By alazenby
on 3rd Mar 2008
alazenby's Ratings| Year Manufactured | 2008 |
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| Length of ownership | 1 month |
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| Doors | 2 |
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| Performance | 9/10  |
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| Practicality | 8/10 |
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| Reliability | 10/10 |
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| Value for money | 7/10 |
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| Overall value | 9/10 |
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 alazenby's recommendation |
Good Points
Agressive looks, no lag on acceleration, great sports seats (optional), wonderful handling, also great sounding note from a diesel engine, good boot space and rear seats big enough for two adults in comfort (forget what you have been told about lack of leg room, its not true).
Bad Points
fuel economy on par with Vectra on country roads, best performance is on motorways. I am averaging 48 miles to gallon. Pricey for the extras like the seats and M Sports suspension. Wife hurt her hand on the tray between the rear seats when she had to be a rear seat passenger.
General Comments
I have added a few extras to my BMW 1 series, like the sports seats and the M Sports suspension. The SE comes with nearly all the extra bits you could want life climate control and rear parking sensors, however the little bit of extra zing comes at a price on what is already way more expensive than its rivals.
It does drive and handle wonderfully. It flies through the revs and you have to be careful not to red line it in the first three gears. My wife borrows the car once a week and she loved to tell me about someone tailgating her on a B road, then when a dual carriageway came up she was still in sixth gear when she blew them away; so it has plenty of poke in all gears.
To sum up, it does not disappoint in the looks or speed stakes and for a while will turn heads as it is still very rare on the roads. The cost is the only real issue compared with its rivals.
