Get yours mapped and you'll be running the same sort of torque if not more plus a lot more bhp. I owned a 118d (143bhp) previously before purchasing my 1.8tfsi and mpg wise I averaged 38-42 around town, went down to the teens when giving it some, but on a long journey 60mpg is achievable with sitting at 70mpg. My 1.8 does 35-37 around town and can do 55mpg on a run, so they aren't that great on fuel. For people that think from a standing start you would beat him easily, their wrong, I could easily achieve 0-60 times around 8.5secs in my 118d, therefore a 120d with 177bhp would easily be able to achieve 0-60 in around 7-7.5 secs. In the wet it is a completely different story. The BMW diesels are great engines, but I hope your friend has either BMW warranty or deep pockets because the 2.0 Diesel engine has a very poorly designed crank and costs around 5k upwards to repair and with BMW not been prepared to pay out, it's very costly. This is such a massive issue thousands have had the problem and it was even on watch dog, this is one of the reasons I sold mine and the fact winter is coming but they do drive better than an A3.