Bay Harbour: September 23, 2020

Wednesday September 23 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 13
Three-cylinder BMW heralds resurgence
I CAN’T remember the last time
I had two three-cylinder cars in
my driveway.
It was probably when I was
driving Star Media’s Suzuki Alto
pool car on a daily basis, it was
bound to have coincided with a
three-cylinder evaluation car of
some description.
Well, BMW New Zealand offered
me a short notice drive in
its 118i, it was a case of having
to squeeze it in overlapping with
another car – Mitsubishi’s Mirage.
Of course, both of these
vehicles have three-pot engines
and those drives once again
reinforced my interest and
highlighted the resurgence in this
configuration.
In BMW’s case, it was only
a matter of time before its
application of this type of
engine trickled across more of
the company’s product. The
turbocharged 1.5-litre unit first
made its appearance here in the 2
Series Active Tourer in 2015, and
has been used in its X1 and, of
course, variations of the Mini.
BMW New Zealand has just
introduced a new 1 Series, there
three variations at present, two of
which incorporate the three-pot
unit, the M135i is fitted with a
high performance four-cylinder
engine.
However, the three-cylinder
engine punches well above its
weight and you would expect
nothing less from a performance
car manufacturer. The 1499cc
unit is rated with 103kW and
220Nm, both outputs realised
wonderfully low in the rev band
at 4400rpm and 1250rpm for
torque.
The engine is a real honey in
terms of honesty and performance.
It is also rated with rather
amazing fuel usage figures, such
as a 5.9l/100km combined cycle
average.
My test figures hovered around
7l/100km with 4.4l/100km
available instantaneously on a
100km/h cruise, the engine very
unstressed, ticking over at just
1750rpm at that speed thanks to a
tall top gear.
BMW has done well to disguise
the harmonics which are usually
associated with three-cylinder
engines. I guess that’s no surprise,
the company produces vehicles
of high standard and the engine
feels vibration-free, working
solidly through the rev band
and easily filling the short gaps
between gears.
BMW 118I: Comfortable ride on Christchurch’s uneven
roads.
If you are intent on driving
a car without wanting to know
the mechanics or engineering
aspects, you would think the 118i
had nothing out-of-the-ordinary
under the bonnet.
With those generous power
outputs, it is quite spirited. Sure,
the acceleration times are not
startling, but with an 8.5sec time
to make 100km/h from a standstill
it will keep easy pace with
traffic, while power through the
mid-range means overtaking
manoeuvres can be completed
swiftly and safely. As a guide to
its performance, it is capable of a
218km/h top speed.
The evaluation car was the
entry-level Sport Line Edition at
$49,990 which is a front-wheeldrive
model only, as is its stablemate
the M Sport variant at
$53,900. The M135i gets BMW
four-wheel-drive system – xDrive
– and lists at $83,500.
At just over 4.3m, the 118i
is a compact vehicle, but it is a
genuine five-seater, and those on
board won’t feel too cramped, it
makes good use of available space
and it has a comfortable operating
environment.
The spring and damper rates,
through fully independent
underpinnings, are set as
medium-to-firm. In saying that,
the quality of the suspension
allows for wheel freedom and it
will deal well with the upsetting
nature of Christchurch’s rough
roads, along with providing
secure steering feel.
There are optional drive
modes that the driver can select
depending on journey type.
Sport and economy are pretty
much what they represent, but
I mostly preferred the normal
default setting, and in that mode
• Price – BMW 118i, $49,990
• Dimensions – Length,
4319mm; width, 1799mm;
height, 1434mm
• Configuration – Threecylinder,
front-wheeldrive,
1499cc, 103kW,
220Nm, seven-speed
automatic
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 8.5sec
• Fuel usage – 5.9l/100km
the 118i is honest and does
everything you’d expect in terms
of response.
Inside, it shares much of the
componentry you would find in
other BMWs, even though the
entry-level model doesn’t carry
all of the trick gear BMW have on
offer, you can up-spec from a long
list of BMW options depending
on how much you want to spend,
but if you aren’t tempted into
those then the standard car will
still satisfy as a daily drive.
I particularly like the combination
cloth/leather trim, the seat
squabs are cloth trimmed yet they
also have heaters, it’s the best of
both worlds, sitting in them on
those frosty Canterbury mornings
isn’t onerous.
I’ve always been quite fond
of the 1 Series, it is a good
combination of size and
practicality. I’ve also always
been charmed by three-cylinder
engines and BMW’s unit certainly
delivers with much satisfaction.
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Clare Reilly
INNER LANDS
Clare Reilly’s work has
been described 26 September as Neo- – 28 October 2020
Romantic. Her paintings
are imbued with a poetic
stillness and calm.
She has a close affinity with
birds in the landscape, with
the bird motif signifying a
sense of joy in flight, and
hope and renewal. Clare
lives in Otago’s Blueskin
Bay but also spends time
Main on Rd, Banks Little Peninsula River where | 03 325 1944 | art@littlerivergallery.com
she is inspired by the
landscape, flora and fauna.
Her career spans more than
three decades of painting
and exhibiting throughout
‘The Chattering Stream’ oil painting
New Zealand, with many by Clare Reilly exhibiting at Little River
works going overseas.
Gallery 26 September – 28 October
Inner Lands
Standing at the edge of the Inner land
Looking within and out again.
All is clouded and clear with
Insight, foresight, hindsight,
and still much unknown.
There was a time when,
the land was stilled and hushed.
As if resting, from the itchy human
activity, the earth sighed with relief.
The wind played its song
over the ridge lines and
the voices of birds rang out clear
into a cleaner, quieter air.
The streams chattered down into
gullies of bush and ferns, and the
passing of days were, at last,
observed by many, from inside
their bubbles.
A time of meditative connection
to leave distractions of everyday life
and find the meaning in being.
Now take me to those Inner Lands,
on the journeys of the mind,
where coastal forests give way
to the place of dreams, and
the mind can settle and rest,
and sustain the momentary
beauty of existence.
Clare Reilly - Sept 2020
Clare Reilly
INNER LANDS
26 September – 28 October 2020
Main Rd, Little River | 03 325 1944 | art@littlerivergallery.com