Guess not many people are interested in ex-pats with their foreign cars. Understandable. But can't help that unfortunately.
I promised a review so here it is with some close-ups.
The ride is not exactly comfortable, it is slightly stiff but that's expected from BMWs which are generally sportier than other german manufacturers. Rear visibility is atrocious, can barely see anything behind even with no pax.
Servotronic steering is brilliant, light but not too light and it does good job of transferring the road feeling through.
Auto stop start kinda freaks me out a bit, not sure if I'm saving enough fuel here to warrant potentially premature failure of battery/starter motor or God forbid the engine itself.
The engine is solid. My biggest complaint with 116d was that the engine felt like a marshmallow until turbo kicked in. In this 118d the turbo lag is still there but is not as pronounced as 116d .. the power is readily available when you need it. The torque is fantastic .. mrs. has to constantly remind me to take it easy on traffic lights
The auto transmission I still believe was a correct decisions. I cannot say that the gear selection has been spot on at all times as there is a definitely a lag when you are cruising at 30 and want to accelerate quickly. I don't have much experience of cars so maybe that's how all autos are but that's what I felt like.
Will I keep this car? Yes. At least for another 2-3 years and then plan to stick with BMW and hopefully upgrade to a 3 or a 5 series.
I wish Pakistan would allow these foreign car makers to establish themselves as I firmly believe that this car will be a winner back home.