Hi, I am lurking around and am tempted with facelifted used BMW F20 but can't decide which is the better model to get.

120i 2015 car - RM 13xk
118i 2017 car - RM 14xk

Both have relatively similar outlook and interior but the 120i comes with almost 50 more horsepower. I test driven the 118i before and like it pretty much. Power is decent and just acceptable for me.
At similar price for a way bigger engine, it should be a no brainer to go for the 120i right?

But there are reviews that says the 120i's ride is harsh and not as fun as the 118i. Didn't have the chance to test the 120i before and I am also curious why they took the 120i out of the line up. Is there any issue with it and is there issues with the F20 in general?

if i remember correctly, a new 118i is around 185k. Did you check for discount on new units, 2018 un-reg or pre-reg units with the BMW dealers?
The current 118i sold is M-sport variant and is quite well specced.
Not sure about the 2017 model.

For 2015 unit, check if there's still warranty. I can't remember when they transitioned from 2 years to 5 years warranty

If use cash to buy then 2015 120i MSport.
Find one with more warranty.
Hard to find 245/35 R18 wheels, so some outlet doesn't have it.
So remember buy extra one or find your near wheels shop. (if anything happen still can find wheels.)
Facebook have owner group, you can go and ask owner.

I got the 120i (same year).

Loving it lol. if the 40 horses and 30 additional torque didn't make a difference i would've gotten the 118i. but great handling needs to match the power .

about the 120i ride being harsher than 118i, i call that loads of bull. My friend bought his 118i brand new last year during the tax break, the ride is equally as harsh, if not even harsher due to it being new. after a while according to him only it started getting better.

If you can't stand the harsh ride, stay away from the F20 m sports. the suspension are not adaptive ones like the 3 series equivalent. they are harsh. find the sport version. the ride should be less harsh than the msport.

Ppl will say that you can get the same power by race chipping the 118i, but at the expense of potentially voiding the warranty, something i would like to avoid while the car is still under warranty

If you don't really care about horsepower, just get the 118i. But if you're getting 118i, why not try and see if you can find a 2018 model since that's the LCI2 version (most notable change is the instrument cluster and updated idrive)

And yes, like others are saying, the bloody rear tires, 245/35/r18 is a pain since not many shops selling (in fact i'm still looking). SC will screw you over with their price.

This post has been edited by axtray: Apr 29 2019, 06:25 PM

all BMW models from 2015 onwards are automatically under 5 years warranty and 5 years free service (up to 100k KM iirc). The year before that you can buy it as extended warranty to increase from 2 years to 5 years.

I got the 120i MSport 2016, no regret getting this over 118i MSport, simply because I need the extra HP/torque, if you don't need it, then 118i is sufficient.

Change the tires to Michelin then improve a lot, the harsh ride also due to the RFT tires. But I appreciate the hardness of the MS suspension, hot hatch supposed to be this way, and FYI, even my GLA also very harsh.

The tires that you change to, did you retain the original setup

225/40/r18 front and
245/35/r18 rear?

If yes, can you share me where do you change them? i'm having difficulty finding the rear setup at the moment.

The rear we normally change to 255/35/18 or 245/40/18

Won’t go back to the stock setup.

Hi there, i've just recently spark a similar interest to the F20 120i and got my eyes on a 2016 Pre own unit.

i'm going to test drive it one day and see how it feels.

Still have 2016 pre-owned unit available at authorized dealer?

Grab it while you can, it's a nice car.

Certified Pre Own sir. Apparently still got ppl trading in.

So the Certified Pre Own dealers are refurbishing them and reselling them. 2-3 years old, less than 60k on the meter.

and with balance warranty intact too.

This post has been edited by ChancellorBean: May 5 2019, 12:05 AM

Sorry for lack of reply. Appreciate all the comments here.

I went to AB Glenmarie on Labour Day to check out. All pre-own and pre-reg units are sold off. No unit test drive to try also. Apprently they stopped production somewhere 2017/2018 for the F20.

For me I would love the 120i but if it comes with the trade of because it's higher mileage and older car, I might go for the 118i newer and lower mileage one. Yeah, the LCI2 one is attractive but I don't see much in the market now.


This post has been edited by tifosi: May 5 2019, 02:20 PM

Would these sizes fit well like the stock sized 245/35/r18 tire? From my understanding the outer width of the tire is the function of the inner size [245 eg.] and the aspect ratio [35 eg.] and online calculators are giving me even weirder and harder to find tires lol.

One more thing, once changed to non RFT tires what sort of repair kit or solution would you recommend getting? Are pumps a must have?

What you talking bro...race chip just remove the controller and wires...macam OEM....BMW can probably spot if they see boost logs show its very high and suddenly not



That's a maybe if they got so much of time investigate instead of fix many cars

I did mention at the expense of "potentially" voiding the warranty. I know people who have them installed the SC didn't say anything during service.

Though I'm pretty sure they'll take their time to investigate if it involves catastrophic engine failure. But hey, if it's your car, just touchwood and go for it.