BMW 1 series 118d 2011 Review

From its debut in 2004 the 1 Series hatch has copped criticism - for its performance or its looks. Almost eight years on, the 1 Series is still with us and BMW has launched the second generation. We drove a very new and improved 118d for a week see to what it had to offer.

VALUE

Yep, it's a little hatchback, but it's a BMW and it'll cost you at least double the price of a Holden Barina. The base model 1 Series, the 116i turbo petrol, starts at $36,900, the lowest priced BMW. The 118i, its bigger petrol brother, is $42,800, while the 118d turbo diesel tested by Carsguide sells for $43,500. Barinas and Beemers are no threat to each other - it's the Golf GTD that keeps the BMW 118d awake. The GTD has more power and torque than the 118d for less, at $41,790. But BMW beats Volkswagen for cachet.

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Standard features aren't the 1 Series's strength. For all models, you pay for satnav ($2695), metallic paint ($1310), leather upholstery, auto transmission ($3695), heated and powered seats, alarm, rear-view camera and luggage compartment net. Above the base, you've got the Urban Line and Sport Line trims. Urban Line adds $1600 in the 118d and buys a sport leather steering wheel, 17-inch alloy wheels, cloth leather upholstery and not much else.

You can't measure a BMW's value by kit. The value is in its brilliant engineering.

TECHNOLOGY

The 118d has a revamped version of the 2.0-litre turbo four it had previously. The changes are good for torque, up 20Nm to 320Nm, but power stays at 105kW -- plenty of oomph for a car weighing only 1320kg.

Our car had the eight-speed automated manual transmission. In auto it's super smooth and in manual it's good for fast shifts. Fuel economy in the 118d is excellent at 4.5L/100km thanks in part to the stop-start function, which cuts the engine after it decides you've been idling too long. There's also an energy recovery braking system.

I averaged 6.1L/100km, having switched off the stop-start function and left the car in manual mode to keep the revs high for more power, too.

DESIGN

It's hot from the front, not bad from the back and I try not to look at it from the side - that beak and bottom shouldn't be on the same car. The 2012 1 Series car is 85mm longer and 17mm wider than the old model and is the same height. It's gained a new, rounded nose and grille with larger triangular headlights, and indicator lights on the wing mirrors.

Inside is typical BMW - less Chesterfield couch and more like modern office furniture. There's 21mm more leg room in the back but I still can't sit behind my driving position. Then again, I am tall. Boot size is up to 360 litres.

SAFETY

It has five-star Euro crash rating. Front passenger head, body and side airbags, plus ABS and traction control. Seatbelt pretensioners are standard.

DRIVING

It's all about the driving with BMWs, right down to the near perfect seating.

Get in any Beemer and it's as if those German technicians have secretly obtained your measurements and fitted the driver's seat while you were sleeping.

Even in this entry level car the focus on driving is sharp. You don't want to get out of cars that are this good to drive. When I finish my usual route, instead of turning down my street, I keep going.

A tad slow to 100km/h (8.9sec), but rear-wheel drive, big torque, excellent chassis tuning and a turbo that delivers quickly makes the little 118d huge fun.

VERDICT

It's a posh hot hatch that comes at a price but in return you get a drive that'll beat almost everything.

RATING

BMW 118d URBAN LINE

Price: $45,100
Warranty: 3 years/100,000km
Resale: 55 %
Service: 15,000/12 months
Safety: 6 airbags, ABS, DSC, CBC, DTC
Crash rating: five stars
Engine: 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo diesel
Body: five door hatch
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Thirst: 4.5L/100km.