BMW 120d Coupé auto., road test (part III)

We now arrive at the third part of the road test of the BMW 1 Series Coupé that we have driven, equipped with the 2-litre diesel engine producing 177 CV and a six-speed automatic gearbox. An engine that stands out for its performance and fairly frugal consumption, allowing you to enjoy driving without sacrificing your wallet. If you want to know more about how the 1 Series Coupé behaves, you can read the first part.

We have also looked at the design, both exterior and interior, of the 1 Series Coupé in the second part of the test. And now, to finish, we will look at the standard equipment, the various options our model had, including features as distinctive as automatic high beams, and we will also look at the prices, before finally wrapping up with our overall assessment of the BMW 120d Coupé.

Equipment

As usual when dealing with equipment, we begin with safety, with those features that come as standard in the safety category. The 1 Series Coupé is quite well equipped in this respect and even from the base trim it comes with front, side and curtain airbags, stability control, brake lights that vary in intensity depending on the force of braking, and fog lights, among other features.

As for Euro NCAP results, we do not have those for the 1 Series Coupé, but we do have those for the standard 1 Series, so those results can be extrapolated to our test vehicle. The 1 Series earned the coveted five stars in the crash test carried out in 2004, so we are talking about a safe vehicle. Furthermore, as is customary with this type of brand, the safety equipment usually comes fully standard across all trim levels, and this case is no exception.

As for the rest of the equipment, we are dealing with a premium vehicle, which means you will have to spend some money on extras if you want it fully loaded with luxury features. As standard it comes with the Business CD radio with AUX input, but you can complement it with the BMW Professional radio or with a USB port as an extra. It also comes standard with air conditioning with two-zone climate control, and completing the standard kit are 16-inch alloy wheels.

Once we look at the options catalogue, you can design the 1 Series Coupé to your liking. In our case we will mention some extras that we found interesting. We must start with the bi-xenon headlights, which offered good illumination, but were also complemented by the cornering light function and the high beam assistant. Together, the vehicle adapts the high beams to traffic on motorways or main roads, switching them on or off depending on whether a car is approaching head-on, whether there is a vehicle in our lane, or whether there is more ambient light.

It is a recommended extra if you do a lot of motorway driving at night, because it becomes a good ally, along with the excellent lighting provided by the bi-xenon headlights. Another extra on our 1 Series Coupé was the navigation system controlled from a knob on the centre console, with an interface very similar to that of a computer, with many functions, good performance and a 6.5-inch screen. That said, it requires adaptation to the multimedia system, which also incorporated a USB port and MP3 player.

Overall Assessment

The BMW 1 Series Coupé strikes us as one of the most exclusive 1 Series models on the market, because it is an entry-level model in the range BMW but without the design of the three- and five-door versions, which are more commonly seen on the road. The coupé design gives it a distinctive look and it could undoubtedly be an alternative to the 3 Series Coupé if you want something smaller and at the same time cheaper.

The 2-litre, 177 CV engine strikes us as the most balanced between performance and consumption, so it is a good choice if you want to enjoy driving and at the same time achieve consumption figures easily around 6 litres per 100 km. The handling is up to what one can expect from a car of this kind, and we must always remember that you are behind the wheel of a 1 Series Coupé and not a higher series, so in this respect we feel it fulfils what it promises without problems.

As for equipment and prices, as always this is the Achilles’ heel of these models. We were surprised by extras such as the high beam assistant, which is more typical of a luxury saloon than a compact, but at the same time you have to be careful with the extras you add, or the price can rise considerably. That said, if you choose only what is necessary, you can end up with a 1 Series Coupé with good equipment and a good price.

Price

The BMW 1 Series Coupé starts at €27,900 for the 118d with 143 CV, while you can opt for a 120d from €32,800. The petrol range starts at €30,850 for the 120i with 177 CV.

However, our test version had several extras and its price rose to €45,800 (approx.), among which we can highlight the directional bi-xenon lights with automatic high beam control, electric glass sunroof, automatic gearbox, leather upholstery, the BMW Professional navigation system, among other features.

Photos | David Taboada