In today's day and age, urban traffic congestion is an inescapable problem. While earlier, there were some brief instances of relief to be found, it's a rarity today. Sometimes, however, a window opens up briefly. Much like the parting of the clouds, there are moments of sunshine before the traffic closes in again. As luck would have it, we are currently experiencing one such break. The freshly paved and elevated back roads that lead out of Mumbai are miraculously traffic-free this morning and we are determined to make the most of it. Time to play.
Power, performance and pace
I select Sport via the toggle switch on the centre console of the BMW and push the gear selector over to the left into manual. Sharper throttle responses, more revs in each gear and better control over the gearbox are the gains in this case. There are no paddles, so it’s pull back the gear lever for an upshift and push forward for downshift: the reverse of what is normally the case on other cars. BMW claims it’s more natural to push forward for a downshift when you are braking. It takes a bit of getting used to, but soon I’m using all the performance on offer.
Much to my surprise, there is quite a bit here. The 116i’s 1598cc and 134bhp may not seem like much on paper, but there’s a turbocharger and direct injection for more torque, and you get an eight-speed gearbox too. The 1-series takes off with plenty of urgency, even when I give it a casual dab of the right foot, all the 22.4kgm of torque making its presence felt.
Performance ramps up even more aggressively when I squeeze down harder. There’s a lightness and zing to the engine that makes it plenty of fun, and the motor’s willingness to rev hard makes all the difference too. In Sport mode, it also pulls cleanly to 6500rpm with a kick in performance towards the end, which I find particularly pleasing. You can even hear a nice snarl from the engine and the pops of the wastegate from under the bonnet as all the excess energy of the turbo is released. Cycling through all the eight gears, with the tachometer flicking back and forth, also immerses me in the driving experience, the BMW even feeling quick on wide, open stretches. Of little surprise then is the impressively rapid 0-100 time of just 8.8 seconds.
The Mercedes A-class actually ‘feels’ more sporty when I climb in behind the wheel. You sit lower down in this car, and the AMG steering, paddle shifts and snug one-piece ‘Porsche-type’ seats feel really special. I select S for Sport on the central console and the A-class responds pretty nicely to a dab on the throttle. In isolation, it feels peppy enough. But the throttle responses aren’t as positive as on the BMW and I notice that the mid-range on the Merc motor isn’t as strong or as responsive either. The Mercedes’ motor also feels a lot more strained and vocal, which is a bit of a shock; it is a Merc, after all. The seven-speed twin clutch box, however, is reasonably quick to respond when you intervene via the paddles and this makes it easier to access all the limited performance. This motor, like the BMW, also displaces 1.6 litres and uses a turbo and direct injection, but it doesn’t spin as hard, as fast or as freely as the BMW. It pulls till only 6100rpm in comparison and, at 122bhp, also makes less power. There’s considerable bite in the top end of the engine though, and it feels pretty quick when you make good use of the gearbox; which, of course, makes it fun to drive hard. And its 0-100 time of 9.7 seconds isn’t off by too much either. We did however experience some unexpected knocking at part throttle from the engine, especially in the high gears.
