BMW's tasty 220i Convertible
We take another look at BMW's most popular sports car, the nifty little 220i, formerly known as the 120i...
The 220i is a compact car, with a four cylinder engine and good but not race-style chassis and suspension. It drives accordingly. Throw it into corners and you can feel some body roll; accelerate vigorously and there is a touch of oversteer (which admittedly compensates for the usual rear-wheel drive understeer) that you need to be aware of. It's not on rails the whole time, but driven like it is designed, it's a peach. The brakes are great, and the whole car feels like a unit when on the move - no worrying noises or odd directional behaviour over bumps as with some earlier convertibles.
The lack of boot space does mean no spare and hence run-flat tyres, which are a bit noisy on some surfaces. The stop-start process (if you switch it on) is a bit obvious and shuddery compared to some sweet sixes, and as mentioned before, the turbo motor gives decent response - if you cane it. To do that, just put the selector into Sport-Plus mode, rev the engine hard and use the manual shifters.
But that's not what the 220i is about. It's about good-time driving, about running away for the weekend with minimal luggage or zipping down to the golf club to meet a friend, impromptu. It's about grinning.
Of all the cars I have driven recently - big, posh, fast, expensive - the little BMW had something they didn't. It had fun factor. Even the aunties at the durian stall could see that.
Credits: Story and Photos by Jeremy Torr
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