If you want the rear wheels to be involved in propelling your 1 Series, you’ll have to go for that M135i, which can send power to the rear axle to maintain grip, BMW says. That’s truly disappointing for a brand that holds driver involvement as a cornerstone. In a 118i with the standard steering and suspension, the helm feels completely lifeless – as if it’s connected to a games console. The bad news doesn’t end at torque steer. Luckily, the 118i doesn’t make a lot of power, so the tramlining effect is fairly limited. What could possibly go wrong? If Audi, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Ford (Fiesta ST) can build great FWD cars, why not BMW? Well, if you’ve ever driven a Mini Cooper S, you’ll know that BMW can mess it up by allowing torque steer to overwhelm the front wheels. It’s almost reminiscent of the fits of hysteria elicited by announcements from Porsche and Ferrari that they will build SUVs. The Brits simply buy far more cars than South Africans.įor BMW fans and fanboys the thought of a BMW powering the front wheels only doesn’t sit easy. Consider this: In the UK, you can also choose diesel power for your 1 Series, the options being the 116d, 118d, 120d and 120d xDrive. That’s right – there are only two engine options.
Why not just choose a more powerful engine, we hear you say? Unfortunately, that will add well over R200 000 to the price, because the ‘next one up’ is the BMW M135i. Owners could also feel cheated, because under the hood of the BMW 318i sits a perfectly capable 2-litre engine with 115 kW and 250 Nm. This gives them faster sprint times and higher top speeds too, without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The problem is that the familiar 1.4-litre in the Audi A3 35 TFSI and the 1.3-litre in the Mercedes-Benz A200 (both 4-cylinder engines) make 110 kW / 250 Nm and 120 kW / 250 Nm respectively. It’s not fair to describe its power delivery as inadequate, not when considering its output figures of 103 kW and 220 Nm, enough for a 0-100 sprint of 8.5 seconds and a 213 km/h top speed.
It is sometimes rough on start-up, waking up with a shudder, like an antiquated diesel engine. The 3-cylinder in the 118i doesn’t have all that much going for it. Some of them, like the mills from Peugeot, Citroën and Toyota, have character in spades. In essence, there’s nothing wrong with a three-cylinder engine.
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