The 1 Series coupe is a great looking machine. Compact and full of promise, the pint-sized two door can be sensible too, especially with a 2-litre diesel under the hood. Throw in the new 'M Sport' pack and you have a little racer on your hands.
The Bavarian baby has blown hot and cold since its birth. The launch car was the five-door hatchback and while it was a bit of craic up front, the promised hacthback versatility was never delivered on - just ask any rear seat passenger.
Since the introduction of the Hyundai i30, the Beemer 1 series hatch has been too easily mistaken for the Korean small family car. The hatchback has never lived up to expectations but lately the 1 Series convertible and coupe variants have proved to be excellent.
My test car was the 120d Coupe, fitted with the optional M Pack. For the extra money customers get wonderfully chunky and lightweight 17-inch alloy wheels with low profile tyres; beefed up suspension; carbon fibre rear boot spoiler and revised bumpers front and rear and racing side mirrors to make the exterior more purposeful and sporting - there's even a 'go-faster' stripe! These modifications were to have been the sole preserve of the insane, but BMW has had the good sense to let the madness reach down to the lower rungs of the coupe's ladder.
Inside the cabin, up front there are racing bucket seats - although I haven't come across many race seats that tilt and slide. Alcantera and leather combine to add to the sense of occasion. Posh door sills add to the package and when you throw in to the mix the crowning glory of the M Sport steering wheel, the whole package is worth it.
The steering wheel houses two hidden buttons that you can press with your thumbs. There are three display panels built in to the wheel. The centre display houses the stop watch and lap timer primarily, but the function I used most was the G force readout. This little toy told me how hard and to what degree of 'G' (gravity) I was pulling when accelerating or decelerating plus the amount of lateral G force I was experiencing at any time.
Either side of the wheel from about 10 to 10 to 5 to 12 there is a twin led rev counter that glows amber to red when the rev limit is reached. While the rev counter is very flash, I never really found myself thrashing the 120d to the limiter as it just feels wrong. The diesel doesn't make the right noises in the same way a V8 would so really the M Pack is purely for show.
A well specified German motor is a thing of beauty be it a Beemer, Merc or Audi.
BMW has a brand new 7 Series here already, a new Z4 on the way and an X6 M on the way. It's such a shame we've hard times ahead as the product on offer has never been better.
The 120d Coupe with M Pack is very F1 and a great toy to impress your friends with - for a couple of minutes anyway!
Michael Sheridan
