What’s new: BMW‘s great new twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel engine has been slotted into the 1-series range. It’s driven here in three-door form.
Excellent: The engine improves on the already top-notch, standard 2.0-litre diesel, which we’ve been running in our long-term 120d. The handling is also better than anything else in the market thanks mainly to the steering.
Good: Considering the sub-7.0 seconds 0-60mph performance, still managing a claimed 54.3mpg average and 138g/km is impressive, as is the 32.1p per mile cost.
Average: Take into account that the 1-series is a small and fairly impractical car no matter which bodystyle you pick, a P11D of £25,090 certainly isn’t cheap.
Poor: The continued 1-series bugbear of ride quality is never far from the surface, and it’s not exactly over-specced.
Verdict: Standard 120d engine is a cracker, but if you can afford it, the 123d steps things up another notch in performance terms.
