2010 BMW 1 Series 116d ES 2.0 diesel

Summary:

Overrated

Faults:

Clutch + flywheel (expensive).

Oil leak.

Cam sensor, ABS sensor.

Plus all the usual wear and tear. The car was looked after well, received all services.

General Comments:

A typical car from the year 2010, this 1 series tries to be cool and fails. Fairly boring little hatchback and below BMW standards in my opinion.

ES model is very basic, interior felt cheap and plasticky. Not many options.

OK to drive, handled all right and the controls were smooth. Was also comfortable enough to be in for long journeys.

Engine was nothing special - diesel engine I thought would feel powerful in a pretty small hatchback, but it could barely move, you had to use full throttle to get anywhere. Even driving carefully I barely averaged 48 mpg. Official stats are 60 mpg on average. Unrealistic I know, but most cars I have drove I always got near or achieved the average, but never in this car no matter how hard I tried.

Very dull to look at, boring 16 inch wheels and silver exterior, as 90% of cars from this time seem to be silver!

Couldn't wait to get rid of it to be honest. Don't get me wrong, it is not a really bad car, just expensive to fix and overrated. There are better options out there for the money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th March, 2024

11th Mar 2024, 21:38

Clutches and flywheels on modern cars are not the usual $350 job anymore; definitely all diesels and most (if not all) petrol cars (like the Ford Mondeo) have dual-mass flywheels, none of which are cheap regardless of brand. What used to be a moderately-priced wear and tear item is now eye watering, that automatics are becoming more affordable to repair.

I just did some quick checks on the specs of your car and its other variants - I suppose it's how it was tuned (instead of BMW running a separate engine line to create a 1.6, cheaper to just retune the existing 2.0 down to perform like a 1.6), and it's still quite a revelation that for a 2.0 16-V car, its 0-60 is around the 10s mark, whereas the 120d with the same displacement, can do it in just over 7s.

I can see why you'd say it's overrated; at least in 116d guise. As with most cars, if you pick the variant with a mediocre engine/tune, it totally wipes out any possible brilliance that the rest of the car could've shown. Like another review for a SEAT a few weeks ago, I think the engine in the car was the 1.0 3-cylinder, which was underwhelming, but if they got the 1.4 version of the same car, they'd have been far more satisfied.

13th Mar 2024, 13:07

It doesn't sound THAT bad for a car that age (a clutch at 70k is FW&T).

In reply to 13th Mar 2024, 13:07

16th Mar 2024, 16:03

I am on my original clutch and flywheel. I have owned my 2010 BMW 120D since new. I am now on 287k miles.

2008 BMW 1 Series 118d SE 2.0 turbo diesel

Summary:

Much better than I expected

Faults:

Had a lot of work to the suspension recently. Acceptable at the mileage. The car was already 10 years old when I bought it and already had a few expensive repairs (the usual common diesel engine trouble), but nothing too serious. I keep it serviced on time and it has not let me down so far. Interior is wearing very well for a car that is now 14 years old. Exterior is also looking good, but there is very small rust patches starting here and there. Again, nothing out of the ordinary for an older car.

General Comments:

Growing up I had always liked BMW's saloons and coupes, so when the 1 series came out I never thought much about it, I thought it just looked like another boring hatchback car that you see everywhere. In all fairness it is a quality car once you own and drive one.

Be under no illusion however, they can still be expensive to run for a smaller family car in regards to repairs. Compared to my previous boring but good to drive and reliable Ford Focus, the car is a bit more exciting, but not by much. I love the handling and the interior just has such a nice quality feel. This 118d has a 2.0 turbo diesel engine that is fast and economical. Can still easily achieve around 60 mpg, excellent for a 2008 car.

SE model is pretty basic, but the car still has all electrics and air con. Quiet and smooth to drive around town and on motorways also.

In silver, which is a very common color, the car looks like any other hatchback on the road, in my opinion that is its only let down, it is not the most exciting car to look at. If BMW styled it a bit better I think they would have the perfect family car that would appeal to all buyers, but it is just too boring looking. Not ugly, just bland.

Overall the car is better than I expected, but don't expect anything too exciting, unless you go for the faster versions.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2022

22nd Nov 2023, 19:30

The 1 series is a decent car, bland looks aside. I had a similar one to yours, I never got 60 mpg though, around 50 mpg at best is a more realistic average for most drivers.