"Careful sir, this is a very powerful car!"
Discussion
ORD said:
benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
ORD said:
benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
ORD said:
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.
I couldn't agree more. I'm sure he was serious though, or was a decent actor. Interestingly he's not there anymore, I presume he was left traumatised when he had to move my mighty 120D round the car park. That felt like a rocket on the way home after the 116!Kawasicki said:
ORD said:
benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
A tale from Sir Jackie Stewart, a signed up member of the Driving God Club.
Apparently, he hated being a passenger in almost any car,as once he was recognised the pilot would then tried to impress JYS with his driving skill.
As a F1 driver known for his smooth technique,this would not tend to be appreciated!
Apparently, he hated being a passenger in almost any car,as once he was recognised the pilot would then tried to impress JYS with his driving skill.
As a F1 driver known for his smooth technique,this would not tend to be appreciated!
ORD said:
Drive one. It is a turd. The stats don't tell you a great deal because these small turbo engines are thoroughly unresponsive and slow unless you absolutely give it the beans. It is pretty much binary no power or full whack, which is fine for getting a 0-60mph time but pretty much the worst of all worlds for driving.
I don't need to drive one, I've got an old 318is, which also needs to be thrashed, but even then it is slower than a 116i. So it is slow. Why then, on the increasingly rare occasions I get to use all of the pathetic performance it offers, do I spend most of the time at over 100mph?benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
This is why they sell so many of the lower range models when people come out with comments like that about a 116i and punters get sucked in, I wouldn't mind being a BMW salesman but I would imagine I would hardly earn any money because I would try to sell customers the top of the range models rather than the bottom.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
The bottom end is where all the money/profit is though so you can see why the team at BMW are told to say hilarious stuff like this.
Kawasicki said:
ORD said:
benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
But the 114i is available. With a beastly 100bhp. Wow!!!
clonmult said:
Kawasicki said:
ORD said:
benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
But the 114i is available. With a beastly 100bhp. Wow!!!
Here's a review that gives a counter argument for the 116i....
On paper the 8.5s 0-100km/h-sprint time is unremarkable, yet a favourable power-to-weight ratio and a considered stack of gear rations means that – as long as you’re willing to whack that accelerator pedal – the 1290kg 116i’s performance repertoire is quite a compelling thing to behold.
Aided by a weighty spring-loaded six-speed manual with an oily mechanical feel that does much to connect the F20 with its earlier 3 Series ancestors, the baby BMW steps off the line smartly, as then keeps on coming on strongly, as the turbo then subtly but emphatically kicks in.
If you’re up for a GTI-style thrash, there’s a wave of torque available right up to and beyond the 6500rpm limit, for a spirited and stimulating experience that’s coupled with a deep veneer of mechanical refinement.
Call it heresy but BMW’s TwinPower engines rival the old straight sixes for silky smoothness and everyday useable performance, yet deliver impressive economy figures that everybody can appreciate. How does 7.6L/100km sound even after sustained city and inner-urban driving combined with plenty of back-road blasting?
The seamless Stop/Start system certainly plays a role here, as does the Brake Energy Regeneration system that redirects otherwise wasted kinetic energy into acceleration forces.
If only the Bavarians could synthesise a similar exhaust note…
More good news is garnered from the steering – a pure and unadulterated affair thanks to the 1 Series’ unique rear-drive status.
While keener drivers will revel in a fabulous concoction of feel and feedback (the helm is electrically powered, after all) coupled with an underlying sense of stability and security, it is the F20’s newfound front-end lightness and crispness compared to the preceding set-up that will endear the 116i to most everybody else.
It’s the classic ‘having your cake and eating it’ scenario. Hot hatchists can have a hoot of a time barrelling along a curvy mountain bypass with the precisely calibrated ESC in Sport mode for a bit of tail-wagging fun, while granddad can potter about blissfully unaware of the sheer balance and buffoonery that’s possible.
From the brakes that tirelessly keep everything in check to the squat roadholding, what we’re saying here is that the 116i is pure old-school BMW.
Kawasicki said:
clonmult said:
Kawasicki said:
ORD said:
benm3evo said:
I dropped my old company car 120D (2012) off a BMW for a Service & was given a new 116i as a courtesy car.
I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
He MUST have been joking! The 116i is the slowest current generation car that I have driven. It is sad that it exists at all, really.I remember the Service guy 'warning' me about the Sport button it had. 'Transforms the car mate, get used to the car before you press that button'. I thought he was being sarcastic, he wasn't.
But the 114i is available. With a beastly 100bhp. Wow!!!
Here's a review that gives a counter argument for the 116i....
On paper the 8.5s 0-100km/h-sprint time is unremarkable, yet a favourable power-to-weight ratio and a considered stack of gear rations means that – as long as you’re willing to whack that accelerator pedal – the 1290kg 116i’s performance repertoire is quite a compelling thing to behold.
Aided by a weighty spring-loaded six-speed manual with an oily mechanical feel that does much to connect the F20 with its earlier 3 Series ancestors, the baby BMW steps off the line smartly, as then keeps on coming on strongly, as the turbo then subtly but emphatically kicks in.
If you’re up for a GTI-style thrash, there’s a wave of torque available right up to and beyond the 6500rpm limit, for a spirited and stimulating experience that’s coupled with a deep veneer of mechanical refinement.
Call it heresy but BMW’s TwinPower engines rival the old straight sixes for silky smoothness and everyday useable performance, yet deliver impressive economy figures that everybody can appreciate. How does 7.6L/100km sound even after sustained city and inner-urban driving combined with plenty of back-road blasting?
The seamless Stop/Start system certainly plays a role here, as does the Brake Energy Regeneration system that redirects otherwise wasted kinetic energy into acceleration forces.
If only the Bavarians could synthesise a similar exhaust note…
More good news is garnered from the steering – a pure and unadulterated affair thanks to the 1 Series’ unique rear-drive status.
While keener drivers will revel in a fabulous concoction of feel and feedback (the helm is electrically powered, after all) coupled with an underlying sense of stability and security, it is the F20’s newfound front-end lightness and crispness compared to the preceding set-up that will endear the 116i to most everybody else.
It’s the classic ‘having your cake and eating it’ scenario. Hot hatchists can have a hoot of a time barrelling along a curvy mountain bypass with the precisely calibrated ESC in Sport mode for a bit of tail-wagging fun, while granddad can potter about blissfully unaware of the sheer balance and buffoonery that’s possible.
From the brakes that tirelessly keep everything in check to the squat roadholding, what we’re saying here is that the 116i is pure old-school BMW.
I don't know what is the funniest part - the bulls
t kerb weight (it isn't a kilo under 1350kg and, I was told when driving one, more like 1400kg), the suggestion that it performs or handles well or the idea that it is "pure" anything, let alone an old-school BMW. Has the guy who wrote that even driven a BMW from before 2012? The 1 series is about as pure old school BMW as it made of jam.
Actually, reading the extract again, I have realised that it must be ironic. There is no other way to explain the following passage:-
"While keener drivers will revel in a fabulous concoction of feel and feedback (the helm is electrically powered, after all)..."
Feel and feedback? In a 1 series? Bonkers. It has zero steering feel, and it takes a discerning driver to notice that it is RWD.
ORD said:
I don't know what is the funniest part - the bullst kerb weight (it isn't a kilo under 1350kg and, I was told when driving one, more like 1400kg).
He's close - BMW quote 1370kg for the three-door, which is including 75kg driver and 90% fuel, so unoccupied it's more or less the 1290kg mentioned. "Weight" is so stunningly unqualified that it's easy to play around with.t kerb weight (it isn't a kilo under 1350kg and, I was told when driving one, more like 1400kg).Which BMW do, with the actual mass of any one of their models being considerably higher than quoted. For a base-spec 116i, the real kerbweight with driver and 90% fuel would be around 1430kg.
At least most of you got a test drive! I phone up and booked a test drive of an MR2 Roadster at a local inderpendant garage. I had seen it in the window and fancied a new car. The car was £7000. I was a manager of a local sports shop at the time just round the corner, as such, I dressed in sports clothes for work. Arranged for my girlfriend to come with me to view the car. Turned up and it was still in the window, blocked in. I explained to the salesman that I had booked a test drive. He looked me up and down and said "I don't think you can afford it mate". Wouldn't have been so bad, if my girlfriend hadn't have been with me. I was seething. I said nothing and walked out.
A month later I made a trip to Scotland to pick up a DC5 Itegra Type R, which cost double the MR2. I drove past that garage everyday until the salesman was looking out the window, clocked my car, just so I could give him the finger.
Still have that DC5, that was 8 years ago.
A month later I made a trip to Scotland to pick up a DC5 Itegra Type R, which cost double the MR2. I drove past that garage everyday until the salesman was looking out the window, clocked my car, just so I could give him the finger.
Still have that DC5, that was 8 years ago.
vikingaero said:
Gave a colleague a lift home from work in my then new 911. He asked me to floor it so I obliged. His response? "About the same as my car..."
His car? A Lexus IS200.
It can feel like that sometimes. My TVR feels slower than the 4.0 I had. But the speedo tells a different story..His car? A Lexus IS200.
I remember going for an M3 test drive and the salesman started complaining and screaming every time I went past 5000rpm, telling me to "change gear" and "go easy". No surprise that I hated it and didn't buy.
Conversely, when I test drove the GT86, the guy tossed me the keys and told me to have fun, while I took the car for the day. Which is funny because another Toyota dealer had refused test drive because their insurance would "probably not cover you" because it was a "very fast car" and I looked a bit young. The best he could do was a passanger ride. I expressed my displeasure at the idea and left. I went back there later once I'd bought one elseware just to show him.
I also have a friend who thinks his 320d is faster. He previously thougt his A3 1.9 could "take on" my 330i. He also thinks that a RR TDV6 is faster.
Conversely, when I test drove the GT86, the guy tossed me the keys and told me to have fun, while I took the car for the day. Which is funny because another Toyota dealer had refused test drive because their insurance would "probably not cover you" because it was a "very fast car" and I looked a bit young. The best he could do was a passanger ride. I expressed my displeasure at the idea and left. I went back there later once I'd bought one elseware just to show him.
I also have a friend who thinks his 320d is faster. He previously thougt his A3 1.9 could "take on" my 330i. He also thinks that a RR TDV6 is faster.
ILoveMondeo said:
I've never had this, recently drove f-type v6s and v8s, xkr-s and a couple of vantages.
The jag dealers were egging me on and having as much of a giggle as I was at all the silly noises and the aston guy was as cool as a cucumber and commented along the lines of "most astons don't get driven quite that hard, you definitely should be getting the manual" after the drive.
Perhaps I just exude "driving god"
Or more likely they're just used to it?
Or more likely they just want to sell you a car.The jag dealers were egging me on and having as much of a giggle as I was at all the silly noises and the aston guy was as cool as a cucumber and commented along the lines of "most astons don't get driven quite that hard, you definitely should be getting the manual" after the drive.
Perhaps I just exude "driving god"
Or more likely they're just used to it?
A few years bag, I test drove the Vantage 4.7S.I'd booked the drive in a manual, but when I arrived the car was in the workshop for something,but they mentioned another that I could try,even though I told them it wasn't the spec I was looking for.Anyway,out we duly go,and as I started pushing a little bit the smartly dressed salesmen duly compliments me on me heel/toeing..............I couldn't even bring myself to remind him it was a Sportshift.
Edited by sjc on Friday 12th September 08:16
Been on the other side of the (service) desk and twice have been denied a test drive by customers. First a chap who refused to let me drive his then new Vectra 2.2 16v back to base as it was a quick car and I was a young lad. Yes I was but was also more used to a 275bhp Cavalier Turbo. Then latterly had an old chap refuse to let me drive his Volvo S60 D5 due to it's "power" even though we'd just finished discussing the finer points of my 300bhp+ S70R...
Bless em...
Bless em...
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