BMW 1 Series 116d Sport 3dr Pre-Model Car Review - February 2012

The 116d Sport’s engine is underpowered and if performance and power are priorities, then buyers might be better off with the 118d Sport which offers a much better driving experience. That being said, the 116d Sport still manages a decent power output of 116 bhp, travelling from 0-62 mph in 10.2 seconds with a top speed of 124 mph.

As with other models within this series, the car also benefits from good handling and responsive steering, allowing it to feel stable and secure on the road. The chassis is superb and offers plenty of grip but the suspension is a little firm - a common fault on cars from Munich.

The 1 Series’ interior fails to match the elegance of more expensive models and this means buyers will not feel they are in a luxurious car. The exterior looks are an improvement over the old 1 Series but the new car is still a little ungainly to look at.

That being said, the range of features provided as standard on this Sport model are fairly good with alloy wheels, a stereo system with MP3 connectivity, air conditioning and other basic features all included.

As expected from a BMW there is a fairly lengthy list of optional extras as well and these all incur significant costs. Leather seats, for example, cost £1,010, with climate control available for £400, rear parking sensors for £350, Bluetooth for £250 and satellite navigation for £1,660. This means buyers looking for all these features will be required to pay a hefty additional fee to have them added.

The boot remains small for a car of this class and the biggest problem is the limited legroom which means the rear seats highly uncomfortable for adult passengers.

Even the front seats, which benefit from plenty of adjustment, are hampered by an awkward adjustment mechanism which makes finding the optimum position a lengthy and complicated process.

That being said, the 1 Series is a well made car which should offer peerless reliability thanks to typically Teutonic build quality.

For safety, the car comes with a fairly decent range of kit which includes driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags as well as traction control and dynamic stability control. An alarm, immobiliser, remote central locking and deadlocks all as standard features and should keep the car safe from theft.

The 1 Series 116d Sport is a fairly pricey hatchback at £19,240 but running costs are much lower than average thanks to the Beemer's ‘Efficient Dynamics’ technology. You'll get an impressive 62.8 mpg on the combined cycle and low CO2 emissions of just 118g/km which put the model into road tax band C.

The 118d is a much more capable car and offers similar economy credentials to the 116d. Therefore, for those looking for a reliable car on a budget the 116d Sport is the best option whilst those more interested in performance would be better off upgrading to the 118d instead.