The ‘My Goad’ phrase is a staple expression in the Scottish dialect and is usually the precursor to some additional complementary phrases. Used in its full context, it can prefix other expressions to provide added emphasis, such as “My Goad – it’s ugly” or “My Goad – it’s dear” (expensive) or in the case of the BMW 125d Sport, “My Goad – it’s quick!” and there’s the exclamation mark again. (Note: English translation = “Oh my God, this is rather fast!”)
The exclamation mark is used because the biggest surprise about the 125d Sport is not that it is quick, but rather more, it is quick because it only has a 2 litre oil-burner under the bonnet. However, attached to this modest four cylinder diesel lump is a two-stage twin turbocharger system.
It’s this double puffing set-up that provides the 218 hp with an impressive 450 Nm of torque. That still doesn’t make it sound very quick, and yet it will propel the 125d from zero to 62 mph in six and a half seconds. And there’s more. It can achieve up to 58.9 mpg whilst emitting a mere 126 g/km of CO2 on the Government’s combined cycle test figures.
Another factor in this performance equation must be the 8 speed automatic gearbox. BMW have been given a lot of credit for their engineering work with this transmission because it is so quick, smooth and compact. From a more cynical viewpoint, it must have been easier to select 8 different sized cogs because choosing the ideal 6 or 4 mated to a 2 litre engine would have involved many more calculations and much head scratching. With 8 ratios to choose from, there’s less to go wrong with size choice.
Naturally, this being an M-Sport car it has a rocker switch with an ‘S’ on one side and an ‘Eco Pro’ mark on the other. This latter marking will appeal more to the frugal amongst us while the ‘S’ switch is for those who want to make best use of the twin chrome tail pipes and blue disc brake callipers which can just be seen through the 18 inch M-Star alloy wheels.
In either switch mode, the automatic ‘box can be left to get on with the job of transmitting the desired amount of grunt to the rear wheels as and when required, a task which it can accomplish with virtually seamless efficiency. But if the driver is of the opinion that fully automated shifts are only desirable in heavy, slow moving traffic, then a quick waggle of the gearstump to the side allows the driver to select any of the 8 as long as it is in sequence.
That means no double de-clutching and down shifting two gears at a time under heavy braking. Nope, this is an entirely more civilised method of driving whereby gears can only be selected in numerical order. If more fun and involvement is required then there is a pair of paddles behind the steering wheel within fingertip reach. This is so good it can make a bad driver appear adequate.
Enhancing the whole feel is the driving position from which any size of driver can find a comfy position from which to grasp the thick rimmed leather covered wheel. Once gripped and once fired up, let mayhem commence.
There is absolutely no point in going on about ride and handling. It’s a BMW, and it’s an ‘M’ car. That means it handles and rides well, even on those 18 inch rims with Bridgestone Potenza 235/40 road grippers. The adaptive M Sport suspension also means that it rides 200 mm lower than the standard car. And yes, there is a bit of jiggle and thump over poor surfaces, but if you don’t like it, buy a ‘standard’ BMW, and leave the M cars to those who appreciate them.
But having got this far, it brings us right back to those opening remarks, “My Goad – it’s quick”. To put this in context, we’re talking about a blunt rumped five door saloon car here with an engine up front powered by the decayed remains of plants and animals which once flourished on earth millions of years ago.
How BMW can extract 218 hp from an engine with the capacity of a large bottle of Asda milk is beyond me, but it feels quicker. The secret here is the 8 speed gearbox. Push the ‘S’ switch, move the lever into ‘Sports’ mode, and then floor it. The release of energy is instantaneous and relentless giving the impression that this is a much bigger engine than it actually is. Whereas American muscle cars with ‘four on the floor’ used cylindrical caverns inside vast lumps of cast iron to generate horsepower which was released in four mighty, axle twisting dollops, the BMW’s power delivery is linear, and all the more impressive for it. For sure there are faster cars out there, but it is this balance of power, torque and delivery that sets the 2 litre TwinPower Turbo apart from its rivals. I was impressed.
The ‘base’ model 125d M Sport car is priced at just over 27 thousand pounds, but it had over five grand’s worth of options including the Adaptive M Sport suspension (£515.00) and 500 quidsworth of Cruise Control and parking sensors. The Media package with SatNav, Bluetooth, USB and Voice Control added another £1995.00 and the metallic paintwork was £515.00. Heated front seats were another £265.00 while the sun protection glass (this must have been foreign spec!) added a further £290.00. Completing the Spec on this car was £1140.00 for adaptive Xenon headlamps with additional functions and headlamp wash.
That brought the final price to what you see below. At first glance it looks expensive, especially when you don’t get the same sound track as you would with a high performance petrol engine, but it’s comfortable, economical when needed and pleasingly quick when desired.
If you want a cheap one, then the BMW 116d EfficientDynamics starts from £20,885, but that’s like having a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer without the caramel.