BMW 1 Series Convertible Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: BMW 1 Series Convertible range
Prices: £23,295-£33,460 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 12-18
Emissions: 129-224g/km
Performance: [135i] 0-60mph 5.6s / Max Speed 135mph
Fuel Consumption: [125i] (combined) 34.9mpg
Safety: Twin front, side & head airbags, ABS, DSC
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4360/1748/1411

The Rumors of an Attractive 1 Series

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Some BMW models are known for its being awkward-looking in appearance but still these models undeniably perform well at a reasonable, sometimes not, price. There is always more to a thing than its fa‡ade; however, this philosophy does not work well with others. So BMW recently gave us an attractive 1 series.

BMW manufactured a 1 series for us though the difference in terms of price with the 3 series is only small. They wanted to give us a choice between the hard-top of the 3 series and the lighter and prettier fabric roof.

Either six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes are available for the costumers. The 135i has steering wheel-mounted paddles enabling manual shifts of the auto box; this is also optional for the 125i models. The top of the line 135i get BMW's electronic differential lock that enhances vehicle traction when the car's accelerating on corners or bends through electronically slowing the spinning inside the rear wheel. There is also a sensor to warn you in danger if you carelessly slid your car roof down and to deploy relevant airbags, to extend the roll-over bars behind the car seats as fast as it could to protect the safety cell.

The convertible and coupe range share the identical silhouette with distinctive, horizontal shoulder line that runs from the front of the bonnet to the end of the boot lid. LED-powered light conductors are used by the typical L-shaped rear light clusters. This drop-top model's fabric roof opens in 22 seconds at the speed of up to 25mph. Classic black beige and a new anthracite silver fleck, a fabric material interwoven with fine shiny metallic fibers, are available for the top's design and scheme. The inside is quite small: they claim that it can fit four passengers but it is not a lot bigger than an Audi A4 and its baggage capacity is only 305 liters- with the roof up. In addition to the standard units offered for BMW's 1 series range, it has a 143bhp 118i entry-level variant run by petrol. It does not however have the twin-turbocharged 204bhp 123d diesel of the Coupe. 135i costumers have the M Sport aerodynamic package as standard. This contains front valance which was redesigned to facilitate larger air intakes for faster brake cooling and engine breathing.

Efficient Dynamics program present in these models makes it greener and more fuel efficient than their rivals. This will cost you significantly less to run a car like the Saab 9-3 dropt top and not more than the cheaper Ford Focus CC. The problem with this lie on the roominess of the car, it's much smaller than an Eos.

It reaches 60mph in 5.6 seconds from zero and has a maximum speed of 135mph with a fuel economy ranged at 34.9g/km. It's small and would fit most garages with length, width and height at 4360mm, 1748mm and 1411mm respectively. But there are no other cars ranged between £15,000 and £30,000 that runs this good and certainly cheaper in maintenance and fuel. And to think that this is a sporty convertible.