The F20 1 Series was the last rear-wheel drive BMW hatchback ever built.
The base 118i used the N13B16.
A 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder co-developed with PSA Peugeot-Citroën under the Prince engine project. 170 PS.
250 Nm.
Rear-wheel drive with fabric seats standard.
No parking sensors, no rear camera in base specification.
The N13 came with a documented timing chain problem that BMW never formally acknowledged in European markets.
The chain, guides, and tensioners were poorly designed, in an interference engine, a slipped or snapped chain means catastrophic engine failure. BMW issued revised parts for related engines in the N47 family but did not extend the same acknowledgement to the N13.
Failures before 80,000 km were documented.
A rattle on cold start is the warning sign.
After the 2015 LCI facelift the N13 was replaced by the B38, a 1.5L three-cylinder producing 136 PS.
More reliable with more character as it sounds closer to a 6 cylinder like the M140i, but in a cheaper 118i.
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