2005 BMW 1 Series 118d ES from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing.

I have only had this car for just over a month. It is my first brand new car, but not my first BMW. I have previously owned two 5 series diesels.

My 118d ES is the 'poverty' model (nobody buys the actual base model) with just alloy wheels and manual air conditioning to add to the base spec. In reality though, this is pretty much all you need, everything works well.

The interior layout is great and everything is well made. It doesn't have the luxury feeling of a 5-series, but certainly is miles better than the majority of the competition. Unlike another review there are absolutely no squeaks or rattles the car is solid. The car comes with a quite comprehensive diagnostics system - all levels (including tyres) are checked automatically. The keyless start is quite a novelty and individual settings can be stored in the key when there is more than one driver. The automatic door locking when you exceed about 15mph is a nice touch.

The handling is astonishing - it just hangs on without any fuss at all. The de-tuned 120bhp diesel in the 118d is actually quite fast. Not ridiculously so, but certainly fun to drive. I am getting around 46 miles per gallon, which is nice. You do know the engine is a diesel at idle though, but otherwise an extremely impressive drive. The run flat tyres make for a slightly harsh drive on rough roads.

For those who like their radio, avoid the basic model - it is only just adequate. The better professional model features sub-woofers under the seats and it makes quite a difference.

The car is clearly expensive when you add on the options which is easy to do. The basic one I have (in black so it matches the black plastic) is a great car, but just misses feeling special as it is quite spartan. We got a great deal on the warranty and servicing which swung it for us - it actually worked out cheaper than a used 118d, and I'm hoping the residuals will be good! The exterior styling is something you'll love or hate. The back seat leg-room is limited and the boot is not huge. The car is what it is - a sporty hatch for two people who don't visit Ikea that much!

Glad you like the car, but the automatic locking when you go above 15 mph worries me. If you're in a high speed smash which knocks out the electrics how are you supposed to get out of the car? Kick the windows through?

With the latest cars these days, anything with central locking will unlock incase of an accident bad enough to trigger an airbag. In most places, people do drive with doors locked for security, more so if you are in a BMW! So no real difference whether or not you're in an accident. The electrics will only FACILITATE central locking of the car, mechanical override is always available.

This is nannying nonsense. If you can't be trusted to make a decision to lock the doors or not, you are in no state of mind to take a car out onto the public road. There's nothing to stop you driving the car sideways into a tree at 130 mph, but you can't have the doors unlocked when you do it. The logic is so skewed it's almost comical.

There is no plausible reason at all for the car locking the doors for you. If I want my doors locked I am quite capable of pushing a button. If I don't, I should have that choice. It's not like it's going to affect anyone outside the car.

You do have a choice -- these will include automatic door locking upon movement and unlocking only the driver's door initially. Not absolutely necessary, you're right, but it has its uses.

Good grief!! The auto-lock feature is entirely optional. There is a little lever on the indicator stalk that allows you to set up various preferences, and that's one. I think the rant about not being fit to drive because your doors lock automatically was a bit over the top, wasn't it?

I enjoyed driving a 1 series courtesy car while my ageing 5 series was being fixed the other day. But I wondered why it costs a clear couple of grand more than its competitors. (Golf, Focus, Corolla, Alfa 147.) Seemed to have less space, less kit and wasn't all that pokey. And although I'm not 100% convinced I expect the answer lies in a) build quality b) durability and depreciation and c) driving dynamics. And those dynamics were undeniably impressive. Rear while drive, beautiful balance, taut steering. I think I cld probably be convinced over time.

I'm the original poster of this review.

After 6 months I sold the 118d and bought a 530d M-Sport, which is a whole different car alltogether. Why? Basically, the 1-series just isn't good enough for the money (a lot of money at that) and it ate away at me. The interior is cheap and nasty, the ride actually becomes tiring once the novelty has worn off and nobody, but nobody will be impressed. After about 50 people has said "well it isn't a proper BMW is it" I had had enough.

If you must drive a Beemer, a used 3-series makes much more sense than the 1 series. Actually, a used 5-series makes even more sense. They are actually all much the same money as the initial depreciation on the bigger cars seems greater. Seek out a nice 330d or 530d and be happy :-)

I fully concur with the post that states that buying a used 3 or 5 is a much better proposition than a new 1, after haven travelled down a similar path myself.

I wrote the first review of the 1 series on this site - "Brilliant, but Not For Everyone" - on my 120d, which impressed initially, but soon became a pain owing to the numerous faults that developed.

I finally ditched the lemon at eight months at great financial loss and got myself a used 330d and it's so much better - more comfortable, greater oomph and less problems that the dealers don't know how to fix.

I have read the previous comments on this review with some amusement. The 1 series is the entry level BMW and does not suggest it is anything else. It competes, as I understand it, with the Audi A3, the Volvo C30 and perhaps upper end Golfs. These are cars aimed, unashamedly, at young, single professionals or couples, who want a prestige badge at a relatively affordable price. I drive a '06 BMW 320D and would not even consider a 1 series, although they are a really entertaining car to drive, especially the 120D. Perhaps years ago when I was moving up from a Golf I would have considered one had they been available. Why anyone would compare a 1 series with a 5 series is completely beyond me - of course it's not going to feel as luxurious, or as well made, or as substantial - but did you honestly expect it to be? In relation to people saying that the 1 series is not a 'real BMW', well it is, 100% so! You could argue that the A3 is just a Golf in designer clothes or that the C30 is a Ford Focus in gym gear, but the 1 series is 100% BMW, so get over it!

Sorry, but I could not disagree more.

The 1 series has a BMW badge on it and that means that it MUST deliver the expected BMW quality/ride/benefits. The ONLY difference between it and the higher level models should be the level of equipment.

If BMW can't build a proper small BMW then it should not have the badge, just like Lexus doesn't put its badge on a Yaris.

BMW and Mercedes failed in America with their small cars, but the reasons had nothing to do with size and everything to do with quality. Lo and behold, Audi brings over the A3 wagon featuring the SAME quality as its siblings and it becomes a hit. Surprise surprise.

BMW should learn this lesson and build QUALITY in ALL their vehicles.

So what about the Mini then?

<<So what about the Mini then?>>

I was talking BMW-branded, mainly a car that was larger than the Mini. And the Mini, one of the greatest cars on the road today, has horrible reliability, which is why I didn't get one. Squeaks and rattles are a pet peeve of mine, and I don't think I could live with them no matter how great the drive.

BMW 120d M Sport. An absolute pleasure to drive. The rear wheel drive propels the car away from any set of lights faster than most company cars. No fatigue noticed when travelling long journeys. On minor roads the stiffened sports suspension can be slightly bumpy.

M Sport suspension can be a little bumpy on minor roads? That's putting it too mildly. Even the standard suspension is way too uncomfortable on good suburban streets.

Maybe I am getting old, but the run flat tyres really destroy any ride comfort the 1 series could have had and some owners who have switched to normal tyres report that it is a more comfortable car with no loss in handling precision.

The 1 series just exacerbates the runflat problem because it has a shorter wheelbase. Every review of the 3 series I've read has complained about the runflats regardless of model or driving conditions.

Sometime technology can be a bad thing, and runflats are a prime example. Why should you suffer ALL the time in expectation of the one time you might hit a nail?