F21GP
Active member
Hi Guys
I have had my car for 8 months now and have done 16000km. I bought the car brand new from Auric Auto in Cape Town and drove her back to JHB.
The optional extras on her were 8 speed auto, sunroof, xenons, leather, MFS, 3 seat rear config and PDC rear. I have had a few Beemers in the past so know the brand.
Let me indicate that I did not test drive the car before I bought it so I had no idea how it drove or what the drive quality was like, I just wanted something light on fuel and that would not damage my pocket for my impending December wedding.
My initial purchase was going to be a 135i coupe M-sport but whilst working on a deal for a 2011 model with 20000km I was told it was a bit thirsty and that my insurance would be more than what I really wanted to pay. I love the 135 and think its lines are amazing but looking into the future it would not have worked for me due to the costs in the coming months.
The dealer said they had a Bmw F21 116i at the factory and that I could have it and due to it being our 5th BMW from the dealership they not going to charge me for the optional extras on the car. So I said Hell Yes, not a 135i by any means but a brand new Bmw how could I say no and it was 20k less than what I was going to pay on the 135.
Did the finance and collected the car on the January 3rd. Car was very basic looking had no line package on it and had 16" alloys nothing special.
The tail of the car was not very impressive for me it looked very similar to the polo however with the xenon headlights the ice white angel eyes in combination with those big kidney grills gave a awesome effect of a bigger car. The xenon light package also seemed to extend to the rear lights of the car by way of having LED tail lights or the look thereof. The tail lights had different lighting to that of models without xenons and looked really good. So to some up was impressed with the exterior of the car though the back looked like a Polo the car did grow on me.
One of the other things i liked was the lack of a window frame on the doors of the car thats just sexy for me love it, reminded me of my E36 M3 I had a few years before.
The interior did surprise me, the build quality and styling was much improved from the previous generation hatch and everything felt well made and of quality. The interior is a pleasure to sit in and the legroom is certainly bigger than what you would think in a 3-door hatch. The adjustable arm rest was great on the long road just letting my left arm chill out since I didnt have to change gears YEAH:rollsmile: .
The car feels spacious and very well put together even though I have a very basic version. I did not have the i-drive but it didnt effect me much can easily live without it. There was no dual zone climate control and this too also did not phase me much though when misting up pressing the auto button in the E60 would rid you of any misting on all windows very quickly. The one thing though that I do regret is the lack of a cruise control function
let me tell you I miss it. It would be a dream with the 8 speed box to have cruise control on that steering wheel.
The boot of the car has decent enough room and since it would only be me and my fiance traveling together the luggage room is definitely sufficient for us and possibly more passengers. All in all the interior of the car impressed me and I was very chuffed with the car having not driven it and all prior to the purchase.
Now to the driving part of this whole experience. I had not touched the new hatch before this and I was not expecting much from that 116i as well it was a 116i. I took delivering was presented with the car blah blah blah thanks and start driving and let me tell you the surprise I got. This 116i moved so effortlessly it was so smooth and so soft and I couldnt believe what was happening. I have had E60 523i and let me tell you this car picked up better than that E60 it was crazy. The turbo made it effortless, I mean in the E60 I would kick down car would rev up and then 20 seconds later I was motoring, with this thing I just gradually pressed the pedal and this car started to take off. Look its no 125i or M135i but let me tell you when I overtook cars on the way to JHB it was a breeze, I admit if you go into kick down with it theres very little movement other than the rev counter but gradually increase and this thing just started moving.
The 8 speed auto made things so easy, it was smooth and you could just now feel the changes it was like silk. The 8 speed also did wonders for fuel consumption did like 6.9l/100 on the way to JHB and that was at 130km/h. I mean at 130km/h this thing sat at 2000rpm and was just as if 130 was nothing for it. The drive of the car is awesome it is so soft and the screwed up roads we have didnt let this thing flinch the drive quality for probably bmws cheapest car was amazing and you feel like you in a Bmw not some Bmw wannabe. The steering wheel mechanism is definitely different form what Im used to as the steering wheel was much lighter and softer when steering it felt very different to older beemers I'd driven so i know there must be a change there.
So at this stage I am quite surprised that the 116i I bought really feels like a car with a bigger engine but with the fuel economy of well a 116i. The efficient dynamics system is really cool. On the highway going into eco pro saved me about 120km in range from my tank when driving form CPT to JHB and sport mode really gives the car better response whilst comfort was comfortable lol. On the urban road though eco pro is not so great, car becomes sluggish really need to give it some gas to get moving which then defeats the purpose of using eco pro though on the weekend running around town will be ok with eco pro as you wont get joburgers up your ass much for being too slow.
I get 450-600 km a tank whilst running around the city and on the long road I can get around 700-800km a tank if I really let the tank get to its last. I was pleasantly surprised by the car as I did not expect it to perform how it does, im happy with it and suits my budget for the current life changes I will be experiencing in the coming months.
Let me just say that I know I was not kind to the E60 Bmw in this post but let me indicate I am talking from a referent perspective of a car I still own and use and that I am comparing 2 experiences and that is the only way for me to measure the differences so please do not kill me fellow E60 523i owners.
As for the 135i owners if I wasn't getting married and buying a house I would be a fellow 135 brother in armsraise: and fuel consumption and slightly more on insurance premiums would be heresay.
So to conclude, I love the 116i yes I do and as something I use everyday I am very happy with it. I look at it as my starting point into the next generation of Beemers and cannot wait to progress through to the 125s or m135s in a few years to come. Please not typed this in a rush at work if I left anything out just ask thanks.
I have had my car for 8 months now and have done 16000km. I bought the car brand new from Auric Auto in Cape Town and drove her back to JHB.
The optional extras on her were 8 speed auto, sunroof, xenons, leather, MFS, 3 seat rear config and PDC rear. I have had a few Beemers in the past so know the brand.
Let me indicate that I did not test drive the car before I bought it so I had no idea how it drove or what the drive quality was like, I just wanted something light on fuel and that would not damage my pocket for my impending December wedding.
My initial purchase was going to be a 135i coupe M-sport but whilst working on a deal for a 2011 model with 20000km I was told it was a bit thirsty and that my insurance would be more than what I really wanted to pay. I love the 135 and think its lines are amazing but looking into the future it would not have worked for me due to the costs in the coming months.
The dealer said they had a Bmw F21 116i at the factory and that I could have it and due to it being our 5th BMW from the dealership they not going to charge me for the optional extras on the car. So I said Hell Yes, not a 135i by any means but a brand new Bmw how could I say no and it was 20k less than what I was going to pay on the 135.
Did the finance and collected the car on the January 3rd. Car was very basic looking had no line package on it and had 16" alloys nothing special.
The tail of the car was not very impressive for me it looked very similar to the polo however with the xenon headlights the ice white angel eyes in combination with those big kidney grills gave a awesome effect of a bigger car. The xenon light package also seemed to extend to the rear lights of the car by way of having LED tail lights or the look thereof. The tail lights had different lighting to that of models without xenons and looked really good. So to some up was impressed with the exterior of the car though the back looked like a Polo the car did grow on me.
One of the other things i liked was the lack of a window frame on the doors of the car thats just sexy for me love it, reminded me of my E36 M3 I had a few years before.
The interior did surprise me, the build quality and styling was much improved from the previous generation hatch and everything felt well made and of quality. The interior is a pleasure to sit in and the legroom is certainly bigger than what you would think in a 3-door hatch. The adjustable arm rest was great on the long road just letting my left arm chill out since I didnt have to change gears YEAH:rollsmile: .
The car feels spacious and very well put together even though I have a very basic version. I did not have the i-drive but it didnt effect me much can easily live without it. There was no dual zone climate control and this too also did not phase me much though when misting up pressing the auto button in the E60 would rid you of any misting on all windows very quickly. The one thing though that I do regret is the lack of a cruise control function
let me tell you I miss it. It would be a dream with the 8 speed box to have cruise control on that steering wheel.The boot of the car has decent enough room and since it would only be me and my fiance traveling together the luggage room is definitely sufficient for us and possibly more passengers. All in all the interior of the car impressed me and I was very chuffed with the car having not driven it and all prior to the purchase.
Now to the driving part of this whole experience. I had not touched the new hatch before this and I was not expecting much from that 116i as well it was a 116i. I took delivering was presented with the car blah blah blah thanks and start driving and let me tell you the surprise I got. This 116i moved so effortlessly it was so smooth and so soft and I couldnt believe what was happening. I have had E60 523i and let me tell you this car picked up better than that E60 it was crazy. The turbo made it effortless, I mean in the E60 I would kick down car would rev up and then 20 seconds later I was motoring, with this thing I just gradually pressed the pedal and this car started to take off. Look its no 125i or M135i but let me tell you when I overtook cars on the way to JHB it was a breeze, I admit if you go into kick down with it theres very little movement other than the rev counter but gradually increase and this thing just started moving.
The 8 speed auto made things so easy, it was smooth and you could just now feel the changes it was like silk. The 8 speed also did wonders for fuel consumption did like 6.9l/100 on the way to JHB and that was at 130km/h. I mean at 130km/h this thing sat at 2000rpm and was just as if 130 was nothing for it. The drive of the car is awesome it is so soft and the screwed up roads we have didnt let this thing flinch the drive quality for probably bmws cheapest car was amazing and you feel like you in a Bmw not some Bmw wannabe. The steering wheel mechanism is definitely different form what Im used to as the steering wheel was much lighter and softer when steering it felt very different to older beemers I'd driven so i know there must be a change there.
So at this stage I am quite surprised that the 116i I bought really feels like a car with a bigger engine but with the fuel economy of well a 116i. The efficient dynamics system is really cool. On the highway going into eco pro saved me about 120km in range from my tank when driving form CPT to JHB and sport mode really gives the car better response whilst comfort was comfortable lol. On the urban road though eco pro is not so great, car becomes sluggish really need to give it some gas to get moving which then defeats the purpose of using eco pro though on the weekend running around town will be ok with eco pro as you wont get joburgers up your ass much for being too slow.
I get 450-600 km a tank whilst running around the city and on the long road I can get around 700-800km a tank if I really let the tank get to its last. I was pleasantly surprised by the car as I did not expect it to perform how it does, im happy with it and suits my budget for the current life changes I will be experiencing in the coming months.
Let me just say that I know I was not kind to the E60 Bmw in this post but let me indicate I am talking from a referent perspective of a car I still own and use and that I am comparing 2 experiences and that is the only way for me to measure the differences so please do not kill me fellow E60 523i owners.
As for the 135i owners if I wasn't getting married and buying a house I would be a fellow 135 brother in arms
raise: and fuel consumption and slightly more on insurance premiums would be heresay. So to conclude, I love the 116i yes I do and as something I use everyday I am very happy with it. I look at it as my starting point into the next generation of Beemers and cannot wait to progress through to the 125s or m135s in a few years to come. Please not typed this in a rush at work if I left anything out just ask thanks.
