KEY POINTS:
Efficient dynamics is the latest catchphrase from BMW's global marketing bods. You see it on billboards, across magazine spreads and even stuck on the back window of the marque's more recent offerings in New Zealand.
It's supposed to suggest that the German maker combines relative thrift with the driving excitement for which it's always been known.
I must admit I find it a little hard to swallow when it comes to the brand's high-performance models.
Floor an M3 (aren't you supposed to?) and that V8 is going to run the tank dry in double-quick time, no matter how much "efficient" techno- logy is employed.
In a car such as the 123d coupe, though, the term really takes on meaning. The 1-series has what is unquestionably the best steering of any BMW; it is a brilliant driver's car thanks to a beautifully balanced rear-drive chassis.
The 123d has a twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine that can return 5.9 litres per 100km in the European Combined cycle, yet has masses of torque and will propel the retro-look two-door to 100km/h in 7.0 seconds.
Okay - drive it hard and you won't get that. But sprint from A to B, enjoy the surge of that diesel powerplant as much as you like and generally behave quite badly like I did, and you'll still struggle to push it over 9.0 litres per 100km. For a car of this performance potential, that's quite staggering.
The $65,000 123d coupe automatic (the manual is $3000 cheaper but seldom sold here) is either very cheap for a proper sports coupe, or quite expensive for a small car with prestige pretensions.
Given the wonderful driving experience it offers, I'd tend to argue for the former, although the M Sport specification (body kit, stiffer suspension, extra equipment) fitted to our test car was harder to rationalise, since it took the price to $70,500.
Whether the extra kit actually makes it a better drive is open to debate, since I've not yet driven a standard 123d on the softer suspension.
For sure, the M Sport is a stunning thing around the corners, but that's got more to do with sophisticated engineering than stiffness, so I suspect the same would be true of the standard car. What did annoy with our 123d was a sense of lateral nervousness on bumpy bitumen, which I think could be put down to the harder set-up.
No matter. I was far too busy enjoying myself to worry about the subtleties of ride control.
What a neat little car. I've never liked the looks or poor cabin packaging of the 1-series hatchback, but the coupe - a design tip-of-the-hat to the 2002 from the 1960s - looks superb, and since it's a coupe, you don't expect adult-standard rear accommodation (nor do you get it).
Some aspects of the specification are roll-your-eyes typical.
This really is a premium-price car, but you still have to pay extra for this year's necessities such as a six-disc CD changer ($995), proper iPod interface ($745) or Bluetooth cellphone preparation ($1550). Even cruise control is $635 extra. Yes, really. Still, that's detail rather than the big picture.
The 123d gets about as close as you can to no-compromise sustainable sports car motoring.
I love the retro looks (I accept some don't), I can't get enough of the chassis and I also felt pretty smug knowing that the fuel consumption/fun ratio was really out of whack.
Want one.
