Wondering about switching to a 118d

[elvismiggell]

Howdy folks, looking for some advice/thoughts/opinion!

Used to run an 04 Golf GT TDi and loved the blend of power and frugality - most of my driving is on the M25.

A while back the Golf needed to go, and I made the fatal error of getting a 1.6T Astra SXi. Whilst the interior etc is lovely, the economy is awful, the performance too low and the dealer service locally is dire.

So I wanted to get back to a 2.0 TDi style car. 1 Series is looking pretty good to me, something like this;

Clickety here

(Albeit this looks suspiciously cheap to me?)

Looking for opinions/issues and general thoughts on the 1 Series.

[S3_Graham]

i love mine. when i took my 130 in for service i got a 118d as a loan car. Genuinely impressed. went well enough, looked good also. I managed 70mpg @ 70mph.

[mekondelta]

Yep, had one as a courtesy car. Even though it was automatic is was miles faster than our petrol 118i. Was a bit coarse though (compared to a petrol). Seem to remember the 120d was a bit more refined. Was months between the two drives so not sure if memory failed.

[p1tse]

Good choice if running costs in mind

[Sticks.]

I found my 120d a bit coarse too. The steering is positive and immediate, but I found this aspect made it less of a relaxing M way car. I never got more than 43mpg from mine (auto). Golf is the better all rounder imo, esp re rear space.

[gizlaroc]

I love the 1 series, awesome, awesome car and feels like a proper BMW to drive imho, far better than some of their bigger offerings currently.

I would try and stretch to a 120d if at all possible or get that chipped, there is a fine line between adequate and fun, and the 118d sits just the wrong side of fun where as the 120d sits the right side of it.

I was going from a mapped 120d to a Golf GTi as our second car and really wanted to love the Golf, but found it really poor compared to the 1 series, just no where near as fun. So bought another M3 instead.

[elvismiggell]

That's a good point, other than an engine map, what's (if any) the difference between the 118d and 120d?

[tonymor]

MY daughter has a 118d now after a golf Gti which swallowed petrol.Its a great car but not as ecomical as our mk 5 golf 2.0 diesel.Obviuosly different cars but the Golf has so much more torque.The 1 series is a better looking car.

[elvismiggell]

I had a Mk5 Golf GT TDi - so 140bhp, used to get around 50-55mpg on the M25 commute, how do her experiences with the Golf and 118d compare?

[gizlaroc]

The 120d is better geared for motorway mileage, sat at 80mph will see 50-55 in the 120d and around 45 in the 118d, something to consider.

[elvismiggell]

Well that's reasonably unlikely on the M25 during rush hour!

How about 50-55mph and 70mph?

[gizlaroc]

Well the gearing for the 20d just seems to be better suited to economy all round, it needs to the shorter gears to make it feel like it has more poke.

[smashy]

elvismiggell said:

Well that's reasonably unlikely on the M25 during rush hour!

How about 50-55mph and 70mph?

I can give you an exact, buddy.When I had just got my 120d auto ED.
One night to relieve the boredom coming home on the M4 I did a little test.

Reset the OBC and for 10 miles did 80 mph ,this showed 47mpg.
Reset then did 70mph for 10 miles ,this showed 56mpg.

Reset again and because of lorries in the way I couldnt keep it constant but for 15 miles this time stayed between 55mph and 60 mph. I was amazed that at the end that showed 72 mpg.

Edited by smashy on Wednesday 21st September 11:03

[Frik]

I haven't driven the 120d but the 118d certainly feels like it's been restricted further up the rev range (yes, I appreciate it's a diesel ). Given the performance/economy ratio I'd have chosen the 120d if my company car budget had stretched to it. I'm getting 50mpg average at the moment but I'm expecting that to increase now that I don't need the aircon on so much.

M-Sport is definitely the one to go for.

[farbbm]

Three months ago I swapped my Mk4 Golf 1.4 Petrol for a 120d SE (manual) for my 54 mile commute around the M25 and where as I was getting 40-42mpg out of the Golf I get 52-53mpg without really trying, mine is an SE which whilst I would have prefered an M sport makes more sense on some of the small roads around my village and my wife also prefer the ride. The only issue I have is that the headlight's seem poor on dipped beam, I just wondered if anyone else has noticed or changed their bulbs?

Apologies for highjacking the thread but thought I'd ask.

[Sticks.]

farbbm said:

I just wondered if anyone else has noticed or changed their bulbs?

Yes, and, bit by bit, what seemed like most of the interior trim To be fair, didn't think much of the E46 330d's lights either.

[elvismiggell]

Thanks folks, appreciate the really useful info here.

[hyperblue]

I regularly borrow a 118d auto from work, find it great for bashing down the motorway. I think it'd be more fun with a bigger engine though!

[troika]

The wife has a 120d M Sport Coupe manual. Have to say it's a cracking little car. A great blend of performance, economy, comfort and looks (subjective I know). As an overall package for what it is, hard to beat I'd say.