The Topless 1ne

The sky was overcast, the air was hazy and the temperature was rising like el nino. Not the most ideal conditions for driving around in an open top vehicle, but i had a day of leave to clear and the 120i Cabriolet was mine for the day. So, slide into the seat, roof down, shades on, and off i go.

If first impressions count, then the 1 series cabriolet does what the other cars in the 1 series range doesn’t. Having climate control as standard equipment. Though a small issue in day to day usage, in a car with a premium price tag, those climatic controls on the center console does wonders to the whole “feel” of the interior. As with all other BMWs, the rest of the interior is well laid out and put together with all the controls falling into place readily and easily. The cabriolet also benefits with the addition of electrically operated seats with memory functions. This again, adds to the overall “feel good” factor of the entire car.

Push a little button on the center console and the canvas roof stores away in about 22 seconds. Well enough time to put it down or up at any local stop lights. With the roof operational up to speeds of 50km/h, should the lights change in your favor, you’ll be able to escape any potential embarrassing moments driving away with a half opened (or closed) roof. Having the roof stowable at low speed also allows you to put up the roof up or down upon entering or leaving carparks. Saves you time so you can spend it looking cool.(-ish)

Rear seats are adequate at best with space for just about 2, but fitting the wind buffer will pretty much render the rear seats useless. Without this buffer, the wind truly gets into your hair and all around your face as well. Best to leave it on when putting the roof down.

Taking a step out of the car though and you will notice how small and compact this car really is. Parked next to the E30, the 20 year younger 120i is only slightly larger. With the roof up, the whole shape of the car seems a tad tall. Stow the roof away though and the whole design of the car changes in an instant. Gone is the initial stumpy look of the car and in its place, proper proportions and a tight beltline capped off with a strip of chrome accentuating the cabriolet’s lines.

Looking at it from different angles and you’ll begin to appreciate all the lines and shadows cast from the various mixtures of the 120’s bold convex and concave lines.

This transformation of appearances is even more evident in the test car’s black exterior color. Roof up, no one bats and eyelid at the car, roof down, everyone turns to look, especially the ladies. Is this car beautiful? Probably not, but it does have its own unique character and appeal. Girls seem to like it though.

Having a compact cabriolet does have its drawbacks when boot space is a concern. With the roof up, there is enough space for about 2 golf bags, but when the roof goes down, that space is considerable reduced. With the rear seats doubling as luggage space most of the time. A JVC 32” lcd tv pretty much failed to go into the boot. So on the rear seats it went. Such is the price of vanity. But then again, it isn’t very often you buy a brand new TV.

Fire up the engine and sadly, no familiar 6 cylinder powering up roar as the local cabriolets are equipped instead, with a 2 litre, 4 cylinder engine. Although not as powerful as its 6 pot brethren, this 4 cylinder manages to pull the cabriolet away without much drama or noise. Staying smooth until the driver really gases it and the engine starts to complain towards the redline. With 156hp at 6400rpms and 200Nms of torque, performance although decent, isn’t going to give any hot-hatches nightmares. 0-100km/h takes 10 seconds and the 120i given a decent amount of road, will pull up to 212km/h.

So how does it feel to drive though? Well, for starters, we have to look at the car from a different perspective. I’ve gone through the numbers and sure enough, its no firecracker of a car. But surely, that’s missing the point. This car wasn’t built for people with lead in their feet, rather, for drivers who like to appreciate everything else that is going on around them. This car is built for cruising, with the roof down. And as a cruiser, it ticks all the right boxes.

Comfort? Check!
Easy to drive? Check!
Refined around town? Check!

In addition to those mentioned above, this car is as nippy and dynamic as the other 1 series range of cars. A great car to cruise in with a tad of fun sprinkled on top for those cheeky moments. Throughout the time I’ve had with this car, i never once had a moment where the car was unwieldy or fell out of composure, perhaps, the 2 litre engine helped in limiting how fast i entered corners, turning in was decent, although with noticeable body roll. The 120i, with its short wheelbase allows for quick directional changes although a little bit more poke from the engine would have been the sweetener when exiting bends.

When you are done with hooning around, drop the pace down a tad or two, put your favourite song on (Viva La Vida by Coldplay does it for me) and enjoy the drive home with everything else passing by you where the roof used to be.

What the 120i does, is make you feel happy to drive just a little bit slower, to take in the journey for what it is and to delay the arrival of your destination. It puts a smile on your face without you having to do anything. That is reason enough for me to like this car. My girlfriend on the other hand though, truly loves it and has made it her dream car.