BMW 125i M Sport automatic 2017 review | road test
- Price From $48,900
- ANCAP
- Fuel cons.5.9L/100km (combined)
What we like
- Excellent rear-wheel drive chassis
- Great steering
- Strong engine
What we don't
- Rear seat space
- Apple CarPlay not standard
- Ride in the back might be too firm for some
Key features
- 5 Star Safety
Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the BMW 125i M Sport, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.
It's been almost six years since the second-generation BMW 1 Series went on sale and apart from the obvious styling cues, the car and the range are almost unrecognisable. You can always depend on BMW to make running changes, but today you can buy a 1 with a turbocharged three-cylinder, an idea we scoffed at all those years ago.
As part of the constant rearrangements of the range, the petrol-powered 125i now comes standard with the M Sport pack and a few goodies that send this car into battle with the Euro hot hatches from Volkswagen and Renault on one side and Mercedes-Benz and Audi on the other. The Beemer goes into the fight with something none of the others have - a sophisticated rear-wheel drive (RWD) chassis.
Occupying a sort of no man's land means the 125i drops off some buyers' lists, so we're here to ask the question - can a six-year old car really take it to this competition?
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Verdict
The 125i is kind of a sweet spot of the range. It's loaded up with useful things if you're a fan of the driving experience over the toys. It's priced a fair way over the Golf GTI and a bit over the RenaultSport Megane, but it might be worth seeing if you could afford the extra for the delights of RWD and a BMW chassis.
Despite its advancing years (relatively speaking), the F20 still feels fresh, partly because the Bavarians have thrown a huge amount of effort into keeping up with Audi and Mercedes.
Forget the badge, forget the birth certificate - it's the car that counts and it's a belter.
Can you live the with 1 Series' looks for the sake of RWD? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Specifications
- PriceFrom $48,900
- Fuel consumption5.9L/100km (combined)
- Safety5-star ANCAP
- Engine2L turbo 4-cyl , 165kW/310Nm
- Transmission8-spd auto, RWD
- SpareNone, run flats
BMW 125i M Sport automatic 2017 review | road test
What we like
- Excellent rear-wheel drive chassis
- Great steering
- Strong engine
What we don't
- Rear seat space
- Apple CarPlay not standard
- Ride in the back might be too firm for some
Key Features
- 5 Star Safety
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