[Allforthewife]

Has anyone come across a review (in english) for the new F20 125i. I can't find anything online?

For all new owners of 125i's please give some feedback on the engine performance in different modes etc...

[sl91]

I got mine 10 days before in mineral grau color without the M pack, but with many extras (almost 7000 euros). I have done 1300 kms. Like you, I had never found any test of this car, neither online nor in a magazine. The engine is fantastic. I drive mainly in the comfort mode. On the highway, the real consumption is almost 7.5 l/100kms at 140 km/100kms. I have checked it several times. I have the pro navigation system. It is really very useful. I found the quality of the stock radio good unlike many people here. This maybe because I have taken the DAB option. The torque is always available even at very low rpms. I have the manual transmission. 100% satisfied.

[Allforthewife]

thanks for your feedback. I have also ordered the 125i without M Sport but with a fair few options. I am surprised there are no official reviews of the engine yet - i check almost everyday; totally obsessed!!

[sl91]

Don't search. I have looked on switzerland, german, belgian and french websites (In France everything works with diesel...so no chance to find any test made on petrol car.). Before ordering I have made a test on a 120d Sportline. The 125i is clearly a level higher.

Believe me, this car is amazing. It is powerfull, confortable and silent inside. The only thing I have noticed is that the car is noisy (outside) when the engine is cold. There is a kind of very soft knocking but is not really this I believe. I use BP unleaded petrol with a RON of 98 only.

[DRIVE'R]

Originally Posted by sl91

Don't search. I have looked on switzerland, german, belgian and french websites (In France everything works with diesel...so no chance to find any test made on petrol car.). Before ordering I have made a test on a 120d Sportline. The 125i is clearly a level higher.

Believe me, this car is amazing. It is powerfull, confortable and silent inside. The only thing I have noticed is that the car is noisy (outside) when the engine is cold. There is a kind of very soft knocking but is not really this I believe. I use BP unleaded petrol with a RON of 98 only.

Hey SL91,
how about you make a video for us?
I spend hours trying to find one on YT, but nothing! I’m sure there is tons of people interested to see 0-100 and to listen the exhaust note.
I know I will be forever grateful

[SonicUK]

I posted this on babybmw.net yesterday -

125i M-Sport here...

I had my first "enthusiastic" run in the car yesterday, having run the car in some more, and i've got to say i'm really really impressed!! I was following an AC Cobra, a couple of Scoobys, and behind an E39 M5.

I stuck the car in sport mode and was giving is some serious beans around all manner of roads - narrow, bumpy B-roads, fast, twisty, flowing A-roads and a mixture of dual-carriage ways and 30mph villages in-between. Up until this drive i had only really run around in the car up to ~5krpm in comfort mode and been short-shifting to run it in.

In sport mode the throttle response adjusts quite aggressively to give you lots of power with minimal right foot, making the car feel more responsive. The power delivery is very linear, meaning you don't get a big surge from the turbo, but you get a constant pull from 2krpm all the way to to 6.5-7krpm... it feels very NA which is what i guess BMW were aiming for after replacing the 6-cyl, and produces a satisfying, albeit subtle, soundtrack when you climb up the rev-range. The suspension is perfect IMO, you get a very reassuringly planted car when cornering which just sticks to the road like it's on rails, but also a decent ride when you're not caning it.

I was expecting to get left behind by the bigger boys that i was following, and sure, they pulled away on the straights without much trouble, but the 125 did a bloody good job of keeping up and pulling it back at the next corner with its reduced weight and sharp brakes. Point-to-point cornering the car feels so planted it is very reassuring. You'll get a bit of traction control kick-in under heavy acceleration out of the corners, but nothing too serious and i didn't get any real drama from the back-end despite my unfamiliarity with the car, some late braking, and heavy acceleration.

All-in-all i think the car is very well balanced, very fun, a good amount of power and a great compromise between handling and comfort.

[Patrick BMW]

thanks SonicUK! It would be great if others posted similar...

[DRIVE'R]

Originally Posted by SonicUK

I posted this on babybmw.net yesterday -

125i M-Sport here...

I had my first "enthusiastic" run in the car yesterday, having run the car in some more, and i've got to say i'm really really impressed!! I was following an AC Cobra, a couple of Scoobys, and behind an E39 M5.

I stuck the car in sport mode and was giving is some serious beans around all manner of roads - narrow, bumpy B-roads, fast, twisty, flowing A-roads and a mixture of dual-carriage ways and 30mph villages in-between. Up until this drive i had only really run around in the car up to ~5krpm in comfort mode and been short-shifting to run it in.

In sport mode the throttle response adjusts quite aggressively to give you lots of power with minimal right foot, making the car feel more responsive. The power delivery is very linear, meaning you don't get a big surge from the turbo, but you get a constant pull from 2krpm all the way to to 6.5-7krpm... it feels very NA which is what i guess BMW were aiming for after replacing the 6-cyl, and produces a satisfying, albeit subtle, soundtrack when you climb up the rev-range. The suspension is perfect IMO, you get a very reassuringly planted car when cornering which just sticks to the road like it's on rails, but also a decent ride when you're not caning it.

I was expecting to get left behind by the bigger boys that i was following, and sure, they pulled away on the straights without much trouble, but the 125 did a bloody good job of keeping up and pulling it back at the next corner with its reduced weight and sharp brakes. Point-to-point cornering the car feels so planted it is very reassuring. You'll get a bit of traction control kick-in under heavy acceleration out of the corners, but nothing too serious and i didn't get any real drama from the back-end despite my unfamiliarity with the car, some late braking, and heavy acceleration.

All-in-all i think the car is very well balanced, very fun, a good amount of power and a great compromise between handling and comfort.

Hey Sonic,

Cheers for your review m8. Im really glad to hear that you found this car yet comfortable and yet with great handling.
Could you tell me what gearbox, and some more details about it?

[SonicUK]

6-speed manual.... will just about sit in 6th around town at 30mph, and 6th still pulls well above a tonne.

Only slight surprise with the car is that even doing 75mph on a motorway cruise i was only getting ~36mpg. Typical daily driving i get more like 32mpg, and i was hoping for more than this given the eco credentials of the car.

Still, under 1k miles on the clock, so may well improve.

[MartinHattingh]

Originally Posted by SonicUK

6-speed manual.... will just about sit in 6th around town at 30mph, and 6th still pulls well above a tonne.

I was mentioning this to an interested friend the other day, the fact that the same gear (5th in the 118i) I tend to comfortably be in around town at 50km/h can take me all the way up to 230km/h!

Thanks for the great review.