BMW 114i - does the basic version make sense?
102 HP from 1,6 l. Many people liked the result. However, for this, BMW needed direct fuel injection technology and ... turbocharging. Does "one" make sense in base 114i?
Let's start with a sip of history. In the first half of the 90s, the basic version of the E36, as well as the cheapest and smallest BMW, was the 316ti Compact. The 3-door hatchback was hiding a 1,6-liter engine with 102 hp. at 5500 rpm and 150 Nm at 3900 rpm. The motorized "troika" accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 12,3 seconds and reached 188 km / h. The fuel consumption declared by the manufacturer in the combined cycle was 7,7 l / 100 km.
Two decades later, the BMW lineup looks very different. The place of the "troika" in the Compact version was taken by the series 1. This is the smallest model in the BMW range (not counting the Z4 and the yet to be offered i3). However, this does not mean that the car is small. The 3- and 5-door hatchbacks are longer, wider and taller than the aforementioned E36. The "unit" price list opens from version 114i. The labeling is a bit confusing. May suggest using a 1,4L engine. The 114i, like the 116i and 118i, gets a 1.6 TwinPower Turbo turbocharged engine with direct fuel injection.
At its weakest, the unit produces 102 hp. at 4000-6450 rpm and 180 Nm at 1100-4000 rpm. That's enough for the 114i to hit 11,2-195 in 114 seconds and hit 116 km/h. Where is technological progress hidden? What was the point of equipping the car with a weak turbocharged engine with direct injection, expensive to manufacture and expensive to maintain? There are several reasons. The leading one, of course, is the optimization of the production process. Engine versions 118i, XNUMXi and XNUMXi have the same diameters, piston stroke and compression ratio. Thus, the differences in power and torque are the result of modified accessories and electronics, as well as low-cost cylinder blocks and crank-piston components.
The TwinPower Turbo unit complies with the Euro 6 emission standard, which will come into force in the middle of next year. The advantage of the 114i is not the exceptionally low level of carbon dioxide emissions, which in some countries determines the amount of tax for the operation of the car. 127 g CO2/km is inferior to that of the 116i (125 g CO2/km). Of course, the trace difference does not change anything - both options belong to the same tax category.
We asked the product manager responsible for the 114 series to explain the 1i mystery. An employee at BMW headquarters in Munich claimed that in some markets a certain percentage of customers even demanded a version with a weak engine. According to research conducted by the company, the 136-horsepower 116i is considered too powerful by some drivers. Our interlocutor clearly emphasized that the rule does not apply to the Polish market, where the 114i is in a losing position from the very beginning.
The presence of turbocharging should also meet the needs of the market. There is a growing percentage of drivers who want the engine to efficiently accelerate the car from the lowest revs - regardless of whether it is a gasoline or diesel engine. This characteristic can be achieved thanks to turbocharging. In the test car, the maximum 180 Nm was available at an impressively low 1100 rpm.
So it remained to test the capabilities of the 114i empirically. The first impression is more than positive. BMW released an almost fully equipped “one” for testing. Even though the 114i is the base model, BMW hasn't limited the options list. If desired, you can order sports steering, M-package, reinforced suspension, Harman Kardon audio system and many design elements. Only the 114-speed Steptronic automatic transmission is not available on the 8i.
We will not despair. The mechanical “six” works with typical BMW clarity and pleasant resistance. The steering is also impeccable, and the torque transfer to the rear axle makes it torque-free when accelerating.
The chassis is also a strong point of the BMW 114i. The springy suspension picks up bumps well and provides excellent handling. The ideal weight distribution (50:50) also has a positive effect on traction, which is impossible on a front-wheel drive hatchback. So we have a GTI chassis that has been paired with a 102 hp engine. …
We are walking. "Edynka" does not choke at low speeds, but it does not pick up speed very quickly either. The worst moment is when we press the gas to the floor and turn the engine to the red field on the tachometer, expecting a sharp improvement in acceleration. Such a moment will not come. The pickup speed seems to be completely independent of the rotation of the crankshaft. Better upshift, use high torque and reduce fuel consumption. With a quiet ride outside the settlements, the “one” consumes about 5-5,5 l / 100 km. In the urban cycle, the computer gave out less than 8 l / 100 km.
Test drives took place in Germany, which made it possible to test the capabilities of the car when driving very fast. Even the base model BMW is not afraid of speed - it behaves very stable even in the region of the maximum 195 km / h. The 114i accelerates quite steadily to 180 km/h. You must wait a while for higher values. At the same time, the speedometer needle of the test specimen was able to deviate to the field mark of 210 km / h.
114i is a very specific creation. On the one hand, this is a real BMW - rear-wheel drive, with excellent handling and well-made. However, for PLN 90 we get a car that is disappointing with poor acceleration. More expensive by PLN 200, the 7000i (116 hp, 136 Nm) is much faster. With an amount close to PLN 220, having to add a few thousand is hardly a real obstacle. Customers spend much more on additional equipment. The best option for 100i is to order ... 114i. Not only does it go much faster (116 seconds to "hundreds"), it also requires ... less fuel. During the test, the difference of minus 8,5i was 114 l/km. If someone is very confused by the temperament of the car, the selector on the central tunnel can select the Eco Pro mode, which will suppress the engine's response to gas, and at the same time reduce fuel consumption.
