123d M Sport 5dr

A brilliant little car that has that rare combination of good power and great fuel economy

Everyone who's driven this car loves it. Its a great little pocket rocket and has loads of power for when you need it. Fuel economy is great and there aren't many cars that have the power this car has along with the ability to sip fuel, a perfect combination. I've had the car for over 2 years now and she's sitting on 215 000kms (130000) miles and still going strong.

I had to replace the two turbo actuators because they were causing issues when I first bought it and as a result, the twin turbos were not engaging properly. It was a cheap fix though and cost about £25 each and simple to change out at home. I also had to fix an oil leak that looked bad, but ended up being a simple fix of 4 o-rings on the oil filter housing with the oil cooling system. The timing chain has been great and hasn't given any issues, but I'm unsure if the previous owner had replaced it or not. I suspect it was replaced though, going by what I can see.

It is a small car though and being rear wheel drive, the boot space is smaller than more modern front wheel versions. Personally I prefer the rear wheel system because it just feels more fun to drive. The manual gear box is great but it would have benefited from a longer 6th gear so you could cruise at 120mph and have the car under 2000rpm. As it is, it sits at around 2300rpm and that makes its fuel economy less than the stellar numbers it potentially could have had. I suspect BMW did this to get the 0-60 times so fast. Don't get me wrong though, it still got great fuel economy.

The amazing torque and power on tap is addictive and you can really push the car and still get 40mpg or more. The car is very comfortable for long journeys and sits well at high speed and so, its a real pleasure to drive. I have had an aftermarket front and rear bumper put on, which has made a real difference in the looks of the car, its now much more handsome than the standard version.

The negatives for me are no spare wheel, which is really needed where I live. It's also a diesel, so it's not the best sounding car I own, but that can be worked on with a better exhaust.

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