LONG-TERM TEST
BMW 125i AT
Johannesburg - People tend to look at the M135i and now-discontinued 1M as the only high performers in the 1 Series range, but the 125i is a surprisingly well-endowed member of the family.
In our extended road-test of the car over the past several months, many was the time that we wiped off the smug look of some GTI or ST driver who underestimated the 125i’s accelerative abilities.
With 160kW and 310Nm provided by its two-litre turbo petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed auto gearbox, the 125i’s good enough to play in the top of the hot-hatch league with its 0-100km/h time of 6.3 seconds at reef altitude. This is only a second slower than we achieved in the much more powerful BMW 1M with its three-litre turbo engine, and quicker than manual rivals such as the Golf GTI at 6.6 seconds (we haven’t tested the auto), the Astra OPC at 6.8 seconds, the Megane RS at 6.9 seconds, and the Focus ST at 7.4 seconds. All of these cars were tested by us at the same venue using the same Racelogic Vbox test equipment.
It’s not just its pace but the accessibility of the performance we like too. This BMW is the one of the few hot hatches to offer a two-pedal option and, say what you like about the “purism” of a manual, that eight-speed Steptronic delivers the gearshifting goods faster and more efficiently than your left hand and left foot ever could. Thankfully this turbo engine has plenty of low-down shunt so there’s no annoying pause in initial pulloff to make you wish for a clutch. Just thrust the throttle and off she goes, feisty and willing from the word go.
RWD SELLING POINT
The 1 Series’ unique selling point is that it’s the only rear-wheel drive car on offer in this category, the rest all being either front- or all-wheel driven. Most of us wouldn’t notice the difference in normal driving, but should you find yourself competing in a gymkhana or a track day, the tail-drifting thrills of rear-wheel drive really put the cherry on top of an enthusiast driver’s cake.
The BMW 125i is one of those “sleeper” cars that hide sharp teeth behind an innocuous smile, although our test-car’s fangs do poke out just a little with its optionally fitted MSport kit. This R24 100 package endows the car with 15mm lowered suspension and livened-up looks courtesy of an aerodynamic kit. Inside, the MSport package jazzes things up with items such as sports seats, anthracite roof lining, M leather steering wheel, and satin chrome finishes.
BMW really went to town speccing this test-car with R130 000 worth of extra-cost options, some of which – such as the electric sunroof and headlamp washer system – we could easily live without.
One extra-cost item we feel is worth the R9 700 pricetag is the electric seat adjustment (with memory settings for the driver) as BMW’s manual seat adjusters are not very user friendly.
Some of the other add-on gadgets fitted to the car included Professional Navigation for R18 100, and the eight-speed sports automatic transmission with steering wheel paddles, which is a R20 100 premium over the six-speed manual.
It’s a terrific gearbox though we seldom used the paddles. It works just fine in auto mode, and if you want to be Lewis Hamilton simply move the lever into Sport mode to elicit more responsive shifts.
Like other more expensive BMWs, the 1 Series has a personality-shifting system called Driving Experience Control that changes the driving characteristics between Eco, Normal, Sport and Sport+ modes.
Affecting the responses of the throttle, steering, stability control intervention and auto gearshift (and Adaptive M Suspension if optionally fitted), it makes a notable difference to the car’s personality at the flick of a button.
The Sport modes unlock the beast inside, while in Economy the car is a much meeker version of itself while displaying on a digital readout how many extra kilometres you’re adding to a tank of fuel by driving so responsibly
One thing I missed from the Sport modes is a heartier engine note, and this refined four-cylinder turbo always mewed more like a kitten than a lion.
A start-stop function helped to keep the car’s fuel consumption average at 9.4 litres per 100km, which is good for the power output if way off BMW’s 6.3 litre claim.
In addition to the body kit the test car is sported-up with optional 18” mags and low-profile tyres. These add a dash of visual spice and sharpen up the handling, but make the ride somewhat harsher than usual without making it teeth-jarringly uncomfortable.
The 1 Series hatch isn’t the world’s most practical family car and rear legroom is tight, but the acceptably-sized boot stores a decent amount of luggage, and with the seats folded down you’re able to stash a mountain bike in there.
This may be one of the brand’s more petite cars but the feeling of substance and solidity is all typically BMW. The cabin finishes convey business-class opulence, and after nearly 20 000km it all still looks brand new in our test car.
VERDICT
This is a grown-up hot hatch for the more discerning aficionado who enjoys rear-wheel drive, not to mention the aspirational factor of that BMW badge.
The 1M and 135i tend to get all the glory in the 1 Series range, but the surprisingly swift 125i offers GTI-beating performance for a pricetag of just over 10 grand more.
FACTS: BMW 125i a/t
Engine: Four-cylinder, two-litre turbopetrol
Power: 160kW @ 5000rpm
Torque: 310 @ 1350 - 4500rpm
0-100km/h (Gauteng): 6.3 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 245km/h
Consumption (Gauteng): 8.9 litres per 100km
Price: R425 873
Warranty: Two years, unlimited distance
Service plan: Five years or 100 000km
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