2018 BMW 1 Series
£16,669 · 39,944 miles · diesel · Automatic · hatchback · 5 seats · White · at Prestige Cars Kent, Orpington
Rebecca's review — BMW 1 Series 125d M diesel (2016–2018)
Our verdict on this model. Ask Rebecca below about this particular car.
Overview
Two engines in one. Neither one exists anymore.
The 125d is the 1 Series that most people walked straight past on the forecourt, and that is precisely why you should be looking at it now. Twin-turbocharged diesel, over two hundred brake horsepower, rear-wheel drive, compact enough to park anywhere. It was aimed at drivers who wanted genuine performance without the fuel bills of a petrol M car. That person is you.
Outside
M Sport kit on a small car looks properly mean.
The M Sport bodykit gives it wider side skirts, a deeper front splitter and twin exhausts that look like they mean business because they do. The proportions are tight and muscular in a way the later front-wheel-drive cars simply are not. Black Sapphire or Mediterranean Blue suit it especially well. The wheels fill the arches properly, and after nearly a decade it still does not look dated.
Inside
Smaller than it looks. Bigger than you expect.
Sit in the front and you will find high-quality plastics, well-bolstered sports seats and a driving position that takes about thirty seconds to get exactly right. BMW interiors from this period have held up remarkably well. The back seats are snug for adults but perfectly fine for two. The boot is a good shape, flat-floored and practical, and the overall feeling is of a cabin that costs more than it did.
Tech
iDrive at this age is still quicker than touchscreen rivals.
The rotary iDrive controller is one of the best interfaces ever put in a car, and on this generation it is fast, logical and completely unfussy. You get Bluetooth audio, sat nav, parking sensors and depending on the spec you may well find heated seats, a reversing camera and adaptive cruise. None of it feels old. All of it gets used every single day.
Driving
Two hundred horsepower from a diesel. Really.
That twin-turbo diesel pulls from almost nothing and just keeps going. The eight-speed automatic is smooth around town and rapid when you want it to be. The rear-wheel-drive chassis gives it a playfulness that front-wheel-drive rivals cannot match, yet it is completely comfortable on a long motorway run. Refinement is impressive, the diesel clatter is well suppressed, and it never feels like you are working hard to make progress.
Running
Real-world fifty miles per gallon from a two-hundred-horsepower car.
The 125d will return genuinely strong fuel economy on a mixed run, which makes it one of the most cost-effective performance cars you can find at this price point. Insurance sits in a reasonable group for what it offers. BMW's servicing network is widespread, independent specialists know this engine extremely well, and parts availability is solid. Day-to-day ownership is straightforward and considerably cheaper than the performance figures might suggest.
Verdict
Check the injectors, the DPF history and the service stamps.
Get those three things confirmed and you are in excellent shape. The 125d is a genuinely rare thing — a small, rear-wheel-drive BMW with performance that embarrasses far more expensive cars and running costs that make sense on a Monday morning. It rewards people who actually enjoy driving. If that is you, and you want something that will still feel special in five years, this is the one to buy.
Full spec
| Price | £16,669 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2018 |
| Mileage | 39,944 miles |
| Make | BMW |
| Model | 1 Series |
| Fuel | diesel |
| Gearbox | Automatic |
| Body | hatchback |
| Seats | 5 |
| Colour | White |
| Dealer | Prestige Cars Kent |
| Location | Orpington |
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Ask Rebecca about this car
Rebecca is an AI advisor. She gives an honest view on the car, but she has not inspected it and does not have its service history. Always view a car before buying.