BMW 1 SERIES

[rhubarb39]

So I'm looking at the above.. Any good/bad points
Petrol 1.6

Generally less space in the back vs competitors due to transmission tunnel. Average build quality and reliability. 1.6 will be gutless.

Whether or not the 1.6 is gutless depends on how much guts you want it to have. The 1.6 petrol develops 136 bhp, and does 0-62 in 8.5 seconds. Many people would consider that to be perfectly adequate for normal day-to-day motoring, including continental motorway driving within speed limits..

The point about the transmission tunnel is well made, but increasingly many fwd cars also have such a tunnel, so that the manufacturers can use the same floor pan for 4wd or hybrid variants, so do beware of this.

With a non-transverse mounted rwd vehicle, the engine takes up a greater proportion of the overall length of the vehicle, resulting in less space elsewhere, and this is also important.

You might also like to look at the 2 Series Active Tourer. Transverse engine and fwd. Better space utilisation, but still has the transmission tunnel dividing the rear seats (for the reasons stated above). So it's really a four-and-a-half seater. It's not that much more expensive than the 1 Series but it's much more roomy. It's a very nice car.

I’ve had one, nice to drive but if it gets remotely frosty don’t bother trying to drive it

I have a diesel 1.6, The Eco model. It's brilliant. 100% reliable (have I just jinxed myself?!), 60mpg around town. Engine cuts out when stationary and starts as soon as needed. Love it.

Whether or not the 1.6 is gutless depends on how much guts you want it to have. The 1.6 petrol develops 136 bhp, and does 0-62 in 8.5 seconds

We don’t know which generation the OP is referring to. But even the 136bhp version is crap, a 116i is a poverty BMW and I’d be looking elsewhere.

My friend has a BMW 1 series and totally hates the rear wheel drive

1 Series in that guise is pretty shit. And pointless.

I'd be spending my money elsewhere.

It's tiny inside. I kept mine for all of three months before swapping it for 2series active tourer which is so much roomier

I used to have the two litre one, I bloody loved that car, was like shit off a shovel and brilliant to drive. So I couldn't comment on thr 1.6, I'd test drive it, but would assume it would be fairly nippy.

It was however very light though, and you weren't going anywhere in the snow. I didn't feel it was tiny.

I used to have the two litre one, I bloody loved that car, was like shit off a shovel and brilliant to drive.

Adequate at best, hardly some kind of rocket ship!