The BMW 130i is the big winner of the long-term test ranking by one of Germany’s leading car journals, Auto Bild. Covering 100,000 kilometres or more than 62,000 miles without the slightest problem, BMW’s sporting compact not only achieved the best result throughout the whole of 2009, but also took over overall leadership among all cars ever tested over this distance. In response, the professional car testers gave the BMW 130i their 1+ grade (equal to AAA) and acknowledged BMW’s sporting performer as the “Best Auto Bild Long-Term Test Car of All Time”.
Apart from highlighting the car’s supreme reliability, the testers also lauded the outstanding driving pleasure offered by their car, waxing lyrical time and again in particular about the powerful, fast-revving and very efficient straight-six power unit.
This immaculate result achieved by the BMW 130i is the most outstanding outcome of the numerous long-term tests conducted by Auto Bild in 2009. BMW’s five-door athlete completed its 100,000-km marathon within approximately 1 ½ years, covering both short trips and long journeys on the autobahn. The car completed this demanding challenge without the slightest incident and with both oil consumption and brake pad wear remaining extremely low throughout the entire test period.
In their final report the testers also acknowledged the high level of quality they consistently enjoyed with the BMW 130i even after its ongoing stress test. Their bottom line was that this “zero-defect car” did not show even the slightest signs of wear and tear.
All models in the BMW 1 Series combine exemplary reliability with premium quality and fascinating driving pleasure. The BMW 130i offers particularly impressive sportiness and performance with its 3.0-litre straight-six power unit featuring fully variable VALVETRONIC valve management and maximum output of 190 kW/258 hp. Accelerating from a standstill to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, this outstanding five-door compact, thanks to its wide range of technologies based on BMW EfficientDynamics, consumes an average of just 8.5 litres/100 kilometres (equal to 33.2 mpg imp) in the EU test cycle.
A further feature equally unique in the compact segment is rear-wheel drive typical of BMW which, together with the car’s demanding suspension technology, precise steering, powerful and highly responsive brakes as well as DSC Dynamic Stability Control with its equally smooth response, helped to make the BMW 130i not only the most reliable, but also a particularly popular contender within the fleet of test cars driven by the editors of Auto Bild.
Another BMW also in production today already came right at the top of Auto Bild’s ranking in 2008, the BMW 320i Touring covering the entire distance of 100,000 kilometres without one single breakdown or any unscheduled visits to the workshop. Registering just three minor defects in the course of the entire test, the BMW 320i Touring likewise scored the top grade awarded by the editors, a “1”, thus currently ranking No 5 in Auto Bild’s eternal list of long-term test cars.
I remember first seeing the 1 Series back in September 2004 – also my first trip to Bavaria. I came with my dad to a BMW dealership in Rosenheim, a city 40 miles away from Munich.
The showroom was rather small, with only 5 or 6 cars on display. While my father was drooling around the X5, I was hoping to see the back then brand new 1 Series. The car was released just in the peak of the “Bangle revolution” – BMW sales were soaring, the press was disgusted by the radical new designs and the loyal fans were writing petitions against good ol’ Chris Bangle.
I was rather disappointed when the salesman said that the 1 Series isn’t available to display yet, but the first examples will be ready for a week or so. Too bad, I thought, I’ll be just 500 miles away then, and I’ll see the car somewhere in January, if lucky. Angry, I walked to the parking lot where our E46 3 Series was parked, just near the service facilities. I was looking forward to see this car all summer, almost every motoring magazine had called it ugly and too radical, with minimalistic interior and cramped rear seats so I was rather eager too see if they were right.
As I approached our car, I stood in shock for several seconds – behind the service garage, there was a pristine new, silvery-blue 1 Series. Obviously, the car had arrived several hours before, the staff were still cleaning all the protective layers from its wheels.
I instantly knew that I love it – the radical design everyone was talking about looked spectacular in person. And while it had the form of a regular hatchback, it was nothing like one. The wheelbase was incredibly long with short overhangs and the bonnet was flat (unlike many other MPV-looking hatches) and long. The contours of the car were also something I’ve never seen before, with deep side flanks and complex concave-convex shapes.
In short, it was nothing like your typical family hatch.
As I walked around the car, this unusual new shape has made perfect sense: this was a car for individuals, being sporty without even starting it’s engine. The guys who were washing it have recognized my enthusiasm and they were more than welcome to let me check out the interior.
Inside, things were even better: the seating position was perfect, very low and snug, while the cabin felt a bit tight, but undeniably sporty. The dash was indeed minimalistic but in a good way, all buttons and dials were reduced to minimum and the whole center console was angled towards the driver. Panels were also following the exterior theme, with deep flanks in the door panels and concave shapes in the upper console. It had really looked as if the car was designed by a real designer, not a computer program. Almost every detail was unique, yet followed the general design theme of the whole car, starting from silvery door handles to the air inlet up front.
Excited, I left the parking lot thinking when will got the chance to drive one, it was so individual, so modern and so BMW – a perfect mix of traditional BMW values in a entirely new class of cars.
Even the marketing campaign was just like the car – you’d have to look deep to understand it. Several months after, BMW started airing the TV commercials for the 1 Series – starring Kermit the frog. The basic concept was quite simple – Kermit drives the 1 around the desert, stops to avoid the (real) frog and then goes along backed up with the slogan “Fahrfreude in der Kompaktklasse” – Joy of driving in the compact class.
It may seem pretty stale and bland, but it’s actually quite different than that.
When saying that the 1 Series is the joy of driving in the compact class, BMW makes a pretty bold statement there – it means that before the 1 Series, there was absolutely no joy in driving any other car from its class and that the 1 Series is the only car in its class to bring joy to its driver.
In many ways, that is true, specially when you consider that BMWs are always to best to drive in their class, so the smallest should be no exception.
Furthermore, it has everything that a classic BMW has, but no one in the compact class has: rear-wheel drive, perfect 50:50 weight distribution, short front overhang, aluminum front suspension and five-link rear suspension.
The reactions were mixed, the press was impressed with its handling and refinement, but the interior space and design were heavily criticized.
For example, Jeremy Clarkson said that “the 1-series is a ghastly little car with very little interior space, a boot the size of a matchbox and bread-van styling, but to drive it’s lovely.”
After the initial reactions have cooled, it is obvious that the 1 Series is a success – it is BMW’s third best-selling car, just behind the 5 Series and with the introduction of the new 2-door, coupe and convertible variants in 2007, it came second.
More recently, the 118d version was named as the 2008 World Green Car of the Year – with consumption and emissions comparable to Toyota Prius.
But the highest praise the car has ever received came few months ago, when Auto Bild stated that their long-term test 130i had absolutely no failures or defects, making it the most reliable car the magazine has EVER tested in their history.
Even now, my love for the 1 Series is still strong as it was on the day I first saw it. I’ve also got the chance to try one and it was as good as I expected it to be. When compared to its rivals, the 1 Series still looks fresh and the chassis and engines are still unmatched. After all, the competitors come from Audi, the A3, a rebadged VW Golf, and Mercedes A/B Class – practical but quite terrible to drive.
The convertible and coupe versions are even better in eyes of some, with the 135i coupe receiving five stars from Jeremy Clarkson, while the guys from Fifth Gear have tested it against Porsche Cayman (and won).
Too bad it took so long for everybody to realize how good this car is. Compromising comfort and space to make its driver feel good is unusual in this class and this stubbornness makes the 1 Series so special.
The next generation will debut sometimes in 2011 and judging by the first spy shots, it will adopt a more conventional look.
While there is no doubt that technically, it will be the class leader, I’m afraid that its distinctive character will be lost. Or are we in for a surprise….?
Time will tell, but for now, the One is my only one.
We return with another interesting review from Down Under where our aussie fellas over at Brisbane Times tested the BMW 118d Hatchback. Even though they name the 118d, BMW’s most fuel efficient car, the truth is that the “2008 World Green Car of the Year” was recently “demoted” to the ….second most fuel efficient bimmer. BMW’s 116d Hatchback, another model not available in the U.S. market, has become the EfficientDynamics flagship.
But without any further ado, let’s find out more about the car and BMW’s plans in Australia:
“118d hatchback takes fuel economy battle to hybrids but is even better to drive. We also sample twin-turbo diesel versions of the 1-Series hatch and convertible coming to Australia at the end of the year.
BMW’s 1-Series is set to surpass the fuel efficiency of the current Toyota Prius within a few years with a range of three-cylinder turbo engines, but for now there’s a model that still comes close.
The 118d hatch will arrive in Australia in December as BMW’s most fuel efficient car, using just 4.5 litres per 100km according to official fuel consumption figures. And cleanest, with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 119g/km.
The five-door, voted 2008 World Green Car of the Year, forms just a tenth of a new group of 1-Series models that will see BMW’s smallest car range outnumber its biggest-selling range, the 3-Series.”
We might not be lucky to get the BMW 1 Series hatchback in the U.S., but this doesn’t stop us from bringing you car reviews around the world. The Aussie fellows at CarAdvice spent some time behind the wheel of a 5-door BMW 120d Hatchback.
“Marrying sharp driving dynamics and strong performance credentials with drip-sipping fuel consumption figures and a low carbon footprint sounds like a match that, if not already deep in couple’s therapy, is well en route to a bitter divorce.
In fact most so-called green vehicles are about as exciting to drive a fun park go-kart – you know, the ones that couldn’t fight their way out of the proverbial wet paper bag – a stigma I’m certain no self-discerning driving enthusiast would dare want gracing their garage.
BMW’s Efficient Dynamics program has set about changing the ‘green means gutless’ philosophy with a range of cars that finally melds the best of both worlds expectation that, until now, has been sorely lacking.
Combining on-road substance with environmental responsibility the 120d features a powerful yet lean 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine mated to a slick shifting six-speed manual gearbox and intelligent stop-start technology.
The result is an eager performing five-door hatch capable of accelerating from rest to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds whilst simultaneously delivering a hybrid-esque fuel consumption figure of just 5.2L/100km (combined, as tested).”
BMW 1 Series Hatchback models are not part of the 1 Series fleet in the U.S., but BMW sells them across the world with the largest sale numbers registered in Europe. Many BMW fans have been hoping to see similar models in the U.S. as well, but BMW has never confirmed any future plans to sell them in the american market.
In the past, several 1 Series Hatchback models have been still spotted on U.S. soil, some of them registered them in Mexico to embassy diplomats while others belonging to BMW suppliers (Bosch).
One of our readers, Dal, spotted another 1 Series Hatch in Los Angeles and unfortunately, we’re going to shatter your dreams: the car is still registered in Mexico and not an actual test mule.
The next generation 1 Series is due in 2011 and we’re hoping that along with the four-cylinder engines, the 5-door hatchback style will make it across the ocean also.
