BMW 1 Series 116d Urban 5dr Car Review - February 2012

The 1 Series 116d Urban 5dr's ride is often a little too firm but the manual gearbox is smooth and the car really comes into its own on twisting back roads where the front engine/rear-wheel drive chassis offers fantastic body control, good grip and balance.

The engine has a maximum power output of 116bhp at 4000 rpm which is fairly good for a car of this class. A top speed of 124mph can be achieved and acceleration is fairly rapid with the car reaching 0-62 mph in just 10.3 seconds.

On top of these decent performance credentials, the engine is also fairly refined, offering a smooth and quiet drive. Noises from the suspension and road are also hushed and this means that wind noise on motorways is the only sound likely to penetrate the cabin.

The Urban is a new trim option for the 1 Series which features chrome detailing and other styling tweaks to create a unique style.

Comfort levels should be fairly high with the seats offering plenty of adjustment to allow the driver to find the perfect driving position. The only downside is the mechanism for this adjustment can be tricky to operate and this means finding the perfect position can take time.

The 1 Series’ interior does not match up to the elegance of the more expensive models and the materials and features all concentrate on functionality rather than style.

The Urban model comes with leather/cloth seats as standard, a leather steering wheel with an acrylic glass interior trim in black or white with Oxide Silver accents. 17 inch V-spoke alloy wheels, MP3 connectivity for the stereo, Bluetooth connectivity and climate control are also standard features whilst optional extras such as rear parking sensors and a built-in satellite navigation system are available for an additional £345 and £1,550 respectively.

The car also comes with the iDrive control system which takes a while to adjust to. This is provided in addition to BMW’s ‘Efficient Dynamics’ technology which utilises braking, electric power steering and an automatic stop-start function to reduce the amount of energy wasted, making the car more economical and environmentally friendly.

The 1 Series 116d Urban 5dr is a well crafted car which offers long-term reliability for buyers. This gives them peace of mind over their purchase and the car also benefits from a three year warranty with unlimited mileage to provide additional reassurance. The car also rated well in the 2011 JD Power survey.

For safety, driver, passenger and front side airbags are all fitted as standard with traction control and dynamic stability control also offered. An alarm, immobiliser, remote central locking and deadlocks are also fitted to protect the car from theft.

BMW have improved the space in the boot and rear seats after previous versions received much criticism. However, it is still less than roomy, with limited leg room between the front and rear seats making long journeys uncomfortable for adults sat in the rear of the car. With all of the seats in place the car offers just 360 litres of storage space which is considerably less than some of its rivals. Folding the rear seats down will expand this capacity to 1,200 litres.

The 1 Series 116d is a fairly pricey hatchback at £22,125 but running costs are kept low due to the ‘Efficient Dynamics’ technology. Fuel economy is 62.8 mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 117g/km are amongst the best in the class.

Insurance should be fairly reasonable with the 1 Series 116d Urban 5dr falling under insurance group 17 and road tax should also be relatively cheap with the car falling under VED band C.