Talk to me about the BMW 120i and 130i and their competitors
Discussion
Hello,
We’re thinking of changing the daily, great as it is, we’ve had it for a few years now and want something better suited for driving up to see friends and family in London and Cornwall. In reality, the Civic is the perfect car for around town, but a bit breathless on the motorway. It’s a 2003 1.6 Sport in black and it’s in the PH classifieds BTW.
We’re thinking of getting a BMW 1 series or a 3 series, as we both really liked the Z4’s I’ve had, and they seem to offer everything we want from a car. We’re not too fussed whether it’s automatic or manual, but could anyone shed some light on what the automatic gearbox is like compared to the manual please? Auto would be better for when we visit London, but in reality that’s not very often.
We’re looking at either the 2.0 litre petrol (say the 120i) or the 3.0 litre petrol (130i). Currently we both prefer the 1 series hatch, as practically it suits us better. I have found that the older 120i seems to only have around 150hp whereas the later cars (seem to be out of budget) have 170hp. Is it a completely new engine? How will the 150hp 1 seris compare to the 110hp (lighter) Civic we currently have? We do want something that will be fun and interesting to drive, as well as comfortable with a good level of refinement. On our 4 hour journeys to Cornwall the car should be comfortable, with all the modern conveniences such as xenons, parking sensors, cruise control, decent stereo as well as have ample power to pull itself up a hill fully loaded with kayaks and other junk one takes to Cornwall! The Civic is revving very high on the motorway, which makes the journey tiresome.
We don’t need a sports car, I have a TVR for that, but I am attracted to that 3.0 engine. Is the engine in the 1 series different to the engine in the 3 series? The 1 series seems to have more power at 260hp, or is this a later/revised engine. Most of the time it will be running us back and forth to work, which is about 5 miles of country lanes each way, so a diesel is not suitable, or desirable! I do worry that the 3.0 engine will be heavy on fuel over this trip, what do you think? Any real world experience? It’s usually a constant 40mph journey without much traffic. So my questions are, should I go for the 2.0 or the 3.0 and are these are revisions/facelifts I need to be aware of?
Budget is £7,000 to £8,000 ideally. You get the idea of what we want. PS. I must be able to take roof bars, so don’t go suggesting coupes or convertibles which aren’t suitable please! I’d be interested to hear about any other cars which may be suitable.
Thanks,
Dan
We’re thinking of changing the daily, great as it is, we’ve had it for a few years now and want something better suited for driving up to see friends and family in London and Cornwall. In reality, the Civic is the perfect car for around town, but a bit breathless on the motorway. It’s a 2003 1.6 Sport in black and it’s in the PH classifieds BTW.
We’re thinking of getting a BMW 1 series or a 3 series, as we both really liked the Z4’s I’ve had, and they seem to offer everything we want from a car. We’re not too fussed whether it’s automatic or manual, but could anyone shed some light on what the automatic gearbox is like compared to the manual please? Auto would be better for when we visit London, but in reality that’s not very often.
We’re looking at either the 2.0 litre petrol (say the 120i) or the 3.0 litre petrol (130i). Currently we both prefer the 1 series hatch, as practically it suits us better. I have found that the older 120i seems to only have around 150hp whereas the later cars (seem to be out of budget) have 170hp. Is it a completely new engine? How will the 150hp 1 seris compare to the 110hp (lighter) Civic we currently have? We do want something that will be fun and interesting to drive, as well as comfortable with a good level of refinement. On our 4 hour journeys to Cornwall the car should be comfortable, with all the modern conveniences such as xenons, parking sensors, cruise control, decent stereo as well as have ample power to pull itself up a hill fully loaded with kayaks and other junk one takes to Cornwall! The Civic is revving very high on the motorway, which makes the journey tiresome.
We don’t need a sports car, I have a TVR for that, but I am attracted to that 3.0 engine. Is the engine in the 1 series different to the engine in the 3 series? The 1 series seems to have more power at 260hp, or is this a later/revised engine. Most of the time it will be running us back and forth to work, which is about 5 miles of country lanes each way, so a diesel is not suitable, or desirable! I do worry that the 3.0 engine will be heavy on fuel over this trip, what do you think? Any real world experience? It’s usually a constant 40mph journey without much traffic. So my questions are, should I go for the 2.0 or the 3.0 and are these are revisions/facelifts I need to be aware of?
Budget is £7,000 to £8,000 ideally. You get the idea of what we want. PS. I must be able to take roof bars, so don’t go suggesting coupes or convertibles which aren’t suitable please! I’d be interested to hear about any other cars which may be suitable.
Thanks,
Dan
BlitzE34 said:
Get the 130i instead. Its a good engine and can do high 30's on a run.
120i has a badly designed, unreliable engine called the N46. Avoid at all costs.
Fuel economy is what is worrying me. The Civic does a pretty constant 40mpg no matter what. If the 130i does 30s on a run, what is it doing on a short 40mph drive to work each day? Will it ruin me financially?!120i has a badly designed, unreliable engine called the N46. Avoid at all costs.
I have a 130i and can whole heartedly recommend one. Brilliant car, small enough to be fun but with 'big car' refinement for the longer journeys. The bullet proof 6-pot is a peach and the cars star quality, I enjoy driving it almost as much as my Chimaera.
Extremely reliable, the servicing is very reasonable with BMW's 6 plus deals and condition based service intervals. Mine is still in warranty at 94k miles but to be honest I've only used it once (Xenon fault caused by a dodgy earth on a dealer installed Tracker).
I travel between Hampshire and the Devon/Cornwall border practically every weekend with quite a few short commutes inbetween and have averaged 32mpg over 40k miles. On longer trips up north it'll do 35mpg at normal m'way speeds. I reckon these are exceptional figures given the cars performance.
Note: My car is an '07 facelift model and fuel consumption figures are calculated (though the on-board computer is pretty accurate)
Extremely reliable, the servicing is very reasonable with BMW's 6 plus deals and condition based service intervals. Mine is still in warranty at 94k miles but to be honest I've only used it once (Xenon fault caused by a dodgy earth on a dealer installed Tracker).
I travel between Hampshire and the Devon/Cornwall border practically every weekend with quite a few short commutes inbetween and have averaged 32mpg over 40k miles. On longer trips up north it'll do 35mpg at normal m'way speeds. I reckon these are exceptional figures given the cars performance.
Note: My car is an '07 facelift model and fuel consumption figures are calculated (though the on-board computer is pretty accurate)
kambites said:
How short is short?
I assume you mean my commute?5.3 miles each way.
I once had a Skoda Octavia VRS TDi and whilst it was a great car, it never got warm on the trip into work and the MPG wasn’t very impressive either on the short runs. I was always fearful of the DPF too!
Edited by zed4 on Wednesday 13th November 12:10
GadgeS3C said:
I know you said no diesels but have you considered the 123d?
I had one as a company car and although I'm not a fan of diesels it was OK, quickish and averaged 43mpg. Getting back in a TVR is even better after a diesel. Just a thought...
I’d love a 123d. In fact, my girlfriend has found a white 123d hatch locally which is perfect for us, but it’s way over budget and I don’t know how it will perform over short journeys everyday with the only occasional run up to London or Cornwall. I had one as a company car and although I'm not a fan of diesels it was OK, quickish and averaged 43mpg. Getting back in a TVR is even better after a diesel. Just a thought...
http://www.car-link.co.uk/bmw-123d-m-sport-in-in-d...
swanny71 said:
I have a 130i and can whole heartedly recommend one. Brilliant car, small enough to be fun but with 'big car' refinement for the longer journeys. The bullet proof 6-pot is a peach and the cars star quality, I enjoy driving it almost as much as my Chimaera.
Extremely reliable, the servicing is very reasonable with BMW's 6 plus deals and condition based service intervals. Mine is still in warranty at 94k miles but to be honest I've only used it once (Xenon fault caused by a dodgy earth on a dealer installed Tracker).
I travel between Hampshire and the Devon/Cornwall border practically every weekend with quite a few short commutes inbetween and have averaged 32mpg over 40k miles. On longer trips up north it'll do 35mpg at normal m'way speeds. I reckon these are exceptional figures given the cars performance.
Note: My car is an '07 facelift model and fuel consumption figures are calculated (though the on-board computer is pretty accurate)
Excellent, very informative post, thanks a lot. Extremely reliable, the servicing is very reasonable with BMW's 6 plus deals and condition based service intervals. Mine is still in warranty at 94k miles but to be honest I've only used it once (Xenon fault caused by a dodgy earth on a dealer installed Tracker).
I travel between Hampshire and the Devon/Cornwall border practically every weekend with quite a few short commutes inbetween and have averaged 32mpg over 40k miles. On longer trips up north it'll do 35mpg at normal m'way speeds. I reckon these are exceptional figures given the cars performance.
Note: My car is an '07 facelift model and fuel consumption figures are calculated (though the on-board computer is pretty accurate)
alistair1234 said:
I've got the E46 330Ci, and have only had 37MPG tops, that was driving from Chester to Gatwick.
I use it on my 4 mile each way commute (which takes 20 minutes), and I get 18-20 MPG but that is really stop start traffic and it's normally 22-24MPG March-September.
I assume this is a different engine as the statistics on an E46 330i and the 130i on Autotrader are different, yes? 230hp vs. 260hpI use it on my 4 mile each way commute (which takes 20 minutes), and I get 18-20 MPG but that is really stop start traffic and it's normally 22-24MPG March-September.
My 130i averages 24mpg on my hour long run to work in traffic, and the worst part of that is the warm up. It's totally worth it as the engine is an absolute peach. It's comfortable over distance (I drove up to the highlands in a day and didn't feel particularly fatigued afterwards) and it's pretty practical.
However, I think 150bhp in such a heavy chassis will feel... slow... not to put too fine a point on it.
However, I think 150bhp in such a heavy chassis will feel... slow... not to put too fine a point on it.
zed4 said:
GadgeS3C said:
I know you said no diesels but have you considered the 123d?
I had one as a company car and although I'm not a fan of diesels it was OK, quickish and averaged 43mpg. Getting back in a TVR is even better after a diesel. Just a thought...
I’d love a 123d. In fact, my girlfriend has found a white 123d hatch locally which is perfect for us, but it’s way over budget and I don’t know how it will perform over short journeys everyday with the only occasional run up to London or Cornwall. I had one as a company car and although I'm not a fan of diesels it was OK, quickish and averaged 43mpg. Getting back in a TVR is even better after a diesel. Just a thought...
http://www.car-link.co.uk/bmw-123d-m-sport-in-in-d...
123d will obviously use a lot less when doing your motorway runs, high 40's compared to high 30's with the 130i.
But a 123d won't ever sound like the 130i
Buy a 130i and enjoy a fabulous BMW straight six while you can.
aeropilot said:
Buy a 130i and enjoy a fabulous BMW straight six while you can.
And use the money saved buying the car for fuel!Ps. It will be my girlfriend’s car (we work together so share the car/commute) and it’s only £300 for her insurance at 26 years old and a previous accident! Bargain.
Max M4X WW said:
What does this Civic do on your commute? You only state 40mpg on a run.
I must admit I’ve never worked it out myself. The onboard computer always says 40mpg for our day to day driving. So that’s commuting to work and the odd trip into Bournemouth or Southampton. The other day on the drive to London it said 47mpg. But I’ve no idea how accurate this is. I need to calculate it properly on the next fill up. It’s such a cheap car to run, both on fuel, tax, insurance and servicing and it’s been completely reliable, with the exception of a flat battery last week (bought a new one and it’s fine). It’s just we do make a few long trips and we’d really like something more modern, comfortable and faster!
I had a 120i for a few months and it didn't feel slow, 0-60 in 8.5 seconds (150bhp) and about a 120 kilos lighter than he 130.
Yes it is not the 130 but it is enough to hold its own. In the old days it wasnt always about bhp some of the lower spec cars an be just as fun, yo just have to ring there neck to push the potential out. The 116 isnt that bad too very old school fun.
Try them both.
Just to add i found the interior pretty cheap and it felt cheap inside besides the leather, not much room in the back as well.
Yes it is not the 130 but it is enough to hold its own. In the old days it wasnt always about bhp some of the lower spec cars an be just as fun, yo just have to ring there neck to push the potential out. The 116 isnt that bad too very old school fun.
Try them both.
Just to add i found the interior pretty cheap and it felt cheap inside besides the leather, not much room in the back as well.
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