Following the "downsizing" path now so common in the car industry, BMW has chosen a smaller, turbocharged engine for their new F20 1 series.
The same engine found in the Cooper S R56 has been equipped on the 114i, 116i, 118i in various states of tuning, the numbers being not correlated to the displacement.
The entry level model is the 114i, with 102 hp, then comes the 116i with 136 hp, and the top of the range is the 118i, with 170 hp.
We tested the most powerful model and we found out the car has more power than claimed, with more than 180 hp, on pair with the latest Cooper S 184 hp engine.
Our development work started with the the most powerful model, the F20 118i.
We talked with some current and future owners of this car, to understand what they were looking for and what could be improved.
The more common request was a sound improvement, as the car as stock is quiet and impersonal, but the looks also needed some help, as there is only a single, tiny tailpipe.
The developed system give many choices to the customer. It's possible to leave just the tailpipes on the left, being a single but bigger one (90mm) in the OEM arch or a twin 80mm pipes solution, (very "classic BMW).
It's also possible to choose a "braver" look, with a left + right system. We have both a dual tailpipes setup, that reminds of the 335i and the new M135i, or a quad pipes solution, aggressive and very "M-Style"
On the development car we went for the dual setup:
http://www.supersprint.com/it/prod_z-g-4344.aspx
The result of a more free-flowing, less silenced exhaust on this BMW 118i doesn't hide the origin of the engine, if you close your eyes you may thing you're hearing a Mini R56!
FULL SYSTEM - REVS
CATBACK SYSTEM - ACCELERATION AND DRIVING
Dyno testing of the full exhaust, including the downpipe with a 200 CPSI HJS metallic cat, didn't show much in terms of power and torque gains, as already happened on the Cooper S R56.
What we learned from the past is that on this engine an ECU tune can make the difference when fitted together with a good exhaust system.
The exhaust components are compatible with the 116i model and will be available in the 1st quarter of 2013.