| Long Term Test | BMW 123d M Sport Coupé |
Been anywhere interesting?
Not many people would call a trip to IKEA interesting, nor Coupé-like, but it was a chance to test the 1 Series Coupé's practicality to the limit. Admittedly, nobody buys this type of car for its load-lugging ability, but it is likely to be the only car in the household, so therefore appeals directly to the kind of person that may frequent Swedish shops full of flat packed furniture...
I believed my credit card was safe on this occasion, as, capacious as the boot of the 1 is, it's not exactly made for large boxes full of MDF. Then I discovered that the rear seats actually fold down at the flick of a handle and suddenly the only limitation was my patience and my bank manager's understanding.
Anything stand out...?
I'm ashamed to say that I'm the complete antithesis to someone who cleans their car religiously every week. So it came as a pleasant surprise, when I finally got around to cleaning the Coupé this month, that it looks so much better without the dirt! It looks like new again now and I was even inspired to vacuum out the interior. Seems I wasn't the only one to notice, as a couple of women chased after me in a multi-storey car park to ask what the car was. Although the Coupé has been on sale since November, I've still not seen another on the road, which may explain why they were unsure what it was.
...and for the wrong reasons?
I know I've banged on about the colour of the leather interior before, but while cleaning it I noticed that the most prominent part of the side bolster on the door side of the driver's seat has some evidence of wear. It's not bad, but unchecked could lead to frayed leather. I wonder if other owners have had the same problem? Needless to say I'll be a bit more careful getting in and out in future.
Where next?
I will be moving house soon, but, as surprisingly practical as the 1 proved to be this month, it isn't really up to that particular task. Other than that, there are a few cross-country blasts planned, which should mean I have more Coupé-like things to talk about next month...
