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By
EWAN KENNEDY
2 October 2006
Driving a BMW 130i for a week has reminded us why BMW chose not
to go front-wheel drive. Because the balance and sporting feel of this
small car is simply sensational. This is a five-door hatchback that even
in its standard format is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of all
keen drivers. And the hot 130i we tested is far from being standard. It’s
even quicker, either in a straight line or on demanding roads with lots
of interesting twists and turns.
Driving a BMW 130i for a week also reminded us why the rest of
the automotive world has gone front-wheel drive. Because there's
not a lot of room in the 1 Series, especially in the back seat,
due to the inherent lack of space efficiency created by using an
inline longitudinal engine driving the back wheels.
The 1 Series isn’t all that small in absolute terms, indeed
it has similar dimensions to the 3 Series of the 1980s. However,
the new 1 Series has to meet far more stringent crash tests than
the old 3 Series, so some of the new car’s overall length is
lost to provide added crush zones at the front.
This leaves a cabin that has reasonable space in the front pair
of seats, though some may find foot-width is restricted. But not a
lot of room in the back. Indeed, this is really a two-plus-two
rather than a true four-seater. There are safety belts for five in
total, so three children can be carried in the rear.
The 1 Series’ styling is an interesting evolution of the
latest in BMW's controversial thinking on elaborately curved ‘flame’
surfaces. The tail treatment is particularly interesting, being
almost wagon like in its shape.
There's good space in the boot thanks to the rearward extension
of the roof. The boot’s depth is greater than you might expect,
chiefly because there is no spare wheel under it. The 1 Series is
carrying on BMW's push for the convenience and safety of run-flat
tyres, therefore doesn’t need a spare.
At this stage only a five-door hatch is offered. A four-door
sedan and a three-door hatch are thought to be on the drawing
board, though BMW won’t confirm plans in this direction.
BMW 1 Series first arrived in Australia powered by a 2.0-litre
engine, even the so-called 118i, has a 2.0-litre capacity, but
less power than the 120i thanks to a higher state of tune in the
latter. An impressive 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine was later
added to the rapidly burgeoning lineup.
But our test car this week was the big gun of the range, the
BMW 130i. As the name suggests it has the 3.0-litre straight-six
normally used in larger BMW models. In the little 1 Series it
gives excellent performance thanks to a huge 195 kW, 265
horsepower, pushing along a car that weighs in at only 1375 kg.
The result is a road rocket that will leap from rest to 100
km/h in a blink over six seconds on its way to a governed top
speed, where conditions permit, of 250 km/h.
Throttle response is virtually instantaneous and the 130i will
pull from ridiculously low revs, anything over about 1500 rpm in
day-to-day driving, and there's no need to change down a gear. Not
that gearchanging is a hardship because another advantage of
rear-wheel drive is the provision of slick gearshifts that are a
delight to make.
The little Bimmer leaps past overtaken vehicles with a huge
amount of safety thanks to its big-torque, high-performance
engine.
Yet the 3.0-litre powerplant doesn’t use a lot more fuel than
the 2.0-litre petrol engine in real life driving. Most drivers
will see figures between 10 and 12 litres per hundred kilometres
in daily use – unless the day has included a trip to a track
day, that is! The efficiency of this engine can easily see it
recording fuel figures on the low side of eight litres per hundred
on Australian motorways.
On the road the balance offered by rear-drive gives the 1
Series a genuine sports-sedan feel. Steering response is virtually
instantaneous and the car responds like a thoroughbred. This is
the sort of car that a dedicated driver will give their full
attention, simply because of the way it reacts so beautifully to
their every wish and command.
At $63,200 the BMW 130i isn’t cheap, but it does offer
tremendous value for money when you consider that you are getting
a runabout sports machine with more performance than many pure
sports cars costing more than three times the price.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
116i 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $34,900
118i 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $38,700
120i 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $42,800
120d 2.0-litre diesel five-door hatch - $47,800
130i Sport 3.0-litre five-door hatch - $63,200
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: Not offered in 116i, 120d or 130i, $2200
option in 118i and 120i
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Driver Airbag: Standard in all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (BMW 130i 3.0-litre five-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.996 litres
Configuration: Six cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.7:1
Bore/Stroke: 88.0 x 85.0mm
Maximum Power: 195kW @ 6600rpm
Maximum Torque: 315Nm @ 2500-4000rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
Final Drive Ratio: 3.23:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4227mm
Wheelbase: 2660mm
Width: 1751mm
Height: 1430mm
Turning Circle: 10.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1450kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 53 litres
Towing Ability: 650kg (1200kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Double-joint tiebar spring strut axle
Rear Suspension: Independent five-arm axle
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 6.1 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 14.8 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 98RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 8.8 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/unlimited km
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Marque Publishing Company
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