How to tell if 1 series has Efficient Dynamics?
How to tell if 1 series has Efficient Dynamics?
Author
Discussion

Abe Froman

Original Poster:

1,371 posts

279 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Hello,

About to swap the mini for a 1 series.

But I really want the version with Efficient Dynamics and all the joy that goes with that. Low tax, massive mpg, etc.

But how can you tell? I know ED came in around 2007 but some have said only later 2007. Can you tell externally? I know the rear lights changed around this time, so do the new rear lights mean yes to ED?



Thanks for your help.

NoelWatson

11,710 posts

272 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Abe Froman said:
Hello,

About to swap the mini for a 1 series.

But I really want the version with Efficient Dynamics and all the joy that goes with that. Low tax, massive mpg, etc.

But how can you tell? I know ED came in around 2007 but some have said only later 2007. Can you tell externally? I know the rear lights changed around this time, so do the new rear lights mean yes to ED?



Thanks for your help.
Our 330 is ED and has the slats in the front grille that shut when car is cold.

WhiteBaron

1,396 posts

256 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
look at the c02 and ved rate on the tax disc

Abe Froman

Original Poster:

1,371 posts

279 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
WhiteBaron said:
look at the c02 and ved rate on the tax disc
Thanks, any obvious visual signs though?

CatherineJ

9,586 posts

273 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Internally the button to turn off stop start.

Abe Froman

Original Poster:

1,371 posts

279 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Thanks, so I'm right in thinking that the facelift lights are not necessarily a sign of having ED?

MagicalTrevor

6,481 posts

259 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Not quite 100% but it came in late 2007 so if it's a '57 plate then it 'might' be ED. However, if it's an '07 plate then it probably isn't ED

ianreeves

259 posts

234 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
I've a 2007 1 series 120d with ed, I think however they missed off the 'massive MPG' option though. I get 46mpg on a run of 30 miles on the motorway.

To be honest the Stop-Start feature doesn't do much for me, in the morning it doesn't work as the engine is cold. When it's hot and you've the aircon on it doesn't work either.

If you really do want a 1 series, just find a nice example at the right price and don't get hung up on the ed bit.

CatherineJ

9,586 posts

273 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
My 120D was delivered in may 2007 and that was an ED car on a 57 plate.

Abe Froman

Original Poster:

1,371 posts

279 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
ianreeves said:
I've a 2007 1 series 120d with ed, I think however they missed off the 'massive MPG' option though. I get 46mpg on a run of 30 miles on the motorway.

To be honest the Stop-Start feature doesn't do much for me, in the morning it doesn't work as the engine is cold. When it's hot and you've the aircon on it doesn't work either.

If you really do want a 1 series, just find a nice example at the right price and don't get hung up on the ed bit.
A very good point, still considerably better than my Mini and should be able to get the children in it easier!

4rephill

5,171 posts

208 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
ianreeves said:
...To be honest the Stop-Start feature doesn't do much for me, in the morning it doesn't work as the engine is cold. When it's hot and you've the aircon on it doesn't work either
My only experience of ED is with a 118d that BMW lent Me for a weekend in July last year and I have to say that I found it quite a clever system.

It monitors the power requirement being used by the car/driver and if there is enough reserve power then the ED will operate, but if the reserve power is insufficient then it does not operate.

As ianreeves say's, with the aircon on it tends not to operate as the aircon requires a fair amount of power, but on the car I borrowed, it did operate sometimes with the aircon on when there was enough power.

Apparently a lot of owners took their cars back to BMW complaining that the ED had failed intermittently, only to be informed that it was operating correctly and that if the aircon was on then ED wouldn't always operate whilst at a stand still.

One thing I did find however was that a couple of times it did seem to get caught out. I had come to a halt, handbrake on, out of gear, and the ED did not switch the engine off (due to the power reserve level being too low). But then, just as I was about to pull away, the ED kicked in and switched the engine off and it seemed to take a couple of seconds to go through the process of switching the engine off and back on again, (at one set of lights the driver behind started beeping his horn as he thought I hadn't noticed the lights had changed but there was nothing I could do but wait!).

As I see it, ED isn't the B all and end all, as some seem to think it should be, but you should think of it like a Tesco's advert: "Every little helps!"

Jobbo

13,873 posts

294 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
CatherineJ said:
My 120D was delivered in may 2007 and that was an ED car on a 57 plate.
57 plates started in September 2007 confused

CatherineJ

9,586 posts

273 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Jobbo said:
CatherineJ said:
My 120D was delivered in may 2007 and that was an ED car on a 57 plate.
57 plates started in September 2007 confused
Doh, yes quite right. My Clio 197 was a 57 and my 120D 07.

LocoBlade

7,653 posts

286 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Specifically which engine model are you looking at getting? If it's one of the diesels then I disagree with some of the above and would say certainly DO try to find an ED model. Not only do they have the ED gubbins, they seem markedly more efficient generally anyway and they're more powerful than the earlier non ED engines, the 118d is up about 20bhp to ~140bhp, and the 120d is up a similar amount from just over 160bhp to 177bhp.

As others have said the small rear lights indicate a facelift model and I've never heard of a facelift car being supplied without ED, so it's a pretty safe bet, alhough the rear lights are interchangeable on pre FL cars with a bit of minor re-wiring, so although unlikely dont take those as gospel. The stop/start button on the dash below the air con is therefore the easiest way of differentiating, although if you're thinking of a 130i then be aware that although it has some ED kit, it doesn't have stop start therefore no button.

One other thing to note is that there's two variants of the ED 118d, when first released it was 120g/km CO2 emissions which put it in the higher tax band costing about £120 a year, whereas the second one released a couple of months later was only 119g/km which snuck it into the £30 a year tax bracket. The only way you can tell these apart is looking at the V5 emissions or the price on the tax disc if present.

Edited by LocoBlade on Sunday 14th November 15:42

Abe Froman

Original Poster:

1,371 posts

279 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Yep it would be the 118d or 120d. Thanks for all your answers, love the idea of £30 per year tax!

Max M4X WW

5,030 posts

212 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
1gm of co2 saves £90 on tax! madness

martin mrt

3,883 posts

231 months

Sunday 14th November 2010
quotequote all
Easiest and most foolproof way is looking for the button on the dash for the start/stop

Had a 118d with ED and TBH I wasn't that impressed with the economy, it never dropped below 40mpg in town but on the trip to Blackpool to trade it for our PRE ED 330d Auto it never went any higher than 45mpg, not terribly great.

The 330d on the return leg managed 42mpg so go figure??

The £30 annual tax is fabulous though