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Motoring Discussion > BMW 1 Series E81/E87 - 123d 6 month report	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Hard Cheese	Replies: 21

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New Wed 30 Nov 11 09:42

BMW 1 Series E81/E87 - 123d 6 month report - Hard Cheese

123d M-Sport 3dr bought in May at 6000 miles, it has most of the desirable options including Bluetooth, cruise, leather, front and rear park sensors, heated seats, 18” alloys etc. It was registered in early 2010 though is a 2009 model, the only differences are that 2005/09 1 Series have far more attractive mirrors (the 2010/11 models have squarer chunky things) and also the 2010/11 123d models have 3g/km less CO2 figures and are therefore in one bracket lower re RFL (and BiK if it applies). Apparently this is achieved by an ECU update which can be/has been applied to 2007/09 cars though of course the official rating is not changed.

I think that the 3dr M-Sport looks a little better than the 5dr, the 3dr was launched along with the coupe in early 2007 and has the same pillarless doors meaning that the windows retract a few mm when the door is opened etc. I was concerned about wind noise at speed though it is fine in that regard. Whereas the coupe is a four seater the three door has five seats as per the five door and is a good compromise albeit a little less practical than the 5dr. I prefer the visibility in the 3dr/coupe in which, like my 3dr Focus ST, you can look right over your right shoulder for an unrestricted view of the road.

We have two 1 series, the other being a 2005 120i Sport (5dr as all early 1 Series were) running 205/50 tyres on 17” wheels which perhaps offers a slightly better ride handling compromise than the 123d which is on 215/40-18 (front) and 245/35-18 (rear) tyres, the 123d is a little harsh on rutted roads though really not too bad. Frankly both have very communicative steering and corner on rails.

Performance wise the 123d (204bhp) is astonishing for a 2 litre diesel, thanks to having a small turbo than spins up quickly at low engine speeds as well as a larger one that can sustain a large flow of air at higher engine speeds it has bags of torque from very low revs and pulls to 4800 rpm with the feeling of the power growing kind of exponentially as the revs rise just like a highly tuned petrol engine. However it never feels at all stressed and is more refined than the 118d (143bhp) and 116d* (116BHP) I have driven recently. The 123d is also lower geared than the 116d/118d/120d all of which have a top gear around 38mph/1000rpm (chasing lower CO2 figures) where as the 123d is geared to about 32mph/1000rpm in top offering amazing flexibility in top as well as great refinement at motorway speeds. While not having quite the same high rpm rush as my previous Focus ST, on paper and in practice the 123d is virtually as quick, furthermore I have also driven a 130i recently (265bhp 3ltr 6cyl) which has lovely instantaneous throttle response and a great sound track though was less gutsy than the 123d at low rpm and only felt stronger pushing past 5000rpm.

Economy, it has averaged 45mpg, somewhat lower than the clamed 55 combined though not bad for the performance, I also feel that it has loosened up so may improve.

Problems, a slight issue with the leather on the front passenger seat lead to the squabs of both front seats being replaced no quibble despite the car being well over a year old at the time, I have also had a slight clutch judder which is being attended to currently.

I have jacked it up and spun the wheels to see if the potholed roads/18” wheel/very low profile tyre combo has taken its toll on the wheels though they spin true unlike my Focus ST which had new wheels at around 40k miles (at the lease company’s expense) which were already a little out of true when I passed it on at 70k miles.

*I thought a 116d would feel dog slow in comparison, of course it is a lot slower though it is quite a good drive with decent torque at low revs and pulls well through to 3000rpm.

Commencing with the 184bhp 320d/520d in 2010 BMW have introduced twin scroll turbos under the “Twin Power” moniker, the 2011 model 525d ditched the 3.0 ltr 6cyl unit for a variant of the 123d 2.0 unit featuring, as I understand it, two twin scroll turbos, this produces 218bhp and an amazing performance/economy combo for a large car. I guess that the new 1 Series will feature a 123d or 125d with this engine, likewise with the 2.0 turbo 4cyl petrol 328i replacing the 330i perhaps the new 325d will do also. Twin scroll turbos separate the exhaust gas entering the turbo into two channels, on a 4 cyl engine the exhaust gasses from two cyls (IIRC cyls 1 & 4) enter one channel and the exhaust gasses from the other two cyls (2 & 3) enter the other channel, this is supposed to offer benefits in the time the turbo takes to spool up.

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