While the performance of the 120i is baldly impressive for a car of its specification, it’s not half as impressive as the performance of other cars with the rather higher specification that the same or less money can buy.
The 2.0-litre motor is adequately smooth and commendably linear in its power delivery, given its high specific output, and will rev past 7000rpm with enthusiasm rather than complaint.
Like every other 1-series convertible, it comes as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox with expertly chosen ratios – quite short and close to match the characteristics of the engine. Hook all these elements together and it doesn’t exactly rip off the line, but a 0-60mph time of 9.0sec is just within the bounds of respectability and its 137mph top speed somewhat more so.
But this motor is nevertheless one that requires work. If you leave it in top gear, routine tasks like accelerating from 50-70mph take an age (13.2sec, to be precise), while the superior torque of, say, the turbo motor fitted to the Eos allows it to dispatch the same measure fully four seconds quicker.
The measures taken to counteract the inherent weakness of the convertible layout have added considerably to the weight of the 1-series, but it’s an impedance felt more in a straight line than through the bends, for the 120i maintains a near 50/50 distribution and is, for the most part, an extremely tidy handler.
The suspension is surprisingly soft, but this actually provides good traction out of slow corners and suppleness over undulations. Only if you drive with a conviction that, frankly, is unlikely to visit many typical 120i drivers can you feel the chassis start to porpoise and corkscrew a little as its damping struggles to contain the body’s desire to pitch and roll.
The rest of the time it rides remarkably well. Scuttle shake is absent on all but the worst surfaces, and small imperfections are absorbed as if they weren’t there.