nitram_luap
10-24-2004, 05:25 AM
What can I say....
With the help of a few friends we put about 600km on it in the last 24 hours - up and down the mountain ranges around here. This machine handles very well - extremely stable when pushed - and boy did we push it - and very well balanced, with and without DSC enabled. We were outcornering just about everything on the road.
I really felt like I was driving an M3 (except when we needed straight line acceleration!). This thing has excellent handling. The brakes were fantastic as well. I have driven these roads in an E46 M3 and my lowly E46 318i and Golf's etc. This 120i just blew me away. From a driving perspective it is leaps and bounds ahead in its class.
It has an excellent steering wheel and the feedback is exceptional.
The car we had was a 6-speed auto which was the only downside especially when pushing it. It was never quite in the 'right' gear - the manual would be fantastic. The ride was firm but not at all uncomfortable. We had runflats and normal suspension. It almost felt like it was leaning IN on the corners even though we knew it wasn't. The sports seats were very snug. After all the driving we did there was not one single creak or rattle to be heard.
The interior grew on me - looks beautiful at night when lit with the soft orange glow. The rear passengers have their own orange lights (the 2 little ones like the 3 series) on a separate overhead light section - which also has individual map reading lights (which when lit, don't disturb the drivers view at all). The plastics aren't exactly world class but they're pretty damn good considering this is an entry level vehicle - well put together & no rattles.
The Automatic A/C was great and it managed to control the individual driver/passenger temperatures very well. The in dash CD player can play MP3 files burnt onto a CD-ROM - and it even reads folders (and the music within them for better organising) - see attached pics.
The car we were in also had the bluetooth phone integration - which, I discovered by accident, also has voice control via the steering wheel. The user interface is much better than in the 3-series, but there is no SMS. The phone cradles are the same as the 3-series - just plug them in and your phone can charge & use the external aerial if needed.
Cruise control was with a nifty 'extra' shift paddle on the left - well designed - as was the clever indicators (all electronic on/off mechanism) & OBC functions. Our car also had the exterior door handle lights - apart from looking VERY slick they light up the ground around the car very well indeed. Talk about a head turner.
I think BMW has a winner here. An excellent drivers car which has the limits of its abilities WELL outside any normal day to day driving - nice to know what it can do when things get sticky.
Other Points of Note
- Rear leg room - not that bad. Comfortably sits 4 average size adults with about 5cm between knees & the rear of the seat
- Folding split rear seats sit nicely flat
- Glove box has a strange 'side compartment' which is useful for storage
- Start stop button is pretty slick as is the new key
- The 'key' has a metal key hidden inside, in case the battery goes flat
I hope they sell them by the truckload.
Great car!
Paul
Australia
With the help of a few friends we put about 600km on it in the last 24 hours - up and down the mountain ranges around here. This machine handles very well - extremely stable when pushed - and boy did we push it - and very well balanced, with and without DSC enabled. We were outcornering just about everything on the road.
I really felt like I was driving an M3 (except when we needed straight line acceleration!). This thing has excellent handling. The brakes were fantastic as well. I have driven these roads in an E46 M3 and my lowly E46 318i and Golf's etc. This 120i just blew me away. From a driving perspective it is leaps and bounds ahead in its class.
It has an excellent steering wheel and the feedback is exceptional.
The car we had was a 6-speed auto which was the only downside especially when pushing it. It was never quite in the 'right' gear - the manual would be fantastic. The ride was firm but not at all uncomfortable. We had runflats and normal suspension. It almost felt like it was leaning IN on the corners even though we knew it wasn't. The sports seats were very snug. After all the driving we did there was not one single creak or rattle to be heard.
The interior grew on me - looks beautiful at night when lit with the soft orange glow. The rear passengers have their own orange lights (the 2 little ones like the 3 series) on a separate overhead light section - which also has individual map reading lights (which when lit, don't disturb the drivers view at all). The plastics aren't exactly world class but they're pretty damn good considering this is an entry level vehicle - well put together & no rattles.
The Automatic A/C was great and it managed to control the individual driver/passenger temperatures very well. The in dash CD player can play MP3 files burnt onto a CD-ROM - and it even reads folders (and the music within them for better organising) - see attached pics.
The car we were in also had the bluetooth phone integration - which, I discovered by accident, also has voice control via the steering wheel. The user interface is much better than in the 3-series, but there is no SMS. The phone cradles are the same as the 3-series - just plug them in and your phone can charge & use the external aerial if needed.
Cruise control was with a nifty 'extra' shift paddle on the left - well designed - as was the clever indicators (all electronic on/off mechanism) & OBC functions. Our car also had the exterior door handle lights - apart from looking VERY slick they light up the ground around the car very well indeed. Talk about a head turner.
I think BMW has a winner here. An excellent drivers car which has the limits of its abilities WELL outside any normal day to day driving - nice to know what it can do when things get sticky.
Other Points of Note
- Rear leg room - not that bad. Comfortably sits 4 average size adults with about 5cm between knees & the rear of the seat
- Folding split rear seats sit nicely flat
- Glove box has a strange 'side compartment' which is useful for storage
- Start stop button is pretty slick as is the new key
- The 'key' has a metal key hidden inside, in case the battery goes flat
I hope they sell them by the truckload.
Great car!
Paul
Australia