In reply to Hillseeker:
I had a 5 door 116i a few years ago and really liked it, only reason I sold it was I needed a much larger vehicle.
The drive is excellent with almost all journeys being a fun experience, especially any involving twisty roads where the handling really shines.
The ride could feel harsh, depends on what you're used too. I found it fine, but now I have a very soft Volvo and my partner has a 1 Series, I start to feel the harshness in the Beemer.
Reliability was good and is good in the current 116i my partner has, and this is a 10 year old example. Servicing is pricy but not much different to our local VW dealer and the customer service at BMW is far far better.
The ambient lighting makes night time driving really nice too, that pinprick of light makes such a difference.
They have a proper handbrake, which I think for most is quite a bonus.