I have to admit, I’m personally equal parts jealous and obsessed with JayEmm’s BMW 130i hatchback, mostly because it’s unobtanium to me. As an American, I can’t buy an E87 1 Series hatchback, despite desperately wanting to. It’s just about the perfect car for me — it’s rear-wheel drive, straight-six-powered, naturally-aspirated and sports a practical hatchback. However, the 130i isn’t perfect and JayEmm explains why in his new video.
For starters, it’s not as practical as its hatchback body might lead you to believe. Though, that comes with its rear-wheel drive territory. There really isn’t a way to make a small, rear-wheel drive hatchback anywhere near as practical as a front-wheel drive hatch. So a VW GTI will always be the more livable car. Though, that’s a trade-off many enthusiasts are willing to make for a rear-drive setup. This one included.
There’s also the relatively poor steering. Back in the day, BMW’s steering was always its calling card but when the brand switched to electric power steering, things started to go downhill. While BMW has started to figure it out, with cars like the M2 CS having lovely steering, it was rough going early on. The E87 BMW 1 Series facelift was one of the first cars to get BMW’s electric power steering and it’s just not good enough.
We won’t spoil the last three not-so-great things about the E87 1 Series hatchback, as you should go watch the video to find out. However, it’s safe to say that, like all cars, the E87 isn’t perfect and there are cons that could keep someone from buying it. Personally, even with those cons, I’d still buy one if given the opportunity because it just fits my lifestyle so well. I’d even be willing to go for a pre-facelift model, with its funky front end styling, just for the better steering. But either way, it’s a great car for many enthusiasts, just one that has its flaws.
