2008 BMW 135i: Lighting Up the Corners

Adaptive headlights are a good call, but the lack of the the vanity lighting is alarming. It may seem like a small item, but I think it would bug me.

ekimfeenux,
The heated seats aren't so much for keeping warm as they are for providing comfort for achy backs. I even want to get one of those heated seat pads for my office chair!

dougtheeng,
Yes!

Its not a luxury item, that's why. It's not "the ultimate driving machine during the daytime" so I'm sure that was included for that purpose. It doesn't matter if you have blinding HID's if you're driving a canyon road because it doesn't really light the way ahead, and that is why these swiveling lights are a driving tool.

ekimfeenux,

It really depends on where you have lived your life for if you want heated seats or not. I grew up in Baltimore where heated seats are quite necessary, now I live in Southern California and use them in 75 Degrees Weather. It just feels good.

huyracing,
I clarified that it's luxurious "to me." And btw cruise control is standard, too. I just think it's funny that they have that and the cornering lights but no light for the mirror.

I agree, the heated seats are great for sore backs.

But what do you expect for a car where the base model ($37,000) comes with vinyl seats? Maybe that is a vegan thing.

Just to clarify, the cornering lights are IN ADDITION to the adaptive swiveling bi-xenon headlights.

The cornering light is the inner headlight. The outer xenon headlight now handles flash-to-pass, high and low beams (via a moving shield), and DRLs are the angel eyes. The cornering light has a reflector that directs the light to the side, and it turns on when the steering wheel is turned sharply to provide curb/corner illumination. Both of the cornering lights come on when the vehicle is in reverse.

I'm not a vegan, but I'd rather have vinyl/leatherette than regular old leather. Why have so many cows around (which are a significant source of polution) to furnish my car's interior when the fake stuff wears better, feels remarkably similar and is easier to clean? I recently drove around in a Benz GLK350 for a week before realizing it had MB-Tex and not leather.

I've heard the leatherette is a bit more butt-sweat inducing, but throw in some seat coolers and you've got that fixed. I'd rather have the heat-reflective leather with a convertible, but I wonder if the same process could be applied to the leatherette.

I for one like it when leather isn't standard. Cloth or vinyl for me.

"Why have so many cows around (which are a significant source of polution) to furnish my car's interior when the fake stuff wears better, feels remarkably similar and is easier to clean?"

I'd just eat a bag of jerky or a burger every time I drive, that way it isn't just for the leather that the cows are around. Great, now I'm craving an in-n-out burger....

Fwiw, the Xenon Adaptive Headlights aren't standard on the BMW 128i ($900 option), which means many people would still have to pony up a decent amount of money to have this standard feature.

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Vehicles/2009/1/128iCoupe/Features_and_Specs/128iCoupePkgsandOptions.aspx

I meant "standard" in quotes at the end above.

We miss you, Edit function.

Seat warmers in LA? Puh-leaze. The cornering and adaptive headlights are awesome in low to mid-speed bends.

That's funny I swear I've seen cornering headlights on a car before... Oh that's right the 1948 Tucker Torpedo had them before the Big 3 put Tucker out of business because his innovations would cost them millions to compete. Regardless, I love this feature on BMWs and wish it was standard on more vehicles

"I was just surprised that it had this feature, which seems luxurious to me, considering our $37,145 coupe does not come with seat heaters or even a little light that turns on when you flip open the visor mirror."

I'm sorry.. did you say $37,000 dollars and you don't get visor mirrors that light up?! You're kidding, right? That is absoloutely awful. Did BMW think that nobody would notice, or what? I agree with dougtheeng that it would bug me the whole time I owned the car. (not that I would would a 1 over a 3, but that's another can of worms..)

Just another way to show how BMW rips you off:

My Sisters Car:
2008 BMW 528i
Sticker: $48,500
Floor Mats: $140

THEY CHARGE YOU FOR FLOOR-MATS IN A $50,000 CAR!

Buy an Audi....

adavis2493,

I'm up in Seattle and personally it just slightly irritates me to see complaints about the lack of heated seats for a car driven in that area when Santa Monica gets how many sunny days a year?

Yes for a car this expensive they should be expected as standard, but it's gotten to where yes the point has been made numerous times; let's drop it already.

Two things I loved in my 330i e90:

Comfort access
swivel headlights

They both are fantastic.

"Two things I loved in my 330i e90:

Comfort access
swivel headlights

They both are fantastic"

I had a 335i droptop press loaner equipped with comfort access for nearly three weeks. It took me almost a week to re-adjust to unlocking my E36 with the key fob.

Roadburner,

I only had my e90 for a year but in that time it's so easy to get spoiled with comfort access.

My sister's 07 328 has CA and she loaned the car to my parents during their last visit. That was comedy at its finest... seems the concept was a little much for people in their 60s to grasp. Their six year old grand daughter had to keep showing them how to lock the doors.

blueguydotcom,
It's one of those options I would never have considered ordering until I lived with it. My wife's X3 has the Bi-Xenon adaptive lights and they spoil you as well. The Mazdaspeed only has fixed Xenon low beams, although the new Mazda 3 has Bi-Xenons and Mazdas version of adaptive lighting. That said, it's not enough to make me want to try another Mazda...