Road Test
BMW 120i convertible
Test date 02 January 2008
Price as tested £25,215
For Best-looking 1-series, engaging handling, emissions and economy
AgainstPrice is too high, limited performance, cramped rear seats
Six years ago BMW showed a concept called the CS1, a roadster looking remarkably like the one on these pages. It sparked the entire new BMW ‘flame surfacing’ look.
Back then it was powered by a puny 115bhp 1.8-litre engine which would never suffice today, but its dimensions and looks have survived the transition to the present day intact. Sadly, that’s more than can be said for the aluminium and neoprene that clothed the interior of the CS1.
This 120i convertible is a real back-to-basics car. You won’t find any acrobatic self-stacking steel roof, or a multi-cylinder marvel under the bonnet. It’s just a fabric-topped, front-engined, rear-drive convertible powered by a simple four-cylinder, 2.0-litre motor.
The question is whether keeping it simple like this reveals the clarity of the vision behind it or, in fact, exposes it as an uncomfortable compromise between truly practical coupé/cabrios such as the VW Eos and bespoke roadsters such as Mazda’s MX-5.
There is also the question of price: at £25,205 the 120i SE is positioned right at the top of the market, where its closest rivals are not only cheaper but also come with turbocharged engines. Can any car overcome that level of self-imposed disadvantage?
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