My wife has a 65-plated 118d SE. Practical and good handling. The current 1-series are front-wheel-drive. sDrive is front-wheel-drive, whilst xDrive is four-wheel-drive.
I did test drive a BMW to Tai Mo Shan 5 years ago. Fantastic - very powerful and running smooth on steep solpe. If the salesman was a bit more enthusiastic, I would have bought a BMW. Stevo, yes, you are old school. BIG SMILE !!! For parking, we do not rely on sensors anymore. Most cars are now equipped with rear view camera and some with 360 degree camera. In an article, the service manager of BMW HK admitted that their cars consume substantive amount of engine oil with a view to improving the performance. Bearing in mind that car owners have to use a special type of engine oil exclusively for BMW cars, the fuel cost (including engine oil) of BMW cars could be quite high.
I drive a 2018 116d, totally agree on the sat nav is shite! When I was deciding which car to buy 2 years ago I was considering all those you have mentioned (VW gold, Benz A class and Audi) but I personally think the bmw 1 series is the best one all rounded. Good choice Fay ;D thanks for sharing this video too!
The auto start/stop function helps to reduce CO2 emissions too. If you stop briefly at a few crossings, the fuel saving is not promising but it should not consume more fuel. However, it saves a lot if unfortunately stuck in a traffic jam and the core benefit is reducing CO2 emissions.
BMW is having a lot of electronic problem, however the mechanical problem is not very often. But once you have mechanical problem, you have to pay a lot of money to repair. FYI,I am using BMW X3 for 7 years already. I have to prepare around HKD 3000 to 7000 for routine maintenance per year.
don't buy such a small car, especially if you have just arrived. You got a new house or flat, and have the need to buy a lot of furniture, electric appliances, garden equipment and DIY stuff many of which will be too big or too long for such a small car, even a usual size car. Shop delivery is rare, and expensive even if available. You need a big car with a big boot, preferably an estate, to carry the things you buy from DIY shops. There are not many downsides to buy and operate a big car, even in big cities like London. The difference in fuel burn is relatively little in highway driving. Initial depreciation for bigger cars is generally worst than small cars, and thus you will usually get very good deals in the 2nd hand market. Unlike in HK, parking bays are generally sufficient for bigger cars. Do remember that living in UK gives you the opportunity to drive across to Europe for holiday. Such trips will mostly last for weeks and driving long distances, with long hours of motorway cruising. Small cars are not suitable and uncomfortable for such long-distance driving. Further, you will have to take a lot of luggage and family members/friends, and have each one or two persons driving their own cars is not fun.
Also, if you are a recent immigrant to the UK, you will properly do a lot of long-distance driving to see many parts of the country, at least initially (find a house, find a job, find a school for your kids etc). very often, you will get too tired and need a quick nap inside your car (presumably you won't want to spend money for a hotel room when its only another 2-3 hours from arriving back home, but you are at the limit of your endurance, and you cannot risk the lives of your family members by continue driving for another 5 minutes). Have a big car that allows you to recline in a reasonably flat posture, better still, an estate car equipped with an inflatable metress might just come to your rescue. You will surely regrate driving a BMW 1 series.
