[deetjohn]

Nice drive-train for the Diesel. 8-speed auto box is a big plus. But the interior of the 116i screams el cheapo.

The 1 series makes the Mini such a good proposition, inside out.

[KrishD]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The base model is really base. 23lakhs ex showroom and you get cloth upholstery, no xenons, no climate control, no iDrive, no sunroof, no bluetooth, no USB and some other small stuff missing.

I agree.
Given that both the A-class and the 1 are targeted at slightly younger, but fairly rich individuals, the bells and whistles are important.
And although the enthusiasts will root for the beemer, i do feel that Merc has done a better job by keeping only 1-2 variants.
Also, I think the A-class looks much better, and that is going to be important for buyers in this segment. The X1 also suffered on this count.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

< My only feeling after looking at the pricing.
Had been waiting for this car for sometime now as the next prospective buy...replacement for a flawless but aging Honda Civic (gota luv 'em)
At first i thought the Sport+ is quite pointless...almost 5 lakh more (roundbout 3 series money? ) over the Sport for fancy alloys ,keyless go and a sunroof. Thought id be pretty satisfied with a slightly uglier but monetarily more practical sportline vis a vis the sport +
..

That's pretty much our dilemma as well.

- The 350+ liter boot is sufficient for the weekend.

- The 8-speed ZF AT should be smooth.

- The cabin seats 4 and that's satisfactory.

- Since we're looking for a petrol car, the 116i should be good.

BUT

- With the petrol engine option, you get only one trim. Now this is fine, but..

- The one trim level on the petrol option is just not a great package at all. No Bluetooth, no USB, no armrest(!), cloth seats, no iDrive, no Xenons, no sunroof and..

- ..what appears to be mediocre interior quality for the price tag.

- NO SPARE! That was enough to put it out of contention!

The 1 is a nice car, but no thanks! We'd rather wait for the new Octavia. Or maybe save some more and get the Jetta TSI! More room, big boot, adequate performance, drivability, overall quality..

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The 1 series makes the Mini such a good proposition, inside out.

The Countryman? Yes! The hatch? Naah!

The 1-series has the Mini hatch licked in the practicality department. The Cooper barely seats 4. Heck, it's a task just to get yourself into the back seat and stay there! Plus, the 1 has 5 doors and a boot that twice the size of the Cooper's! In terms of performance, yes the Cooper S will be quicker and probably be more fun and engaging (that steering!) but the 1 gains ground by offering the RWD experience. The diesel torque should be as good if not better than the petrol Cooper S, and it should be cheaper to run too!

You could get a decently equipped Cooper S for the price of a heavily spec'ced and top of the range diesel 118d.

As i see it, the Cooper S is a car that isn't bought with practicality in mind. Heck, it's the sort of car that you buy, just because you want it!

The 1 though, is the default option when compared to the Cooper S, IF the need to compare arises at all!!!!

[ajmat]

The 1 series usually competes with the like of the VW Golf and Ford Focus but sells in limited numbers due to the limited interior room. Unlike its competitors, it cannot be a family car.

The only reason for its existence is because it is the cheapest way into a BMW and expand the volume. The next one is rumoured to share the Mini underpinnings and will be front wheel drive.

As Viddy mentioned, the interiors seem to come from an older 3 series. The only great models are those with a six pot under the bonnet. If it came with sparse interiors but a six cylinder engine at the same price, I might have bitten!

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's pretty much our dilemma as well.

- The 350+ liter boot is sufficient for the weekend.

- The 8-speed ZF AT should be smooth.

- The cabin seats 4 and that's satisfactory.

- Since we're looking for a petrol car, the 116i should be good.

BUT

- With the petrol engine option, you get only one trim. Now this is fine, but..

- The one trim level on the petrol option is just not a great package at all. No Bluetooth, no USB, no armrest(!), cloth seats, no iDrive, no Xenons, no sunroof and..

- ..what appears to be mediocre interior quality for the price tag.

- NO SPARE! That was enough to put it out of contention!

The 1 is a nice car, but no thanks! We'd rather wait for the new Octavia. Or maybe save some more and get the Jetta TSI! More room, big boot, adequate performance, drivability, overall quality..

Well then i think you might want to settle for a similar solution to mine...
Im actually considering refurbishing the civic and driving her on for a few more years until we have some real competition in terms of both ,models and pricing in the premium hatch sector. IIRC you have a civic too ?...
Ofcourse refurbishing only since shes over 7 years old (first lot to enter India) and though flawless , some polishing here and there would do a world of good to what is otherwise a fantastic piece of machinery.
Anyway back to the segment now, its really sad news -
A class ? Yum looks, Yawn heart
1 series ? errr looks, above average heart ,ridiculous packaging for the price
A1 ? Not anytime soon. When Perschke says it, id tend to believe.
A3 sedan ? Refined vento with a moped's worth more power ? No thanks !
A3 hatch ? Not anytime soon
Golf ? Nothing yet
Scirocco/Megane ? Yea right !
New Mini ? Yuck looks ! Will be even more atrociously priced. Cant really afford petrol running costs.

What does one do ? Stick to the Japanese workhorse , soup her up & keep revving higher

[KrishD]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Well then i think you might want to settle for a similar solution to mine...


What does one do ? Stick to the Japanese workhorse , soup her up & keep revving higher

I would agree! Also in keeping with the economic downturn. Lets keep em ole ladies going for a while

[W.A.G.7]

Good car, but I don't think it will sell. Points are already mentioned by others in the many posts above mine. If the base model was priced at 18-19L for what it offers, it would have elicited a positive response from most of the people. But this car is way too costly. And as someone mentioned above, the alloys on the top end look exactly like after-market ones; in fact the alloys on the base version are better looking imho! . Lets wait for the official t-bhp review (Will there be one?) before we really beat it to death.

[coloneljasi]

Originally Posted by nirmalkrishnan

Is the M sport front bumper standard on the sport plus variant or is it just on that launch car?

No the M sport bumper is not standard on the 118d Sport Plus.

Pocket Argumentor_F20 BMW 1 Series.pdf

[Drivethru]

Looking at the price, interiors, space and the finish quality of this new launch, I would feel Passat, Jetta, Superb, New Octavia and even the A4 would be better value for money. Of course these alternatives (except A4) would not let you brag about owning a luxury brand. Interiors and layout in A class were definitely a shade better than 1 series.

All the prospective BMW 1 series buyers, please drive the Superb or Passat before you own the pricey 1 series.

[aditya101]

With 1-series price in context, Audi Q3S launch seems very well timed and priced.

Versus the A-Class, the 1-series clearly looses out on the desirability factor except for a small niche audience who wants a rear wheel drive car.

[Akshay1234]

Personally I find the prices are too high. 29l ex showroom for the Sport + is almost 36 on road Mumbai. Ridiculous. But then again the Rupee has depreciated quite a bit over the past few months, almost 20% even since the A class was launched.

I can't for the life of me understand why they aren't making xenons standard on all their cars. For gods sake, the base F30s, X1s, and now these look horrible without the corona rings and xenons.

Also the A180 Sport which is pretty loaded with features is similar to the price of the base 118D. The diesel A is even cheaper if I remember correctly.

So either a big mistake by BMW on the pricing, or its due to the exchange rate, in which case we will possibly see Merc too correcting the pricing of the A class slowly.

But besides the price, this should be a really fun car as an everyday car. 140bhp is good, and with a remap it'll be 180+ which will make it pretty damn quick.

Edit - Wow 8000th post, that too on a BMW thread

[kiranknair]

guys, more of a very basic question - why no spare tire. are these 4 tires designed in a way that they can run unlimited distance even in case of puncture? sorry for being ignorant

also, other than bmw brand name, does it make sense to buy this car. basically, why not buy a second hand 3 series which is 3 yrs old rather than a new 1 series?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Also the A180 Sport which is pretty loaded with features is similar to the price of the base 118D. The diesel A is even cheaper if I remember correctly.

So either a big mistake by BMW on the pricing, or its due to the exchange rate, in which case we will possibly see Merc too correcting the pricing of the A class slowly.

Just posted this one page back. Merc hiked the A class price by 4% last week.

ps: Congrats on 8000.

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by kiranknair

guys, more of a very basic question - why no spare tire. are these 4 tires designed in a way that they can run unlimited distance even in case of puncture? sorry for being ignorant

also, other than bmw brand name, does it make sense to buy this car. basically, why not buy a second hand 3 series which is 3 yrs old rather than a new 1 series?

BMW does not provide spare tyres as they run on run flat tyres which are capable of running to a max of 200 kms under light load after a puncture. This I know has been a deal breaker for some people within the forum itself and some people deal with it by changing the run flats with normal tyres which involves additional cost

[autobalan]

With Q3's and A class success, i was expecting something really competitive from BMW but they disappointed with the pricing.Now no one seem to be talking about the V40 here. Unlike the CBU's ,its an imported car with all features, more advanced than the competition. Isn't it a better buy?
i know the lack of dealers and brand image but for real value for money, i dont think any other model can beat V40, or i think they can bring a lower variant with some high tech features removed, then it would be under 25 lakhs.