Review of the new BMW 118D Coupe

How do you like the idea of a BMW sportscar? Right now the car enthusiasts amongst you are conjuring up images of beautifully balanced roadsters or coupes with M Sport badges, power sliding their way around a race circuit to the soundtrack of a flat six engine issuing forth its metallic howl. BMW can do that but in these more environmentally enlightened times, it would like to remind everyone that it can also do cars like the 118d Coupe. Yes, it's still a BMW sportscar but it's a diesel and while performance is less than mind-boggling, there aren't many superminis that can compete with its fuel economy figures.

The 1 Series Coupe is part of a 1 Series range that has done very nicely for BMW. The three and five-door hatchbacks are the mainstays but there are also Coupe, Convertible and X1 4x4 versions to consider. Throughout all of these model lines, the 2.0-litre diesel engine that powers the 118d Coupe is hugely important. It's to be found in differing states of tune beneath the bonnets of any 1 Series derivative badged 116d, 118d or 120d. With an extra turbocharger, it even does the business in the formidable 123d models. It's a versatile engine and no mistake but can a 118d Coupe be a real BMW sports car?

The ubiquitous BMW 2.0-litre diesel engine is tuned to achieve 143bhp in the 118d Coupe. It's performance might not be on a par with what we've come to expect from BMW performance models down the years but with 350Nm of torque in a car weighing 1,400kg, it's never going to feel pedestrian. The 0-60mph sprint it dispatched in 9.0s and the top speed is 130mph but it's that maximum torque realised between 1,750 and 2,500rpm that will have most impact on the way this Coupe drives.

".cars like the 118d are democratising BMW's legendary handling knowhow"

BMW's 50:50 weight distribution is intact with the 1 Series Coupe. The car rides on double-joint spring strut suspension at the front and a five-link arrangement at the rear, chosen to leave the maximum degree of adjustability available to the chassis engineers. BMW's DSC dynamic stability control is standard on the 118d model and the traction control component of the system allows a degree of wheel slip before reining-in the throttle, which will spur on the keen driver.

Links to the 1 Series hatch are evident in this Coupe model. The nose borrows heavily from the hatchbacked car with the bumper jutting forward from the plain of the grille and headlamps. Below, the air intakes are more aggressively shaped and as you progress back down the car's length, the differences become more pronounced. The booted outline of the car owes more to the 3 Series Saloon and Coupe than the 1 Series. The car is 133mm longer than the hatchback that spawned it and the sharply angled windscreen, along with the protruding rear, emphasise this. Beneath the boot lid, which is drawn up into a subtle spoiler, the available space is measured at 370 litres, that's 20 litres up on the hatch and there's a 60:40 split rear seat to add a little of the liftback's practicality.

The interior will hold few surprises for existing BMW owners. The high quality materials and solid construction always impress and it's this general classiness that makes it all feel special rather than any stand-out detailing. The major controls for the entertainment and ventilation system are confined to a panel ahead of the gear lever and the rest of the stuff you need is clustered on or around the steering wheel where it's simple to access on the road.

The range of trim levels holds no great surprises. Things kick off with the ES before proceeding through SE and Sport to the M Sport which turns up the aggression in the Coupe's looks with its styling accessories. Sport models are aimed predominantly at private buyers and come with an attractive collection of extras at a price equivalent to the entry-level ES. Buyers get 17" alloy wheels, front foglights, heated mirrors, a leather steering wheel and sports seats on top of the basic spec.

The BMW model range has diversified hugely over recent years and continues to do so. The 118d Coupe shows the German brand competing with mainstream affordable sports cars like the Volkswagen Scirocco and the Alfa Romeo GT, against which it looks very competitively priced. It's also an alternative to the selection of sporty diesel-engined hatchbacks that are now available and in that company, BMW's premium badge will carry a lot of weight.

The strength of BMW's 2.0-litre diesel engine is that it can produce strong performance coupled with outstanding economy. There are 1.3 and 1.5-litre diesel-engined superminis that can't match the 62.8mpg combined cycle economy that the 118d achieves and emissions of 119g/km are similarly strong.

In recording its excellent economy figures, the engine has quite a lot of help from BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies. This is a collection of small measures that when implemented together, have a startling effect of fuel economy and emissions without harming performance. Different models in the 1 Series coupe line-up utilise different aspects of the EfficientDynamics programme and the 118d Coupe gets Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop and an optimum gearshift indicator amongst other features.

BMW Coupes were once fairly prohibitive things from a pricing perspective but cars like the 118d are democratising BMW's legendary handling knowhow. Available for the price of a run-of-the-mill hot hatchback, a 118d might not be as fast but it should deliver a big part of the fun factor you get with a rear-wheel-drive BMW sports car. It will also cost a whole lot less to run.

TOP 5 1 SERIES DEALS

The results below show the top 1 SERIES deals on buyacar

BMW 1 Series 116i Sport 5dr Hatchback
Price £19,847 Read 1 Series Reviews	Save £1,453
BMW 1 Series 118d ES 2dr Diesel Coupe
Price £19,665 Read 1 Series Reviews	Save £2,295
BMW 1 Series 118d Sport 2dr Diesel Coupe
Price £20,407 Read 1 Series Reviews	Save £1,553
BMW 1 Series 116d ES 5dr Diesel Hatchback
Price £18,871 Read 1 Series Reviews	Save £1,324
BMW 1 Series 118d Sport 5dr Diesel Hatchback
Price £21,546 Read 1 Series Reviews	Save £1,724
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