New 1 Series 125i / 125d
Discussion
Sorry i do not know the model code of these as im fairly new to the BMW spec list!
Looking at getting a company car, sadly the 4 series i couldnt quite stretch to as we have to include full maintenance so it seems to add £40+ a month to the contract!
So i decided on maybe a 1 series, im not a massive fan of the looks but think it could be a grower... maybe. I have a test drive booked on Saturday
Looking at the 125i/125d, the company pays for the fuel and my commute is about 10 miles. Would i be absolutely stupid to go for the 125d?
Any experience of the 125i engine wise? Ive looked online and read all the reviews but they can only tell you so much....
Looking at getting a company car, sadly the 4 series i couldnt quite stretch to as we have to include full maintenance so it seems to add £40+ a month to the contract!
So i decided on maybe a 1 series, im not a massive fan of the looks but think it could be a grower... maybe. I have a test drive booked on Saturday
Looking at the 125i/125d, the company pays for the fuel and my commute is about 10 miles. Would i be absolutely stupid to go for the 125d?
Any experience of the 125i engine wise? Ive looked online and read all the reviews but they can only tell you so much....
I've driven 2 , 1 series in their standard, it's called sport, trim , found ride and handling dreadful. Assuming they do a M Sport below the performance model aka M135i I would opt for that level as essential for seats and suspension . Otherwise if you don't need space get a Mini Cooper /S
Big gap between 4 series and 1, is the 3 doable? I don't know either engine but hated the 4 cylinder petrol engine I had on loan badged as a 20i ; consequently I went for a 20d when family needed a SUV.
Quite possibly I'd go for the 125d but really i would explore the BMW range before settling for any 1 series other than , I'll correct myself now, the M140i ; that's the latest iteration
Big gap between 4 series and 1, is the 3 doable? I don't know either engine but hated the 4 cylinder petrol engine I had on loan badged as a 20i ; consequently I went for a 20d when family needed a SUV.
Quite possibly I'd go for the 125d but really i would explore the BMW range before settling for any 1 series other than , I'll correct myself now, the M140i ; that's the latest iteration
If it's a company car, watch the tax on it - the 125i will be particularly bad, but the 125d isn't great, either.
But they're both pretty horrible cars - and the 3 series isn't much better. Build down to a price, unrefined and noisy.
The 4 series looks nice, but quality doesn't match the price, so even though I could have had a really high spec. 4, I went for a 520d as they're a leap ahead in quality.
If you can only have a 1 or maybe a 3, I'd probably look elsewhere.
But they're both pretty horrible cars - and the 3 series isn't much better. Build down to a price, unrefined and noisy.
The 4 series looks nice, but quality doesn't match the price, so even though I could have had a really high spec. 4, I went for a 520d as they're a leap ahead in quality.
If you can only have a 1 or maybe a 3, I'd probably look elsewhere.
We have a 2012 125i MSport, Very heavily specced by the original owner and one of only a handful with the ZF8 Sport Auto box. It has the dynamic suspension.
Ride is typical BMW, and having driven the F10 5-series it's really isn't that much worse. But you'd expect a 520d to swallow bumps better as it's a bigger car, with a different ride/handling requirement, and the ones I've driven have had bigger sidewalls. The 125i is a warm hatch, one level down from the M135/140i - it rides as you'd expect.
It's a cracking car, for a modern car (I say that as I haven't really gelled with anything newer than my 2006 E91 330i). It's not that unrefined - the 4pot is typical modern 4pot turbo in terms of delivery and also noise i.e. it sounds unspectacular and a bit like a diesel - there's no others in this segment that I've seen or heard that are any different.
It's quick for a warm hatch - ours with the sport auto box is quoted at 5.9s to 60 I think. It's also great on economy - in urban driving we tend to average mid-30s, but on a run it will see over 40 no problem. Previous owner has even seen 50+mpg on a steady m-way cruise with Eco Pro on.
In terms of VED it's also fairly low - £140-150 IIRC
Unless you're doing big miles I'd have the petrol over the diesel any day of the week, but that's as much down to personal prejudice (based on recent diesel ownership) as it is the practicalities associated with actual running costs between the two.
Ride is typical BMW, and having driven the F10 5-series it's really isn't that much worse. But you'd expect a 520d to swallow bumps better as it's a bigger car, with a different ride/handling requirement, and the ones I've driven have had bigger sidewalls. The 125i is a warm hatch, one level down from the M135/140i - it rides as you'd expect.
It's a cracking car, for a modern car (I say that as I haven't really gelled with anything newer than my 2006 E91 330i). It's not that unrefined - the 4pot is typical modern 4pot turbo in terms of delivery and also noise i.e. it sounds unspectacular and a bit like a diesel - there's no others in this segment that I've seen or heard that are any different.
It's quick for a warm hatch - ours with the sport auto box is quoted at 5.9s to 60 I think. It's also great on economy - in urban driving we tend to average mid-30s, but on a run it will see over 40 no problem. Previous owner has even seen 50+mpg on a steady m-way cruise with Eco Pro on.
In terms of VED it's also fairly low - £140-150 IIRC
Unless you're doing big miles I'd have the petrol over the diesel any day of the week, but that's as much down to personal prejudice (based on recent diesel ownership) as it is the practicalities associated with actual running costs between the two.
Edited by Swervin_Mervin on Friday 28th April 12:55
Can't comment on the current 1-Series, but I do 20k a year in the previous model 125i Coupe, and it is absolutely fine, comfort wise. Ride was a bit bouncy on the original runflats, but I swapped them for PS4's, and it's much better now - the softer tyres seem to have improved the interior quality as well, as the rattles have all vanished for some reason...it is quite loud inside, but it's mostly engine noise, and as that engine has 6 cylinders, it's a good noise 
Main thing that would put me off the current 125i is the 4 pot engine up front, but if you can cope with that it's a perfectly good car. If it was me I'd be going down the M140i route, but if that isn;t an option the 125i should be more than acceptable.
Main thing that would put me off the current 125i is the 4 pot engine up front, but if you can cope with that it's a perfectly good car. If it was me I'd be going down the M140i route, but if that isn;t an option the 125i should be more than acceptable.
My 330i is an N52. The N20 4-pot is just nowhere near as good an engine - refinement, noise, delivery etc.
But that's modern engines for you, and the world we live in. Accepting that, and putting those negatives to one side, the N20 in the 125i at least is punchy, responsive, quick and frugal.
But that's modern engines for you, and the world we live in. Accepting that, and putting those negatives to one side, the N20 in the 125i at least is punchy, responsive, quick and frugal.
Just a thought - you say 'company car', but then say maintenance adds to the contract.
Is this actually a company car, or are you getting an allowance to buy / lease your own car? - if the latter, be careful. You can easily tie yourself into a 3 or 4 year lease agreement only to be made redundant in 6 months and be stuck with a car you cannot afford or need.
If it's truly a company car, forget about any petrol that isn't a hybrid and get over to www.comcar.co.uk to look at the tax implications of taking a car.
(Also be aware that if the company is paying fuel to get to and from a fixed place of work, this is a taxable benefit... and don't, whatever you do, get private mileage paid unless you do about 10k private miles per year)
Is this actually a company car, or are you getting an allowance to buy / lease your own car? - if the latter, be careful. You can easily tie yourself into a 3 or 4 year lease agreement only to be made redundant in 6 months and be stuck with a car you cannot afford or need.
If it's truly a company car, forget about any petrol that isn't a hybrid and get over to www.comcar.co.uk to look at the tax implications of taking a car.
(Also be aware that if the company is paying fuel to get to and from a fixed place of work, this is a taxable benefit... and don't, whatever you do, get private mileage paid unless you do about 10k private miles per year)
It is a toss up between the 120i/120d and Golf GTi/GTD at the moment. Unfortunately the 2 series comes out way too much a month!
It is a company car, company is paying for it all with an allowed budget.
Im test driving the 20i/20d back to back this weekend, if the petrol drives well with the auto box it will be the winner i think. I cant see it driving that much differently to the 20d / auto
It is a company car, company is paying for it all with an allowed budget.
Im test driving the 20i/20d back to back this weekend, if the petrol drives well with the auto box it will be the winner i think. I cant see it driving that much differently to the 20d / auto
I really wouldn't bother with a company car with a 10 mile commute.
You'll be paying £4.5k in tax (if you're a 40% tax payer) to have a 1-series that does 20 miles a day.
It may seem nice having a fully maintained new car on the drive, but that's a lot of money to pay the taxman to drive someone else's hatchback.
The only reason I have a company car is that I do 30k business miles a year.
You'll be paying £4.5k in tax (if you're a 40% tax payer) to have a 1-series that does 20 miles a day.
It may seem nice having a fully maintained new car on the drive, but that's a lot of money to pay the taxman to drive someone else's hatchback.
The only reason I have a company car is that I do 30k business miles a year.
Trabi601 said:
But they're both pretty horrible cars - and the 3 series isn't much better. Build down to a price, unrefined and noisy.
They are obviously not horrible cars, they are competent, quick, relatively efficient, decently well made and they look OK. They just don't excell.The comparison with a 5 series is hardly fair either. I rented a hyundai i10 the other day and it was horrible because it wasn't as nice as an i40 inside. Actually I was pleasantly surprised by the little i10... But that is another story
Mike335i said:
They are obviously not horrible cars, they are competent, quick, relatively efficient, decently well made and they look OK. They just don't excell.
The comparison with a 5 series is hardly fair either. I rented a hyundai i10 the other day and it was horrible because it wasn't as nice as an i40 inside. Actually I was pleasantly surprised by the little i10... But that is another story
It's not a bad comparison, as once you've specced up a 3 series to the same level as a base 5 series, there's next to nothing in it - and a 1-series isn't far behind.The comparison with a 5 series is hardly fair either. I rented a hyundai i10 the other day and it was horrible because it wasn't as nice as an i40 inside. Actually I was pleasantly surprised by the little i10... But that is another story
A few years ago, I added a few options to a 1-series (nothing major - leather, upgraded audio, driver comfort pack) and it came to within £3k of a 520d SE - the 5 came with all the bits I'd added to the 1-series, plus had Business Nav. as standard. This was another grand or so to add to the 1-series.
Trabi601 said:
It's not a bad comparison, as once you've specced up a 3 series to the same level as a base 5 series, there's next to nothing in it - and a 1-series isn't far behind.
A few years ago, I added a few options to a 1-series (nothing major - leather, upgraded audio, driver comfort pack) and it came to within £3k of a 520d SE - the 5 came with all the bits I'd added to the 1-series, plus had Business Nav. as standard. This was another grand or so to add to the 1-series.
This is the problem i am having, the 1 series comes with nothing.A few years ago, I added a few options to a 1-series (nothing major - leather, upgraded audio, driver comfort pack) and it came to within £3k of a 520d SE - the 5 came with all the bits I'd added to the 1-series, plus had Business Nav. as standard. This was another grand or so to add to the 1-series.
Going to have a look at the 320d/320i M-sport on Tuesday and get a proper rep mobile
Trabi601 said:
If it's a company car, watch the tax on it - the 125i will be particularly bad, but the 125d isn't great, either.
But they're both pretty horrible cars - and the 3 series isn't much better. Build down to a price, unrefined and noisy.
The 4 series looks nice, but quality doesn't match the price, so even though I could have had a really high spec. 4, I went for a 520d as they're a leap ahead in quality.
If you can only have a 1 or maybe a 3, I'd probably look elsewhere.
Im genuinly intersted if you think a 3 series is basically a right off ,if you had around 35K to spend on a new car lease or PCP purchase what would you buy?But they're both pretty horrible cars - and the 3 series isn't much better. Build down to a price, unrefined and noisy.
The 4 series looks nice, but quality doesn't match the price, so even though I could have had a really high spec. 4, I went for a 520d as they're a leap ahead in quality.
If you can only have a 1 or maybe a 3, I'd probably look elsewhere.
Have just gone from a 320d to an M140 (in same trim, coral leather). They're similar, but there are lots of details in the 3er (take a look at the door trims, for example) that make it a slightly nicer place to sit.
Also, interior size is different. In the 3 the rear facing baby seat would go behind the driver no problem, in the 1 I have to move forward more than I'd like. The boot and is also quite a bit smaller.
Also, go for the professional media. It includes stuff like a Deezer account, so you can stream music through directly through iDrive etc., and a few other goodies. I had Business in the 3 and Pro in the 1 is worth the difference.
Also, interior size is different. In the 3 the rear facing baby seat would go behind the driver no problem, in the 1 I have to move forward more than I'd like. The boot and is also quite a bit smaller.
Also, go for the professional media. It includes stuff like a Deezer account, so you can stream music through directly through iDrive etc., and a few other goodies. I had Business in the 3 and Pro in the 1 is worth the difference.
smashy said:
Hi thanks and fair enough me ill stick with my 3ltr 3 series I love the power /mpg ratio
My boss has a 330d MSport Auto.He's due to re-order very soon... we spent a day on the road together and he's absolutely convinced that the 5 is the way to go, even if our corporate responsibility limits CO2 emissions to the 520 rather than 530.
In reality - a 520d SE Auto for just over £36k is a bloody bargain.
Trabi601 said:
My boss has a 330d MSport Auto.
He's due to re-order very soon... we spent a day on the road together and he's absolutely convinced that the 5 is the way to go, even if our corporate responsibility limits CO2 emissions to the 520 rather than 530.
In reality - a 520d SE Auto for just over £36k is a bloody bargain.
Thing is its too big for me, 6 inches longer I spend my life ducking and diving into Parking spaces on the street. Plus I park in a CPZ area outside my London home ,I wouldnt get it in so many spots it would frustrate the hell out of meHe's due to re-order very soon... we spent a day on the road together and he's absolutely convinced that the 5 is the way to go, even if our corporate responsibility limits CO2 emissions to the 520 rather than 530.
In reality - a 520d SE Auto for just over £36k is a bloody bargain.
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