures just 321 litres, which is slightly smaller than its main opponents in this category, although larger than some hatchbacks like the Toyota Corolla, for example.

It has its advantages, though. The floor is two-tiered, and can offer a flat load area with the rear seats folded down, or a deeper boot in its lower position. Underneath there’s a cutaway good for charging equipment and the tyre repair kit (sorry, no spare wheel in here).

Unlike some EVs, the Aion UT doesn’t get a frunk (front boot) for additional storage.

The GAC Aion UT starts from $31,990, before on-road costs, for the entry-level Premium grade, which makes it the third-most affordable EV you can buy in Australia after the city-sized BYD Atto 1 and the entry-level version of the BYD Dolphin.

It sits closer to price-parity with the GWM Ora, but is significantly more affordable than the rear-drive MG4 and more spec-competitive top-grade BYD Dolphin.

The bigger threat to the Aion UT is that a lot of buyers will be willing to spend slightly more to get into one of the most affordable electric small SUVs, like the BYD Atto 2 or Jaecoo J5.

Still, GAC makes a solid pitch for its hatch, which offers a higher spec level than its most direct price rivals.

For example, the Aion UT is more powerful than the entry-level Dolphin and Ora while offering a higher level of interior equipment. 

Even the just-arrived front-drive MG4 Urban also starts at $31,990, but that’s for a version with significantly less driving range.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say the entry-level version of the Aion UT (the confusingly-named Premium) is probably the pick of the two variant range.

Standard equipment levels on this car include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting all around, synthetic leather interior trim with heated and power adjust front seats, a 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen with online connectivity and built-in nav as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There’s also an 8.88-inch digital instrument cluster, heated steering wheel and the full array of safety kit.

With the same power and battery size, this leaves only arguably unnecessary luxuries for the Luxury grade, like a wireless phone charger, ventilated driver’s seat, auto dimming rear vision mirror with auto power folding wing mirrors, a powered tailgate and of course, a panoramic sunroof (with shade!).

The 118i is powered by a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, offering up 103kW of power and 220Nm of torque. It’s the same unit found in the Mini Cooper, albeit uprated by 3kW for the BMW.

It is front-wheel drive and the engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

BMW says the 118i can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds.

If you’re after a quicker 1 Series, then the 180kW i28ti or 225kW Mi35i xDrive could be a better pick.

The Aion UT has a front-mounted electric motor producing 150kW/210Nm. That’s plenty punchy for any hatchback at this price, and I like the way the brand hasn’t messed around with a sub-100kW motor in the base variant to push prospects towards the top-spec car.

It’s more powerful than all of its closest rivals and at the time of writing you’ll have to spend four to six thousand dollars more to get into something equivalent from BYD, Chery, Jaecoo, Leapmotor or MG.

It even has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time as low as 7.3 seconds.

According to BMW, the 118i consumes 5.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. During my week of mixed driving with the hatch, I recorded a much higher average figure of 10.8L/100km. This was exacerbated by the fact I did my main test drive shortly before returning the car. It was much more efficient around town.

It has a 50-litre fuel tank and does require premium 95 RON petrol. In terms of CO2, the 118i emits 135g/km.

The Aion UT has a 60kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, which grants it a WLTP-certified 430km of driving range.

That’s more than its closest rivals, like the entry-level Ora Standard Range (310km), BYD Dolphin Essential (410km) or BYD Atto 2 (345km).

Claimed efficiency is 16.4kWh/100km and the car I tested returned a consumption of 14.0kWh/100km over a 130km route of mixed conditions, which isn’t bad at all.

Charging speeds are less impressive, but realistically appropriate for the relatively small battery. The peak DC charging capacity of 87kW means a charge time which the brand quotes at 24 minutes, but this is from 30-80 per cent. Expect closer to 40 minutes for a 10-80 per cent charge.

AC charging is decent, at 11kW. This should have you charging from 10-80 per cent between four and five hours.

To be honest I wasn’t particularly hopeful of an engaging driving experience with the 118i given I have been underwhelmed by the base Mercedes-Benz A-Class. But after a week with the 1 Series, I reckon it might well be the pick of the premium players in this segment.

The 118i is also a much more enjoyable car to drive than the entry-level version of the outgoing X1 SUV with which it shares a powertrain. If you don’t need the extra cargo space or the ride height of the X1, then please test drive the 118i just to see what you’d be missing if you opted for the X1.

BMW has always excelled when it comes to building punchy powertrains for driver’s cars, and that continues to be true, even for its smallest internal combustion unit.

The 103kW/220Nm turbocharged three-pot is smooth yet responsive, offering linear power and torque delivery and acceleration that will bring a smile to your face.

Obviously it’s not as quick as its sportier 1 Series siblings, but make no mistake, you can still have fun in a 118i.

There’s a little bit of lag when taking off and some hesitation from the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission during shifts, but neither are deal-breakers.

That obsession with driver engagement has paid off with the steering which is quick and direct.

The suspension is geared towards dynamism and as a result of that, and the sharp steering, you’ll be seeking out the nearest twisty section of road every time you get behind the wheel. It’s planted in corners with excellent road-holding characteristics.

Unfortunately that dynamic tune, and the low-profile tyres, means the ride is on the firmer side and a little jiggly around town, but it settles at speed. 

In terms of visibility, the 118i has huge B- and C-pillars, small rear side windows and a narrow rear windscreen, so you’ll be relying on the parking sensors and camera. The 11.4m turning circle feels large for a small car, too. 

The cabin is well insulated from some outside noise but coarse chip roads will make their presence felt.

The drive experience can be where a lot of Chinese cars fall down but I walked away less frustrated by the Aion UT.

That’s not to say it will behave as you might expect a low-slung hatchback to. The suspension, for example, is extremely soft as it maintains its original Chinese-market state-of-tune.

This makes the car waft over imperfections on city roads. And in that sense it offers supreme ride comfort in the scenarios it was designed for. However, at the extremes, like some speed bumps, or particularly deep pot holes there can be a surprisingly violent re-bound sending a thud through the cabin.

The other trade-off for soft suspension is less body control. I was surprised to find that the Aion UT holds it together mostly well on a flat country B-road, but when undulations and big dips introduce themselves, the soft suspension can be too slow to react, making the car lose confidence in higher-speed open road scenarios we’re more used to in Australia.

The steering, like many electric cars in this category, is relatively heavily electrically assisted. This makes it light and easy to adjust at low speeds for easy park and maneuverability in the confines of a city. It loses a little bit of road-feel at higher speeds but the Aion UT’s steering is far from the least connected I’ve experienced recently.

One thing it can’t be criticised for is a lack of power. With 150kW instantaneously available the Aion UT has some serious poke and while the ChaoYang tyre package is tuned more for efficiency than grip, it’s again not one of the worst I’ve driven with.

One thing which helps the whole experience along is this car’s hatchback layout. With the weight of the battery low and squat and the wheels all the way out to the edges of the frame, the Aion UT inherently handles decently compared to an electric crossover or small SUV.

Like all Chinese cars, the UT has a host of occasionally frustrating driver aids, which you can read about in the Safety section below. While I was inclined to turn some of the features off after testing them, the alerts are relatively quiet and non-invasive.

Is the UT any good to drive? It’s not bad for the segment, I was largely pleased with how it handled and the power on offer, and while it still has its annoyances, they’re not big deal-breakers. 

The MG4 rear-drive is a better allrounder, while the GWM Ora isn’t as good. I’d say it’s on par with the BYD Dolphin, but they excel in different areas. The Dolphin's a bit sharper in terms of handling but the Aion UT is more comfortable.

As with many Chinese cars the list of active safety equipment is long but that doesn’t mean it’s particularly well calibrated.

Standard gear includes the key stuff like auto emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. There are also rarer features for an affordable car like this including traffic sign recognition, door open warning, auto high beams and front cross-traffic alert.

On the parking front you get a 360-degree parking camera view as well as front and rear proximity sensors.

There's also an annoying driver monitoring system and one I haven’t seen much in the form of an occupant warning system, which seems to imagine you’re not wearing a seatbelt when you are.

It’s not the only safety system I found myself reaching to turn off. The lane keep assist could occasionally be a bit heavy-handed and the traffic sign alert was typically frustrating. This, sadly, is what we’ve come to expect from these types of systems from many Chinese automakers.

It’s not the most annoying system I’ve used, though, and the alerts are quiet enough and far enough apart that they aren't as intrusive as they can be in some rivals. You can also adjust the tolerance of some of the systems in the (needlessly complicated) menus to make them less annoying.

At the launch, the Aion UT was yet to be rated by ANCAP.

BMW continues to offer a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for its models, which is disappointingly a couple of years off most rivals these days.

The German giant also does things a little differently when it comes to servicing. Instead of service schedules, it has ‘condition-based servicing’, which is when the vehicle’s computer will inform you when the car needs a service. 

BMW’s Service Inclusive pre-paid plan runs for five years or 80,000km for the 1 Series, and costs $1700 up front when you buy the car. That averages out to about $340 per service, which isn’t bad for a premium marque.

GAC covers this electric hatch with an eight-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, while the brand’s “magazine battery 2.0” is covered by a separate eight-year and 200,000km warranty. Five years of roadside assistance is included.

The Aion UT needs to be serviced once a year or 15,000km. The service price schedule extends all the way out to 240,000km with yearly visits costing between $199 and $640 but for the life of the warranty the average yearly cost comes in at $352.

There are currently 19 GAC dealers in Australia, confined mainly to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with a single store in Perth and an outlier in Cairns. No representation yet in Tassie, Canberra, the Northern Territory or SA.