I noticed this little detail on our 135i over the weekend. Kinda cool. A nice addition on the first model year of a car this unique.
What's more, our 135i has recorded an even 19.0 miles per gallon since Ed Hellwig's last post on the subject at 3,837 miles. This is a significant decrease in fuel economy, but is probably more realistic than the 20.2 mpg the car had earned up to that point.
Anyhow, this little Bavarian rocket truly is special. I drove it over Angeles Crest Highway one night last week and was able to appreciate its abilities on many levels. A few observations: 1) It has excellent headlights. Never once did I wish for more reach or coverage. With the high beams on I could comfortably see far enough to keep up with my rapid pace. 2) The handling difference between this car and a 335i is significant enough to matter. If you're considering the 1 and don't need the 3's additional space, don't bother spending the money. 3) The looks are growing on me. I'll never love the details, but the proportions are right.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor @ 5,307 miles.
shadrach2 says:
05:29 PM, 07/ 7/08
Are those the standard headlights or xenons?
kevlang says:
06:23 PM, 07/ 7/08
yeah, nice detail, except it's not true! maybe if it said "Year One of the 1 in the U.S."
I guess "Year Four of the 1" doesn't have the same ring to it.
desmolicious says:
06:24 PM, 07/ 7/08
Do the headlights turn with the steering the way they do on the 3 series? I love that feature on my 3.
Killer headlights. Scarey thing about running hard on the Crest at night is dealing with all the wild animals that come out. Not fun to hit a deer.
carfreak8394 says:
07:47 PM, 07/ 7/08
On the BMW website (http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Vehicles/2008/1/135iCoupe/Features_and_Specs/Default.aspx), it says the 135i has Adaptive xenon headlights. Is this correct ?
dragonflight says:
08:03 PM, 07/ 7/08
19 is atrocious! Close friend of mine has a leased 335xi, beats the crap out of it (we're talking redline launches nearly all the time) and still gets 20mpg. This is in urban Illinois/Indiana traffic.
Is SoCal that much worse?
carlisimo says:
08:56 PM, 07/ 7/08
We do have a lot of gas stations here that have E10 - that reduces mileage a bit. But 20mpg for that level of horsepower sounds right to me.
stovt001 says:
09:56 PM, 07/ 7/08
Great LT post. Covers the fun and practical matters that concern enthusiasts with real ownership.
bimmerjay says:
09:20 AM, 07/ 8/08
To answer the headlight question, bi-xenon 4-way adaptive headlights are standard on the 135i and optional on the 128i.