I have a 2017 116d courtesy car - 1.5 3cyl 116bhp/270nm.
It's good to drive, much better than the previous 4cyl 116d which was basically a detuned 118d/120d and felt as though it was being held back. The 3cyl engine is punchy between 1500 and 3000rpm, free revving and pretty refined to well over 4000 rpm, and there is little point in revving it higher despite the redline being at 5400, pretty high for a diesel. Although the 6th gear is about 41mph/1000, and 70mph is only 1700rpm, it doesn't really feel over geared, though 5th is really better than 6th under 60mph.
This car is "Sport" spec and has a few extras that perhaps improve the experience though the underlying BMW trade mark steering feel and general sharpness on the road is there.
I am a bit anti diesel these days and wasn't that impressed when the dealer handed me the keys though it's exceeded my expectations.
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Yours in for a service? How many miles since the last one...I'm amazed at how far mine is going between services - it's done 15k miles and still says 6k miles until it needs a service. The low oil level warning went off at 9k miles and I've added a litre. But other than that nothing. If I keep it for three years it'll just need one service. Our A3, albeit an e-tron, seems to need servicing every 10k miles or so, so twice as often, though I imagine the engine cutting in and out from cold at sometimes relatively high speed must put quite a demand on the lubrication?
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Many problems seem to be surfacing on 3 cylinder engines on BMWs & Minis - read an article last week which suggested that BMW were reverting to annual oil change / 12,000 miles.
I cannot now locate the article as I read so many last week re the Frankfurt show.
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>> Yours in for a service?
>>
It was serviced at 12k / 19 months, now two years old and on 16k. It's in to have the driver's seat leather replaced, squab and back, as the dealer agreed that it's showing a little more sign of wear than might be expected, slightly concerned that it might not match the passenger side as I also had the seat squab leather replaced on my 123d when it was nearly new due to a fault in the leather and the dealer decided to replace the passenger side as well so they matched perfectly.
Had a look at an M2 today, hmm ...
EDIT: For clarity ...
Last edited by: Hard Cheese on Wed 20 Sep 17 at 00:08
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That's poor quality control at BMW then. And with you experiencing it twice suggests it is very common.
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Talking of BMW, I had a meeting at my brothers house yesterday and he is looking after my previous '04 330 convertible, which I sold to my nephew ( currently in the Falklands).
Their was an airbag recall and it had been collected earlier in the day, and just returned by the dealer having been valeted inside & out. The guy returning it had a brief chat with my brother and told him that the build quality of newer models was not up to the same standard, and that non aspirated straight six was still a peach amongst engines
And I still miss owning it......
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They look fine in white though I don't really like the colour combo, coral leather is OK though probably only with silver IMO. It has the excellent though quite rare high beam assist which comes with the adaptive lights, it also has heated seats and elect folding mirrors, though it does not have cruise which is a must for me (and it's omission makes the steering wheel look as though something is missing on the left hand side) and it does not have the adaptive suspension which is truly excellent. It's also not the latest model - the 2-Series had a mild facelift this year which amongst other things gave it LED headlights (model applicable), rather than Xenons, a change made to the 1-Series when it was face lifted in 2015.
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>> Talking of BMW, >> the build quality of newer models was not up to the same standard,
>>
Our '05 120i has a particularly solid feeling about it.
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>> That's poor quality control at BMW then. And with you experiencing it twice suggests it
>> is very common.
>>
Al contrario!
The first problem was a small fault, what might have been a scar in the skin of the animal that became apparent after a few thousand miles, many manufacturers would have said that it's a natural material etc though the BMW dealer not only changed it without quibble, they also changed the passenger side to ensure a match.
Re the current one, I am impressed that they are replacing the whole seat cover at two years and 16k miles based on a passing comment from me that I thought it was showing slight signs of wear, again I am sure others would have simply said "well is two years old, wear and tear" etc ...
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>>That's poor quality control at BMW then. And with you experiencing it twice suggests it is very common.
BMW isn't the only common denominator.....
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>> >>That's poor quality control at BMW then. And with you experiencing it twice suggests it
>> is very common.
>>
>> BMW isn't the only common denominator.....
>>
Two misconceptions, nothing is being experienced twice as its two different issues ...
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Peter, my Golf has a setting in the technology somewhere which sets the service interval to "short or long", maybe the A3 is the same
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A colleague has just taken delivery of a new 116d. Impressed me too, from the passenger seat at least. Very punchy feeling, and made light work of the Devon hills where he lives.
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>> Peter, my Golf has a setting in the technology somewhere which sets the service interval
>> to "short or long", maybe the A3 is the same
>>
Thanks for that - I'll take a look :)
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I have kept this 116d a little longer than expected and did 180 miles in to today, well over 50mpg and I was pushing on a bit. It is a Sport version though with a few extras such as climate, heated seats, elec fold mirrors and the Harmon Kardon hifi. It's not as sharp on the road as my M135i (which is perhaps understandable), or our older 120i for that matter, though it has a good ride/handling combo and if kept between about 1500 and 3000pm performs pretty well for a 1.5 ltr diesel, pulling onto a motorway it's up to 80 in no time and in 4th or 5th still pulling quite strongly. 6th is 40mph/1000 so it will cruise at 80 at only 2000rpm though there is little acceleration in 6th at any speed.
I'm a bit anti diesel these days though it's had to argue with 60mpg potential and quite reasonable performance.
It strikes me that if they produced a version of this engine in the same state of tune as a 125d (they all have a varying number of 500cc cylinders these days) then it would be around 170bhp and 340nm, that could be quite interesting if the economy potential was not effected too much.
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I think I'd find it odd driving a 1-series that didn't need refuelling every 250 odd miles :)
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>> I think I'd find it odd driving a 1-series that didn't need refuelling every 250
>> odd miles :)
>>
Me thinks heavy right foot ;-) Its 11.5 gals, say refilling at 1.5 gals left, that's only 25mpg.
What's yours showing as the long term MPG? iDrive/Menu/Vehicle Information/Onboard Computer (as opposed to Trip Computer). Mine was on 29.9mpg last time I looked, that's 27 ish locally and 37 ish on a run (the loan 116d is on 49.9mpg over it's 3300 miles FWIW).
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>> Me thinks heavy right foot ;-) Its 11.5 gals, say refilling at 1.5 gals left,
>> that's only 25mpg.
>>
>> What's yours showing as the long term MPG? iDrive/Menu/Vehicle Information/Onboard Computer (as opposed to Trip
>> Computer). Mine was on 29.9mpg last time I looked, that's 27 ish locally and 37
>> ish on a run (the loan 116d is on 49.9mpg over it's 3300 miles FWIW).
>>
It's difficult, as SWMBO has been recovering from an op on her left foot for the past 6 weeks, so being the only auto in the house, she's had pretty much permanent use of it. She's been off work, so just using it to run around locally to the shops or to visit her mum 3 miles down the road.
The average seemed to have settled around 31.2-31.3, but I drove it for the first time in ages the other day, and it's down to 28.2. It does like a drink when used around town. Low 20s are easily achievable on the trip averages. But it is ridiculously frugal on a motorway. The last long run I did was 100 miles down the M4 to Bristol, and the trip computer read 41 mpg when I got there! It was up to 44.something at one point.
To be honest, neither SWMBO or I drive it for economy. That engine is just so addictive.
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Long term mpg is also available in the centre display by toggling through with the BC button on the indicator stalk. Mine resolutely stays at 27.5mpg, though I'm not sure if it's for the full 15k miles iv done, or a rollling number less than that. I'm pretty sure the Audi one is a rolling 10,000 (miles or KMs I can't remember...)
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IIRC the MPG in the dash resets with the trip computer.
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Given the consistency with which mine shows 27.5 I'm not sure that's correct, or at least, there's more than one reading. I usually leave it on range, but if the NAV is in use that's overwritten by the NAV instructions (black panel display) and toggling with the BC button temporarily brings back range then the outside temp. But does mean cycling through average mpg, which is always 27.5, and average speed which is almost always 37.4 from memory, to get there. I use the split screen in th centre to toggle between the trip computer and entertainment details alongside NAV, and that shows significantly different reading for average consumption and speed.
Last edited by: PeterS on Mon 25 Sep 17 at 22:26
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There are various options to toggle through and I always leave the dash on range.Though as I recall the dash readings reset with the trip computer either automatically or manually depending on the setting (perhaps yours is set to manual so never resets?) or by holding the button on the stalk in for a couple of seconds. The one that is definitely long term is in iDrive/Menu/Vehicle Information/Onboard Computer (i.e. not Trip Computer).
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Do your I-Drives not have programable live tiles with gesture controls then?
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 26 Sep 17 at 09:01
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The mpg read out that you can toggle on the instrument panel with the BC button is the same as the on board computer in the iDrive. I have never reset this reading since i took deliver. I have configured the trip computer to auto reset which it does every time the car is switched off for more than a couple of hours.
The computer on these cars is very accurate. I did brim to brim calculations for the first 4000 miles and indicated average was never more than 1 mpg out from the actual. My previous 320d was similarly close. By comparison, all the VAG stuff I've had always had computer readouts that were at least 10% optimistic.
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Tiles are only on the latest generation of iDrive Z, and I’m not sure gesture control is available at all on the 1/2 series!!
So I did some playing around in a traffic jam today... I’ve got professional nav and the black screen dash (whatever that is...)
The info available via the BC button on the central dash display is the same whether I select Trip or OBC from the vehicle info menu. It has average speed and mpg from the OBC, range and instantaneous fuel consumption. If the nav is in use it’ll also show distance to destination and
OBC average speed or fuel consumption can be reset individually from the OBC screen
The trip computer can be set to manual or automatic reset, but you can’t selectively reset the individual parameters..
M Laptimer let’s you record between a stop and start selection, and measures time, speed,
G Force (!!) but, fortunately, not fuel consumption.
All that, and all I use is range ;)
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>> The info available via the BC button on the central dash display is the same
>> whether I select Trip or OBC from the vehicle info menu.
>>
Yes, though which one is it actually displaying? I.e. if you zero the trip does it also zero or does it continue to display the MPG as per the OBC reading?
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>> Yes, though which one is it actually displaying? I.e. if you zero the trip does
>> it also zero or does it continue to display the MPG as per the OBC
>> reading?
>>
Zeroing the trip doesn't affect the MPG readout in the instrument panel. It continues to show the OBC MPG as before.
You can only display overall MPG in the instrument panel, not trip MPG it would seem.
My biggest gripe with the instruments on the car is that you have no indication of engine temperature, whether oil or coolant. Given the type of car it is, it seems a strange omission. Even SWMBOs Mini Clubman Cooper D has the option to bring a digital coolant temp gauge through the BC button.
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>> My biggest gripe with the instruments on the car is that you have no indication
>> of engine temperature, whether oil or coolant.
Its on my soon to arrive G31, you know the one with live info tiles?
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 27 Sep 17 at 12:35
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>> Its on my soon to arrive G31, you know the one with live info tiles?
>>
These live info tiles sound like a pretty big deal.
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Only if you haven't got them.
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>> Only if you haven't got them.
Perhaps. I'm more interested to see how long it is before you get angry and turn the gesture control off. Gesture control is universally crap in everything it's fitted to, in my experience.
Last edited by: DP on Wed 27 Sep 17 at 13:12
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Shan't be using it, mostly because It didn't work properly on the test car, so I didn't pay extra for it. The Voice control was brilliant and the iDrive controller seems to be second nature once you get the hang of it.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 27 Sep 17 at 13:16
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The iDrive controller is fantastic. You will get used to it in no time. The only thing I find a little hit and miss is the touch pad on the top that lets you enter characters by drawing them with your finger. Better to just use voice input as you say, which works well.
My last encounter with gesture control was on my Samsung Smart TV which had a habit of turning the volume down or changing a channel if you had the audacity to stretch, or even raise a cup of coffee to your face. :-)
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>> Shan't be using it, mostly because It didn't work properly on the test car, so
>> I didn't pay extra for it. The Voice control was brilliant and the iDrive controller
>> seems to be second nature once you get the hang of it.
>>
The voice control is pretty good, though I think it’s pipped by the one in the A3 on its ability to recognise normal sentences rather than structured dialogue. Does the newer version also come with the shortcut buttons? There are 8 in mine, and they help massively in getting quickly to some things that take a bit longer via the I drive controller. Tyre pressure / temp means going through a few menus, and (in mine at least) doesn’t seem to respond to voice commands. But it’s shortcut number 8 now, so the ‘how far above ambient temperature can I get the tyres’ game on a spirited drive home is not frustrated ;)
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>> Its on my soon to arrive G31, you know the one with live info tiles?
>>
What the green one?
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>> >> Its on my soon to arrive G31, you know the one with live info
>> tiles?
>> >>
>>
>> What the green one?
>>
Atlas cedar, it's kinda bronzy gold brown
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>> Atlas cedar, it's kinda bronzy gold brown
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Looks green to me ...
tinyurl.com/y9lbvmzv
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Thats an organic Atlas Cedar, not a Metalic one
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I wouldn't want a green car. Not that I'm superstititious really, just you'd not want to risk it would you? Bit like walking under a ladder, or the number 13, you know it's just nonsense about it being unlucky and so on, but y'know, it just wouldn't feel right somehow. I mean, it's definitely a nice colour that bronzy, goldy, browny green, but it is a bit green, when it comes down to it. Brave choice, and almost certainly no problem...
:-)))
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>>>Atlas cedar, it's kinda bronzy gold brown
I really like those met colours that are hints of brown, beige, silver, green, bronze, mink etc. That's going to be one nice looking car.
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Couple of years back, maybe more than that come to think, I saw a sort of metallic mud coloured E Class estate once, never seen another, but I remember quite liking it.
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>> Couple of years back, maybe more than that come to think, I saw a sort
>> of metallic mud coloured E Class estate once, never seen another, but I remember quite
>> liking it.
>>
The owner probably washed it ...
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>> >> Yes, though which one is it actually displaying? I.e. if you zero the trip
>> does it also zero or does it continue to display the MPG as per the
>> OBC reading?
>> >>
>>
>> Zeroing the trip doesn't affect the MPG readout in the instrument panel. It continues to
>> show the OBC MPG as before.
>>
>> You can only display overall MPG in the instrument panel, not trip MPG it would
>> seem.
PeterS & DP, you are both right, on my car and the loan 116d it is/was the on board MPG and average speed that is displayed in the instruments and not the trip figures. I had assumed it was the trip figures though as I only ever use the range display anyway it's not an issue.
>>
>> My biggest gripe with the instruments on the car is that you have no indication
>> of engine temperature, whether oil or coolant. Given the type of car it is, it
>> seems a strange omission. Even SWMBOs Mini Clubman Cooper D has the option to bring
>> a digital coolant temp gauge through the BC button.
>>
It can be coded apparently, I have seen it active on a X1 which does not display the oil temp as standard.
BTW do your cars display the tyre temp as well as pressure in the Vehicle Info? Mine does both though apparently it's a little hit and miss whether the temp is enabled, again it can be coded if not.
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Sorry, missed your question! Yes, mine shows tyre temperature and pressure in vehicle info (and using shortcut 8). It also worked when the winter wheels/tyres fitted, using the sensors I bought from eBay, without further coding. The Vehicle Info menu would be a great place to put oil and water temperature I reckon. Certainly more useful than the ‘power’ and ‘torque’ info under ‘sports display’ or whatever it’s called!
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I agree that oil and/or water temp would be a good addition, though engine temp has not been missed on our 120i, previous 123d or the M135i, I'll always let a car warm up before giving it the beans and we have never had any concern over engine temp, the 120i once gave a "coolant level low" warning after crawling for hours on the motorway in about 30deg heat though upon checking the floating level gauge in the expansion tank was still floating and it only needed about 250ml to bring it up to the normal level.
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BMWs have been missing coolant gauges for ages - I don’t think my 535d in ‘05 had one, but it did raise the maximum rev limit as it warmed up (whether oil or water I can’t remember). In fact I seem to remember that it didn’t have a red line until it was warm; it was blue until then...
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BMW - BMW F20 116d - impressed. - PeterS
