So I recently got car serviced and was given a 123d auto loaner. It had the M Sport pack. Thought I'd give it a quick review.
Pros- once turbos are spooled it pulls hard
- rolling acceleration is good
- people move out of your way.....they think a truck is coming
- steering is lighter than 135i
- didn't scrape as easily as a 135i
Cons- even once turbos are spooled a 135i pulls harder
- rolling acceleration still doesn't match 135i
- fuel economy was not that great. I averaged 9.8l/100km in a 50km run that my 135i would have done in 13-14l/100km.
- doesn't sound sexy at all! Way too diesel. Merc does it much better
- Steering lacked feel
- brakes lacked feel
- felt more nervous around corners, but I have no clue what tyre pressures it had
- too slow off the line, particularly in D mode, but moving the DS made it sound like you were always reving the $h!t out of it
- lots more turbo lag than I expected, an definitely more than a 135i
- for what ever reason more boy racers kept trying to take me on...very weird. Just don't get that in the 135i - at least not with the frequency I managed in less than 10 hours.
Overall after so much hype, I was quite disappointed. Look it still is a good car and has heaps of power - more than most people will ever use - but it just didn't feel like a polished BMW. The engine seemed out of place, and the few other details (steering and brakes) kept me wondering why. I'd prefer to ring the neck of my old 120i than keep a 123d. Don't mean to offend, but the second I jumped back into my 135i, the difference in feel and response in even ordinary driving was pretty obvious.