2008 BMW 135i: Everything but the radio

The 'Professional' marking refers to the difference between this and the 'standard' radio in Europe I believe.

"Wonder what the amateur version sounds like..."

Our long-term Mini Cooper's

I'm raising the b.s. flag on #3, sorry Albert. :) I don't feel it's that unintuitive, and it's most definitely in the manual (which every owner should read, or at least have access to). Now if it's not in the manual, that's a pretty big omission, but still something that could be easily figured out.

I'm really disappointed with BMW interiors in general...they have a lot of ergonomic foibles in them, particularly the recent ones, and materials quality does not feel great to me everywhere. Most egregiously though, I don't think there's a single BMW interior that LOOKS good anymore, from a design point of view. They all lack cohesiveness or any sort of design sense. It's not just that they're cold (which they are, but cold can be cool), they just lack any apparent effort.

Bullcrap to this review!
In my opinion this radio sounds great. Certainly so for a standard radio from any manufacturer. I am glad that I didn't pay more money for the premium stereo, this one is that good. There may be those reading this thinking "Well, this guy must have poor taste in audio...". Not so. I have a real appreciation and enjoyment from fine audio. The controls are a little complex, but reading the manual will give you the confidence you need to do any function the radio was designed to do with speed and ease. And what's with criticizing the buttons with the dash marks? The numbers the reviewer is looking for are displayed on (get this...) THE DISPLAY. Finally, I love the minimalist design of BMW interiors and it is one of the reasons I am willing to spend hard-earned money on a 135i. This car is a dead serious great drive! I'll allow that all is not perfect and join in the criticism over iPod interfacing. The optional iPod connection should be standard equipment in this car as too Bluetooth.

"Wonder what the amateur version sounds like..."

You probably don't actually want to know.

Don'teven get me started on how the button that looks like a clock isn't for time... My mom's Z4 didn't have an owners manual and we did have trouble with that among other things like the minimalist cupholder designs that the 1-7 series including xmodels all use that come out of the dash! Ooo and how difficult it was for her (not me) to also do the manual radio tuning, clock settings again, and the whole TPMS thing she still doesn't understand how to reset...

OTOH, bmw's pushbutton start could also use some tweaking... It should be as simple as the ones on the base Nissan Altima! In press brake, press start, go. I believe leaving the key in the dash is bogus.

-Cj

"2. Appearance. It's looks really cheap: the faceplate design and especially those reconfigurable switches with the (-) markings. BMW couldn't put numbers there instead? Unfortunately, this is an industry trend."

The reason the (-) are not numbers is because each button lines up and corresponds with an item on the above display. In the photo, it currently shows 1,2,3,4,5,6,AM,FM, etc. That display can change, meaning the (-) buttons have different uses. If the buttons were labeled, it would limit the function of the unit.

My R56 MINI has the same arrangement and I'll admit it was awkward at first, but I love it now. Its easy to use (once you learn it) and it confuses my passengers so they keep their hands well away from the stereo. I hate people adjusting the stereo while i'm driving. And oh yah, to back up jriz, the base stereo in the MINI is really not good. I regret not getting an upgrade.

BMW simply does not make user friendly interiors and I'm glad someone has finally pointed this out. What's with the tiny two line display? Where's the OFF button on the climate control? You mean to tell me I have to keep pressing the small fan speed button until it reaches zero? BMWs may drive great but in every other aspect they are par or below. Take a look at the IS interior to see how it should be done. The previous Acura TL had the most user friendly premium make interior I've ever experienced- unfortunately since they are hell bent on copying BMW- the new one's cockpit is just as bad.

Listening to books on CD, the radio sounds great. Music is for dummies.

Back to being serious, take a listen to the new Hi-Fi Professional sound system in the F01/02 7-series. You will never pay attention to driving again :)

I can't believe that nobody has said:

Screw the radio, listen to the engine note!

Yeah, BMW can't do nothing wrong...

Yeah, BMWs are certainly not easy at first glance. When I first got my '99 M3, I had to listen to the included cassette tape (*cough*) that went over how to use the features. Of course, now my current and other BMW controls seem to make sense without a manual. iDrive is a whole different ball of wax though. I hate how the new 3 and 1 (others?) have displays that disappear with polarized sunglasses. The screen seems to be tilted 90 degrees from older models like my E46 (no problem there) and there are some ghetto-like fixes on the forums for it. Also note that the A/C display has no issues, just the radio.

felonious -
Read the owners manual (RTFM)? To learn how to manually tune the radio? Good one! I thought for a moment that you were being Serious.

Regards,
Snake Doc

I am glad this was noted. Tha head unit looks like something that should be in a $20k ford, not a BMW. Its amazing what passes for "premium" when its in a GErman car. That doesnt look like the interior of a $50k car to me. Yes, I know the car doesnt start at that figure but it can reach it with options. The fonts look like something from the late 80s. The color doesnt help though.

"By clarkma5 on December 3, 2008 5:30 PM
I'm really disappointed with BMW interiors in general...they have a lot of ergonomic foibles in them, particularly the recent ones, and materials quality does not feel great to me everywhere. Most egregiously though, I don't think there's a single BMW interior that LOOKS good anymore, from a design point of view. They all lack cohesiveness or any sort of design sense. It's not just that they're cold (which they are, but cold can be cool), they just lack any apparent effort."

I agree completely, clarkma5. I'm totally perplexed when people rave about the high quality and design of BMW interiors. I just don't see it at all. I sat in the new M3, and I was very disappointed in the interior. My first impression was "cheap and boring", followed by " this does NOT look like the interior of a $55k+ car." About the only things I liked in the interior were the seats, steering wheel, and shifter. I think the old E46 M3 interior was better.

I rode in my boss' new 5-series, and it was only slightly better than the 3-series interior, and still not up to par for it's price. I kept thinking of how much nicer the new CTS' interior is.

imo the bmws don't always have the nicest shapes and forms to look at but the materials are quit nice. i think the lexus IS and the cadillac CTS have cleaner, more cohesive designs, but the materials i don't think are any better. the lexus IS has a center stack surrounded by silver painted plastic, many switches directly pulled from a toyota, a white/blue gauge cluster combined with green dash lighting and the plastic on the dash is harder than that of the bmw. the cadillac has the same nasty plastic chrome surrounds as a rental pontiac.

all this talk of the IS dash...I think the IS is hideous inside. I love the car outside, but the interior is a mess.

Agreed with the negative comments about recent BMW interiors. I'd classify the E90 3-Series as "does the job but nothing special." The new C-Class photographs poorly, but was impressive in person. And the C-Class's audio system...wow. Even the base system was mind-blowingly good. Best I've never heard.

Of course, it didn't drive *nearly* as well as the 3-Series did. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too.

"the cadillac has the same nasty plastic chrome surrounds as a rental pontiac. "

You may not like chrome, but the chrome trim in the CTS is not shared with any pontiac, rental or otherwise.

"the cadillac CTS have cleaner, more cohesive designs, but the materials i don't think are any better."

Did you not notice the french stitching on the dash panel, door trim, seats, and center console (not on BMW)? Did you not see the African Sapele wood trim? Maybe you're not familiar, but Sapele is an extremely nice, exotic wood, and BMW doesn't even offer it. I guess you didn't notice the superior leather quality either?

How about this: what specific component on the CTS did you find cheaper than the BMW, besides the chrome trim which you already established you didn't like (personal preference)?

Even if the materials in the CTS arent better the interior design is clearly more interesting than anything being peddled by BMW these days. BMWs have a very spartan, somewhat dated look inside. That shot of the 1 series is a perfect example of that.

I didnt find any surface inside the CTS that seemed to be noticeable cheaper than what's found in a BMW. Everything feels sturdy and everything that should be soft is indeed soft.

@ 454-

Come on, dude! Can you TRY to be objective? You hype the CTS' OPTIONAL wood trim, saying BMW doesn't offer it. Why do you ignore the fact that the CTS offers only ONE OPTIONAL trim, while the BMW 1-Series offers 5 NO COST trim choices: two real wood, two real aluminum and one high gloss plastic.

stringray454, i didn't mean to say that the cadillac uses cheap materials throughout. i do like the stitching and the leather. and yes, i really don't like the shiny chrome trim that's all over the gauge cluster and the clock/dials. similar shiny plastic chrome is used in most of GM's new cars, toyotas (e.g. matrix) and other lower-end cars. i just wanted to say that bmw does not use cheap materials throughout.