BMW 118d

AthlonTom · 24 Jan 2007 at 00:14

Just picked up a brand new one of these yesterday, I had my reservations but after putting some miles on it today I have to say its an excellent car.

And the thing about the 118 is you can get them chipped to 190 Bhp @ 392Nm of torgue! Thats a ridicules amount for a car of this size!

The steerings very positive and it feels a lot more nimble than the 3 Y/O 320D I just got rid of, I'm loving the keyless ignition. Its the same engine as my old car too, yet the one series is a lot lighter, the car seems to feel like the rough speed equivilant of the latest Vectra TD.

Did a mixture of motorway and town driving today and got 44.8 MPG too so its a winner on that front.

Who'd have a focus over one of these?! Anyone else got one?

Psycrow · 24 Jan 2007 at 00:29

How much did you pay for it and what age etc is it?
I personally don't like them. I just can't get over how wrong they look. I've never been in one etc so couldn't comment on performace. I'd imagine they are well put together etc but like I said, I just cant get over the look.

AthlonTom · 24 Jan 2007 at 00:31

Tis brandspanking new

I think its got justt under 200 Miles on it, the cars from BMW finance so I get it for 90K or 3 years, whatever come first and then give it back

Morba · 24 Jan 2007 at 00:35

AthlonTom said:
Tis brandspanking new I think its got justt under 200 Miles on it, the cars from BMW finance so I get it for 90K or 3 years, whatever come first and then give it back

would you mind telling us how much the finance is?
would be interested in hearing how much bmw charge for sometihng like this!

AthlonTom · 24 Jan 2007 at 00:36

Morba said:
would you mind telling us how much the finance is?
would be interested in hearing how much bmw charge for sometihng like this!

Its around 400 a month - all servicing maintenance etc is in on that too.

Rotty · 24 Jan 2007 at 00:42

is it that high beacuse of the mileage ? my mate has just got a pcp on a new 330d coupe for £450

jamoor · 24 Jan 2007 at 01:09

I drove a prefacelift one - pretty poor actually, doesnt seem to do much better than a focus really, didnt have that great ambience to it either.

Mr_Sukebe · 24 Jan 2007 at 07:16

Nice motor.
I really rate the 1 series, for one thing, it's a good 200kg lighter than the 3, meaning that in theory, should have the edge in handling. IMO the best "hatch" on the market (at least to drive).

AnastieByte · 24 Jan 2007 at 07:23

I just got a 2004 320D SE. The car was delayed so they lent me a new 118D sport. At first I did not like the look of the car at all. But after 2 weeks of driving it it grew on me. As for the driving experience it was fun and like you loved the keyless ignition

In the end I was sad to hand it back.

Berger · 24 Jan 2007 at 07:28

I drove one on Monday, certainly didnt feel as quick as it was rated.

The pedals were a bit strange with them being hinged, and a little close together for my liking and i didnt think the 6 speed gearbox was really needed.

Vertigo · 24 Jan 2007 at 07:36

AthlonTom said:
I'm loving the keyless ignition

Can I ask why? We debated this here recently and came to the general conclusion that it was an utterly pointless gimmick

Its the same engine as my old car too

Err, not it's not. Your old 320d would have had 150bhp, the 118d has 120bhp.

Who'd have a focus over one of these?!

TBH, I probably would as I find the car so ugly, inside and out, but then it's not designed to compete with the Focus, it's designed to compete with the A3 and possibly the Golf. I know what I'd have

AthlonTom · 24 Jan 2007 at 08:11

Vertigo1 said:
Err, not it's not. Your old 320d would have had 150bhp, the 118d has 120bhp.

The BMW mechanic said its the same engine, they make them all the same to keep costs down then just chip them in different ways to fill gaps in the market (190 Bhp with a piggyback chip).

The car feels a lot more responsive than the new shaped focus, I can't decide about the A3 fast back though, the Audi might have a bit of an edge.

[TW]Fox · 24 Jan 2007 at 08:17

Hmmm, having driven the 1 Series I'm not sure I agree with your appraisal that it's an excellent car. I think it's a missed opportunity, frankly. The interior is cheap in places, the standard specification is often frankly bizarre (the 120d Sport I had for a few days had dual zone climate yet no cruise) and as for the 118d - the performance is merely acceptable. In Sport form the ride is simply annoying - it isn't nicely damped so you often find yourself bouncing around on dual carriageways etc.

Plus it looks like a boot with wheels.

I found the E90 3 Series to be a better car in every possible way and after 3 seperate week-long drives of various 1 Series am still left trying to wonder why people would spend £20,000 on these cars.

It'd be a decent Focus rival if it was £6k cheaper. But it isn't, so it isn't.

Dolph · 24 Jan 2007 at 10:18

Rotty said:
is it that high beacuse of the mileage ? my mate has just got a pcp on a new 330d coupe for £450

I'd guess because it's a fully maintained contract hire rather than a PCP plan (which requires a deposit and final payment, and includes no maintaince unless you've paid the BMW option for servicing, which is a damn good deal anyway)

Housey · 24 Jan 2007 at 10:22

Rotty said:
is it that high beacuse of the mileage ? my mate has just got a pcp on a new 330d coupe for £450

Number of reasons as I see it:

1: It's a company lease, so no VAT on that £400
2: It's based on a mileage of 30K per annum which is typically higher than most private arrangements
3: It's inclusive on maintenance
4: There would typically be no down payment other than 3 months up front
5: His company may also get fleet discounts, so they are not leasing full value

Typically a company lease will be much less than a personal lease at this level.

Vertigo · 24 Jan 2007 at 11:48

AthlonTom said:
The BMW mechanic said its the same engine, they make them all the same to keep costs down then just chip them in different ways to fill gaps in the market (190 Bhp with a piggyback chip).

Actually you're right, they're both versions of the same basic unit, the M47, although the old 320d used the M47TUD20 whilst the 118d (and 120d,318d,320d,520d) use a newer revision, the M47TU2D20. Fundamentally the same engine just tweaked a bit

Raymond Lin · 24 Jan 2007 at 12:28

So the company or you pay £400 a month for 3 years (£14,400) and then have to return the car at the end of it?

Housey · 24 Jan 2007 at 12:35

Raymond Lin said:
So the company or you pay £400 a month for 3 years (£14,400) and then have to return the car at the end of it?

It is a company lease I believe so yes he will have to return the car. No point trying to compare it to a capital purchase either because there are many other factors to consider.

AthlonTom · 24 Jan 2007 at 19:53

housemaster said:
It is a company lease I believe so yes he will have to return the car. No point trying to compare it to a capital purchase either because there are many other factors to consider.

Yeah - it includes insurance and stuff, I can take the car to any garage and get new tyres, will be billed direct to BMW, anything goes wrong, they come get the car and drop another one off or something.

Just went and filled the tank on it, I went in to pay and the guy asked me if I'd just stolen it, I guess people really do prejudge BMW drivers like mentioned in the thread we got going at the minute. I evidently don't look like a **** - which is reasuring!

NickXX · 24 Jan 2007 at 20:15

AthlonTom said:
Just went and filled the tank on it, I went in to pay and the guy asked me if I'd just stolen it, I guess people really do prejudge BMW drivers like mentioned in the thread we got going at the minute. I evidently don't look like a **** - which is reasuring!

I got asked to look into the CCTV camera once when paying for fuel :mad:

BMW 118d

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