[rickk]

My 5 cents:

I drove a 328i and was a bit dissapointed by it. It's very fast way to loose your license but it's not worth my money over a 320i, which I found just as much fun to drive. I took a quick drive in a 118i sportline immediately afterwards and actually found the 118i a lot more fun to drive.

This is what turned me to the F20 (at first I was very much put off by the styling, but with M sport I can live with it... )

A week later I went for another long test drive with a 118i and a 320i back-to-back, both on standard suspension, and found them really similar handling-wise, with the 118i having the edge, feeling slightly more playful and involving.

The F30's interior feels a lot more spacious compared to the F20. The F20 to me feels a bit like a cockpit of a fighter plane and strangely also a bit like a 911 (sitting rather close to a small windscreen) - both good things to me, but I can imagine it being a problem for some.

However, I don't see much, if any, difference between them regarding design, seats, switches and materials used in the interior.

As for reviews.. first note that the autocar review of the 125i is a lot more favorable than their review of the 125d!
I've probably read all reviews on both the F20 and the F30. The F30 receives rave reviews all around but I've seen the most questionable and contradictory conclusions on the F20. I think it has a lot to do with preconceptions.. The F30 looks great and comes from a long line of great cars, so it cannot fail to be a good car. The F20 looks funny and it's predecessor had a number of flaws.. it's just easier to hate it.

In the end I settled for a 125i M sport. Figured I couldn't go wrong with a car very similar to the F30 320, only faster, lighter, smaller and cheaper.

I think the M135i will be LOTS more fun than the 328i, if only for the engine, and would choose it over a 328i in a heartbeat.

- Rick