The default choice, when it came to premium hatchback, used to be the Volkswagen Golf. With three different models - 1.2 TSI, 1.4 TSI and 1.4 Sport TSI - to choose from, you can never go wrong.

Then there was also Audi's A3, the perennial favourite among the young executive who wants something with extra prestige.

Well BMW had (yes, h-a-d) a contender in this segment, in the form of the 118i, but that one was a forgotten and unloved model; most found it underwhelming and scarcely equipped...

BMW's 3, 5, 7 Series and X5 might be runway successes, but in this hatchback segment, it's still considered a 'newbie'. Which was obviously the reason why BMW made sure their latest F20 1 Series is a good one (no pun intended).

While the 118i was already reviewed previously, this time around, it's the entry-level 116i's turn.

Exterior

Many car designers also have this preoccupation with size, especially when it comes to hatchbacks; after all, a big exterior leads to a vast, cavernous cabin.

Thankfully, BMW's designers are much more skilful with their felt-tip pens. The side profile, with its delicately sloping roof, has a touch of Z4 about it while from the back - ok, you can quit the VW-called-and-asked-for-the-Polo's-rear-lamp-back joke now already - it has cues of the much, much bigger X5.

17-inch alloys, wrapped in performance-biased 205/50 R-17 Bridgestone Potenza S001 rubbers also come standard, giving the 116i a slightly sporty edge.

It all goes to make a much more beautiful and stylish car than its predecessor.

While the 116i - also like the 118i - doesn't get a badge on the boot, the only way to differentiate the two from each other is by looking at the lower part of the front and rear bumper: the 118i would come with a black strip, while the 116i with white.

Interior

It's not a huge car by any means (only 85 mm longer, with a wheelbase that's now 30 mm more than before), but it still offers 360 litres of space and with the rear seat down, creates a long, flat surface ideal for packing even awkward packages and items. You see, it's not the size but what you do with it...


Obviously a lot of thought has gone into who is going to buy the 116i - single individuals with an active lifestyle and even young, small families - and what they're going to use it for. Amazingly BMW's novel solution, besides the flexi boot space, also includes a user-friendly rear seat that provides a comfortable seating position with an adequate amount of both head and legroom. Somewhat it also feels cosy, due to the large transmission tunnel.

Well it's a hatchback, so the drawback is still the fact that anyone beyond 1.75-meters tall might not find it comfortable over longer journeys.

There are no problems with the seat or driving position, which is good, as is the cabin overall; even the steering wheel is both gorgeous and highly useful. But it still isn't quite up to the 3 Series' level of plushness, even though the dashboard moulding and various items of switchgear used are identical.

The Drive

It's no longer the latest news. Under the bonnet, you'll find BMW's 1.6-litre four-cylinder 'TwinPower Turbo' engine. This heart, besides featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger, also sees the employment of BMW's innovative High-Precision Injection, Valvetronic dan Double-Vanos.

Paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission, it whips out a rather healthy dose of 136bhp from 4,400rpm and a maximum torque of 220Nm from as low as 1,350rpm. BMW's new engine here is smooth and surprisingly torquey, so much so you might expect it to be a 2.0-litre unit from its bigger 320i sibling.

The 116i can keep up a brisk expressway trot, although from standstill, you need to floor the accelerator just to get the turbo working. But once you get it going, abundance of extra speed comes in rather quickly and next thing you know, you've already breached the national speed limit. All these can be done in 'Comfort' mode, mind you.


Though it can be a little noisy at higher revs, a top speed of 210 km/h, a claimed 0 to 100km/h sprint of 9.1 second and a combined fuel consumption of 17.2 km/L is surely something else to shout about…

That said, the 116i is a rear-wheel driven car and if you lift the bonnet up and stand to one side, it's plain to see that it carries its engine noticeably further back toward the centre of the chassis - so get it right and you can expose it to some hooliganism.

The 116i might not give a particularly smooth ride around town, but you can't expect that from BMW. However if you still demand such characteristic, then perhaps you should look at a Camry or Teana instead.

For a hatchback, the 116i's steering is fantastically meaty and heavy; you also get a neutral and flowing feel, even when you drive it down a series of bend with the traction control off in 'Sport+'. But frequent high-speed changes of direction will eventually catch the car out, and you have to work the steering harder and faster to keep it all together.

Conclusion

All that was said and done, there's no denying there are still alternatives to the 116i here. Namely, there are VW's Golfs, Lexus' CT 200h and let's not forget, Audi's A3.

But what sets the 116i apart is the fact that it combines both the Golf and CT 200h into one package: sure it's no hybrid, but the ability to be driven in the green Eco Pro mode, or, as the name suggests, Sport mode, it still offers the best of both worlds.

That, plus the useful cabin. Oh, and it's a BMW. So how else can you go wrong?