BMW 118i

[blearyeyedboy]

Dear PH Agony Aunts and Uncles,

I'm looking for a Golf-sized replacement for my venerable ten year old Octavia vRS. I don't need as big a boot and I fancy a change from VAG products. After postponing "the next car" three times already for other life events, I'm hoping I finally sort it out!

I'm probably looking at £12-15k depending on how much I scrape together and I did think I was aiming for a Focus ST2... but blearyeyedgirl finds the Recaros uncomfortable. I'm a bit gutted, to be honest, but she needs to be comfortable enough to drive in it too. I was looking at warm saloons but we hope to get a dog soon, so changing a car twice would be an unnecessary pain.

What to do? I want:

• something 4-5 years old (we'll be keeping the car a long time, at least 5 years. I don't need Corolla levels of reliability but it needs to be reasonable.)
• a big enough boot to get a spaniel sized mongrel into.
• 5 doors (baby with childseat, 3 doors would be a pain.)
• 5 star NCAP. My family's going in this wagon.
• I'd like something a little fun. It needs sufficient poke, but fun is more important than poke. Practicality does triumph fun though.

I drive 10-12k miles a year so a diesel makes no sense. (And a lot of my work mileage is stop-start too. I carry a lot of kit so no, I can't use a bicycle. )

So my funds don't stretch to a BMW 125i (and definitely not to a M135i unless it's extremely dodgy)... but I was surprised by the quoted performance of a 118i. It wouldn't keep up with most hot hatches of today but 7.4s to 60 isn't too shabby, and similar to my Octavia vRS.

I'd always shied away from "poverty spec" BMW's with more badge than ability, but it makes sense in my head.

So, dear PH Massive:

• Am I bonkers for considering a 118i? Of course I'd love a 135i but for my budget it isn't happening. I'm not expecting Elise or even Golf GTi thrills but something a little fun to get around in would be nice.

• Does anyone have good or bad experiences of the N13/Prince engine? Online messages vary between incredible praise to vitriol. Some sites imply (but don't show) that BMW had fewer problems than PSA cars. Is there any basis for this or is it just badge prejudice?

• Are there better options than a BMW 118i? Happy to consider estates as well as hatches, but anything bigger than the Octavia won't work for me, and something slightly smaller would be preferred. Anything smaller than a Focus/Golf etc won't be enough for my needs.

Thanks for listening to my waffle,

Blearyeyedboy

[wemorgan]

spending £15k on a 5yr old regular family car wouldn't be my choice.
I'd either

1. lease a new car for what that car would cost in depreciation and other running costs
2. Spend a lot less on an older car
3. Spend £15k on a 'better' car

https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing...

Honda Civic Diesel Tourer
1.6 i-DTEC SE Plus 5dr [Nav]
9+23
8k
£114+vat

[jacethemutt]

Alfa Romeo Giulietta?

Never driven one myself but I do like the looks

[darren f]

I cannot comment too much on the alternative options, but I have had a 118i on a rental as a 'stop gap' company car for my 3-month probationary period in a new job. It is a 56 plate 'Sport' trim level (I think), with the 8-speed auto. Overall it's ok, but not that good that I'd consider spending £20k or so on a new one. The figures suggest it is nippy but.like many modern cars (I suppose) it doesn't feel that quick. Only in Sport mode, giving it some heavy right foot does it come alive at all and even then it doesn't exactly thrill, there is no TDi-torque 'push you in the back feeling', it is more lineal, progressive acceleration. The engine sounds ok, but not so good that it encourages you to 'go for it'. For comparison,we are also looking to change my wife's car and drove a Mk7 Golf GTi (also,mentioned in the OP) and the performance was poles apart- the Golf felt a dramatically quicker car- 'standard' mode in the GTi felt like Sport+ in the 118i. It certainly felt like more than the 1s 0-60 'on paper' difference.

Back to the 118i. The auto gearbox continually changing gears was disconcerting at first (a bit jerky on down changes) but I've got used to it now and it is actually quite a clever bit of kit. The suspension is ok, not too wallowy or crashy, although I think it is an 'SE' set-up, no doubt the M-Sport would be harsher. I have had a real issue with the steering which at first felt ridiculously light and 'vague', almost like the steering wheel was not directly affecting the front wheels. This was particularly disappointing as I like good, direct steering feel (... owning a Caterham has spoilt me) and a small, light RWD car should be good in this respect. I notice it less now (familiarity I suppose) plus it does improve if you 'press on' a bit.

As a 'stop gap' for me it has been fine, high thirties mpg (42 mpg on a run), for reasonable performance and decent comfort. Just forget any pretensions about it being a 'sporty' car.

[blearyeyedboy]

darren f said:

I cannot comment too much on the alternative options, but I have had a 118i on a rental as a 'stop gap' company car for my 3-month probationary period in a new job. It is a 56 plate 'Sport' trim level (I think)

Thanks for the response and the info. Is that the Mk1, or is "56" plate a typo? (I'm on about the Mk 2 here.)

[darren f]

Apologies for the plate confusion, it is the Mk 2 version, only a few months old, less than 7k miles. I also meant to add, the interior is IMO pretty good, the I-drive control set-up is very good indeed and I love the plain simplicity of BMW's instruments. We've been looking a 3-series as an option for Mrs f's car and the 118i interior is as good as that in a £20k more expensive 3-er.

[Trabi601]

darren f said:

Apologies for the plate confusion, it is the Mk 2 version, only a few months old, less than 7k miles. I also meant to add, the interior is IMO pretty good, the I-drive control set-up is very good indeed and I love the plain simplicity of BMW's instruments. We've been looking a 3-series as an option for Mrs f's car and the 118i interior is as good as that in a £20k more expensive 3-er.

BMW have been very clever with this.The interior looks as good, but if you spend a reasonable amount of time inside both, you start to find little, but significant, differences. Like the interior door pulls - on the 3, they have a rubberised coating on the bit you grip - the 1 is hard plastic. There are lots of similar examples throughout the interior. They're also significantly less refined on the road, too.

It may seem a minor detail - but it's a subtle reminder you bought the cheaper car!

Back to the OP - a 1-series boot is a joke, definitely not suitable for a reasonable sized dog. And rear leg room is no better than your average supermini.

[Janesy B]

1.6 Focus Titanium X Ecoboost? Probably on par with the BMW in terms of interior but the boot will be bigger and it'll be pokey enough.

[C.A.R.]

With a baby and a dog, a 1-series or even a Golf seems a bit on the small side? Certainly even a 5-door 1-series is cramped both front and back. A nice place to be, mind.

I think a lot of these threads throw the logic of the regular petrolhead you expect to encounter on these forums. To spend a considerable sum of money on such a mediocre car as a 118i even with half-decent residuals is not in-keeping with petrolhead thinking. Usually a compromise between age or ownership approach (ie. Lease) is more important so as to get behind the wheel of something that isn't just white goods motoring. Like you say, you'll be driving it for 5 years give or take, would you really want to be stuck with something usually found on the second "rung" on a list of basic rental cars?

[darren f]

Trabi601 said:

BMW have been very clever with this.The interior looks as good, but if you spend a reasonable amount of time inside both, you start to find little, but significant, differences. Like the interior door pulls - on the 3, they have a rubberised coating on the bit you grip - the 1 is hard plastic. There are lots of similar examples throughout the interior. They're also significantly less refined on the road, too.

You could well be right on this, it's just that recently looking at 3-series' online my thinking has been '...it's not that much nicer inside than the 1-series'. We test drove 3s prior to having the 118 though, no doubt the tactile differences would be instantly noticeable now. I have found the boot space on the 118i ok, IMO not that much worse than our current Mk 5 Golf. Rear leg room on the 1-series is pretty poor I agree.

[blearyeyedboy]

Thanks Darren F. Very helpful.

Thanks all. I think you've convinced me that I'm on the wrong track with this one. Maybe a 125i, but probably not a 118i. Leases aren't going to be right for me; I'm probably going to keep something for at least another 5 years. In 16 years, I'm on my 4th car.

The boot is curiously bigger than a Focus hatch! I learn something new every day...

Hmm... an Alfa Cloverleaf at 12ish thousand? That might work...

[Rickyy]

If the 118i is anything like the 220i I have as a courtesy car, you'll be bored to tears, especially the 8-speed auto.

It's a great looking car in M-sport trim, but it's just so dull to drive. I choose to drive my Grand Vitara over it, I've driven it 4 times in the last 3 weeks!

The MK1 1-Series was useless at being a family car. Narrow door openings and minimal leg room made it a nightmare for loading a baby seat, boot was tiny too. The Mk1 Focus it replaced was ten times better.

[Trabi601]

darren f said:

You could well be right on this, it's just that recently looking at 3-series' online my thinking has been '...it's not that much nicer inside than the 1-series'. We test drove 3s prior to having the 118 though, no doubt the tactile differences would be instantly noticeable now. I have found the boot space on the 118i ok, IMO not that much worse than our current Mk 5 Golf. Rear leg room on the 1-series is pretty poor I agree.

It's the 'not much nicer than a 1' that saw me move from a 1 to a 5 when I ordered my new car. I looked at the 3 and 4, but they're just so close to a 1 that I couldn't stand 4 years in one on top of 3 years in my current car.

You're spot on about the boot - a Mk5/6 Golf boot isn't particularly big, either - the Focus is bigger.

With a dog and a small child, a 1 is definitely not a great option, neither is an A3 or a Golf hatch. A Golf estate or Focus Estate would be perfect, though. Unless the budget can stretch to a 4-series Gran Coupe.

[Mr Tidy]

blearyeyedboy said:

Thanks Darren F. Very helpful.

Thanks all. I think you've convinced me that I'm on the wrong track with this one. Maybe a 125i, but probably not a 118i. Leases aren't going to be right for me; I'm probably going to keep something for at least another 5 years. In 16 years, I'm on my 4th car.

The boot is curiously bigger than a Focus hatch! I learn something new every day...

Hmm... an Alfa Cloverleaf at 12ish thousand? That might work...

Alfa might work very well so long as you have another 12ish thousand for random broken bits!

I had a 118i Sport as a courtesy car a couple of years ago and liked it - even coming from a 123d it had some decent mid-range grunt. Mind you I wouldn't spend that sort of money on one (or on any of the Focus/Golf/Astra/Octavia/Leon alternatives)!

In 16 years I was onto car no.12....!

[dvs_dave]

Avis gave me a manual one as a rental the other day. Wasn't bad at all. The little 3-cyl turbo sounds quite nice, albeit very muted. And it had better performance than expected when worked. But I wasn't expecting much.

Overall perfectly good day to day car, but I'd only ever consider one on a bargain lease deal. It's not a car you'd ever get attached to imo.

[Blanchimont]

Have you thought about a Megane RS?

Decent boot, fun to drive, ample power and if you get one with stop/start, 30mpg is expected.

[blearyeyedboy]

^ Yes, and I'd love one, but rear doors are a must. Need to get a child seat in and out, and while you can do it with a 3 door it'd be a pain.

Shame they don't do a Megane RS 5 door, but then many purists would lynch me for that thought.

The Alfa Cloverleaf appeals but I'm not convinced its electrics and turbo would last v well once it's nearing 10 years old. Maybe I'm being harsh on Alfa here but warranty claims seem quite high.

Edited by blearyeyedboy on Monday 23 May 21:22

[Janesy B]

Megane boot is rendered useless by how narrow the opening is.

[Nickbrapp]

Why not a newer Octavia VRS?

[s m]

darren f said:

I cannot comment too much on the alternative options, but I have had a 118i on a rental as a 'stop gap' company car for my 3-month probationary period in a new job. It is a 56 plate 'Sport' trim level (I think), with the 8-speed auto. Overall it's ok, but not that good that I'd consider spending £20k or so on a new one. The figures suggest it is nippy but.like many modern cars (I suppose) it doesn't feel that quick. Only in Sport mode, giving it some heavy right foot does it come alive at all and even then it doesn't exactly thrill, there is no TDi-torque 'push you in the back feeling', it is more lineal, progressive acceleration. The engine sounds ok, but not so good that it encourages you to 'go for it'. For comparison,we are also looking to change my wife's car and drove a Mk7 Golf GTi (also,mentioned in the OP) and the performance was poles apart- the Golf felt a dramatically quicker car- 'standard' mode in the GTi felt like Sport+ in the 118i. It certainly felt like more than the 1s 0-60 'on paper' difference.

Back to the 118i. The auto gearbox continually changing gears was disconcerting at first (a bit jerky on down changes) but I've got used to it now and it is actually quite a clever bit of kit. The suspension is ok, not too wallowy or crashy, although I think it is an 'SE' set-up, no doubt the M-Sport would be harsher. I have had a real issue with the steering which at first felt ridiculously light and 'vague', almost like the steering wheel was not directly affecting the front wheels. This was particularly disappointing as I like good, direct steering feel (... owning a Caterham has spoilt me) and a small, light RWD car should be good in this respect. I notice it less now (familiarity I suppose) plus it does improve if you 'press on' a bit.

As a 'stop gap' for me it has been fine, high thirties mpg (42 mpg on a run), for reasonable performance and decent comfort. Just forget any pretensions about it being a 'sporty' car.

I had a manual 62 plate 118i Sport for a while - the 1.6 with 168hp
Got similar mpg to above





It was nice enough and reasonably nippy but I'd echo the steering comments above too

Edited by s m on Tuesday 24th May 00:25