BMW 118d 2010 Review

BMW can be first pick for people who aspire to automotive quality and, for entrants to the marque, the starting point is often the least expensive 1-Series range. 

And that's a shame. Because compared with the next step up - the commendable 3-Series - the junior models are spartan, cramped for room, not particularly refined and are overpriced.

But it wears the BMW badge and that's generally what owners want their neighbours to choke over.  Don't think I'm discounting BMW. It is a master of blending performance with low fuel use and minimal emissions and its engineers are among the world's cleverest.

It is just that BMW charges a big premium for its products and in many cases that isn't justified against rivals who can match - and often exceed - its quality levels.

Take the 118d Convertible here. It's a small ragtop sedan with a manual gearbox and diesel engine. Technically, it uses the latest fuel-saving methods such as stop-go, a gearshift indicator and regenerative braking to boost the battery.

Pricing and market

It costs $52,900. For practical purposes, it rivals the Audi A3 2.0TSFI ($54,000); Ford Focus Cabriolet ($45,490); Lexus IS250 ($76,900); Mini Cooper Cabrio ($39,800); Peugeot 308CC automatic diesel ($51,490); Renault Megane CC ($46,490); Saab 9-3 diesel ($67,996); VW Beetle ($37,700); VW Eos diesel ($46,990); and Volvo C70 ($59,990).

There's a lot of stiff competition there. Shaving the list back, the diesel competition is the Eos, the Saab and the Peugeot.  Why anyone in Australia wants to pay $50,000 plus for a diesel and a manual gearbox directly answers why we still hold referendums over daylight saving.

In Europe, where drivers drive and maximising fuel has become a national sport, such a model is a no brainer. In Australia, you'd be regarded as cheap.

Driving

But though it has price and simplicity and a small cabin and a clutch pedal against it, the little 118d Convertible has a certain charm.  It is utterly relaxed on freeways and has gobs of torque to minimise gearshifts.

The engine is modest in power yet is more lively than the equivalent Audi 2.0TDI and feels more free revving.  But the penalty is the slightly more fuel thirst. It averaged 6.3 l/100km, compared with the Audi's 5.7 l/100km.

It is not an especially quiet car. The 2-litre turbo-diesel - it's not a 1.8 despite the badge - is a lovely unit with plenty of willingness and even some life above 3500rpm when other diesels start asphyxiating.  It is torquey and though may suffocate when under about 1500rpm, pulls like a locomotive above that engine speed.

This prodigious torque makes for lazy gearchanges and habitually cog skipping, especially fifth to third when approaching a tight corner, and from fourth to sixth when joining the freeway. It is a relaxed engine that is easy to live with.

The handling is excellent and the steering is pin sharp. The rear-drive layout is BMW's great marketing platform.  The manufacturer claims this offers technically the best handling and driving experience and yet fails to mention that it also robs the car of an awful lot of occupant and cargo room.

BMW is correct - this rear drive car handles beautifully. The sadness is that most - and I mean a big most - of its owners wouldn't know it.
They've bought a blue and white badge and on the life of their grandmothers would probably not know the difference between a front-wheel drive and a rear-wheel drive car.

I suspect BMW engineers, quietly, think that's a travesty.  Though the ride is firmer than the rivals - attributed to the run-flat tyres - the thin seats are actually comfortable and reasonably supportive.

There's good room for the front occupants but precious little in the rear, which is best left to children.  The rear seat's lack of room isn't helped by its uncomfortable near-vertical seat back.  The boot is also compact, despite the lack of a spare wheel.

A lack of personal storage space - there's only one cupholder and it's so close to the gearshift lever that its awkward to change gears - combined with thin apertures in the door and a tiny glovebox is bloody annoying. I had water bottles rolling around on the passenger footwell because there was no other handy space.

And I whinge and grizzle until I drop the car's fabric top. Then the car gains character. It becomes something more than just a small, expensive European.

Then it doesn't matter about the small boot and the lack of legroom in the rear. The simple plastics that in assemblage make up the dashboard become insignificant compared with the sunshine and the smell of a West Coast winter morning.

You don't notice the diesel rumble and forget to change gear by hand. The visibility issue disappears and you're starting to smile.
It becomes a neat little car that you really start to enjoy. The pity is that all this disappears when the roof has to come back up.

Rating: 82/100

Rivals

Peugeot 308CC HDi ($51,490) 84/100
Saab 9-3 Convertible diesel ($67,996) 78/100
Volkswagen Eos TDI ($46,990) 88/100

BMW 118d CONVERTIBLE

Price: $52,900
Engine: 2-litre, 4-cyl, turbo-diesel
Power: 105kW @ 4000rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
0-100km/h: 9.5 seconds
Top speed: 208km/h
Fuel: Diesel
Fuel tank: 51 litres
Economy (official): 4.9 litres/100km
Economy (tested): 6.3 litres/100km
Greenhouse: 129g/km (Corolla: 175g/km)
Transmission: 6-speed manual; rear-drive
Brakes: 4-wheel discs, ESC, ABS, EBD, brake assist
Turning circle: 10.8m
Suspension: Front _ MacPherson struts; Rear _ multi-link, coils
Wheels: 17-inch alloy, 205/50R17 run-flat tyres; no spare
Length: 4360mm
Width: 1919mm (w/mirrors)
Height: 1411mm
Wheelbase: 2660mm
Weight: 1475kg
Tow (max): 1200kg
Warranty: 3yr/unlimited km, roadside assist
Service: 15,000km