It was a quiet weekend for our long-term 2008 BMW 135i, which is waiting for new tires following last week's visit to Willow Springs. Still, I put on another couple hundred miles running around Los Angeles.
Our 1 Series coupe averaged 24 mpg, which is twice what it got on the track. A check of the fuel log revealed that my 307-mile tank is actually the longest we've ever driven the car before fueling up. The car's previous best was 306 miles, and that tank netted its best ever mpg reading -- 25 mpg. Not exactly frugal, but then, this is a 3,400-lb car rated for 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque.
Also, as you can tell, I used the driver-side door bin. I'd never had much use for its funky three-slot design previously, but when I found myself traveling with 3 CDs and a snack, the compartmentalization proved useful. None of the slots will fit my sunglasses case, though, nor will the cupholders in the console. Whatever. For more detailed analysis on 1 Series storage, see Brent's earlier entry.
The thing is, you don't really worry about storage bins when you're driving a BMW 135i coupe. There's a whole backseat for sunglasses cases, jackets, caps and random pieces of paper. It's not like you'll be putting people back there because it's too cramped and they'd just get carsick anyway.
And that's fine with me. I'm still riding high after my track outing in the 1 Series. I love the twin-turbo six's torque band, I love the driving position, and the ride/handling compromise is tough to beat. I still don't like the look of our 135i's squooshy leatherette front seats, but never once were they actually uncomfortable. The only thing I could really complain about is that the coupe's frameless windows aren't great at sealing out wind noise. Mostly, though, it was a good weekend.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 16,575 miles
huyracing says:
01:53 PM, 01/20/09
frameless windows? ugh, i hate that...
adrean8j says:
02:12 PM, 01/20/09
Yeah I own a 135i and the frameless windows are one of my teeny-tiny pet peeves.
jederino says:
03:07 PM, 01/20/09
Do frameless windows hark back to the days of real hardtops that did without a B pillar? I like the look, but all cars have the mandatory B pillar, anyway. Framelss windows seem to contribute to rattles and heavy doors, as well. They seem a tad unfinished.
jkp1187 says:
03:51 PM, 01/20/09
Erin,
Just curious -- was it mostly city or highway driving you were doing that rated that 24 MPG figure?
benson2175 says:
04:02 PM, 01/20/09
Frameless windows can really suck. My Legend Coupe had frameless Windows and they could easily be pried open by bums who wanted to break into the car. It happened so often that the window didn't seal properly and at 120kph would whistle something awful. I hate thieves.
eriches says:
04:18 PM, 01/20/09
jkp: This tank was probably 70-80 percent highway. Had it been 100 percent highway at a 75-80 pace, I'd hope to see 26 mpg.
jkp1187 says:
04:37 PM, 01/20/09
So 24 MPG doing 75-80MPH? Those EPA numbers (25 MPG hwy) sound pretty low. Doesn't sound like there's much of a difference between the 135i and 128i when it comes to fuel economy.
MS3lvr92 says:
04:53 PM, 01/20/09
Do you know what kind of tires the 1 is getting? Is it another set of those OEM Bridgestones?
eriches says:
05:58 PM, 01/20/09
Yes, it'll be another set of Bridgestone RE050A RFTs -- for cars we purchase new, the idea is to keep them completely stock for the first 12 months.
bimmerjay says:
07:28 PM, 01/20/09
"Frameless windows can really suck. My Legend Coupe had frameless Windows and they could easily be pried open by bums who wanted to break into the car. It happened so often that the window didn't seal properly and at 120kph would whistle something awful. I hate thieves."
benson, the 135i (and all frameless bimmers for that matter) drops the window a half inch when you open the door, and snugs it up when you close it. It closes nice and tight.
I'm surprised Erin mentioned the wind noise. I had a 3-Series sedan with conventional framed windows and didn't notice any added noise with my 3 coupe's frameless glass.
blueguydotcom says:
09:50 PM, 01/20/09
CDs? Hello 1999, Prince is calling and he wants you to leave your raspberry beret in the trunk.
Frameless windows on BMW products are atrocious. They break, they don't always seal and they serve no purpose. My Cooper has BMW's idiotic frameless window design - most days I just ignore the whistle coming from the window. I'm waiting for them to break (as was the case with so many friends' e46s and e36s).
They so need to sell the 1 hatch here. I need a 4 door and darnit I don't want to settle for an e90 again. :(
dougtheeng says:
06:46 AM, 01/21/09
I like my MINI's frameless windows in the summer, but I hate them in the winter. I've already burned through one window motor....
carfreak8394 says:
01:25 PM, 01/21/09
I hate frameless windows with a passion. My dad's Mustang has them, and every time I go to shut the door, I grab the window (which obviously has no frame) and get fingerprints all over the corner of the window. I know it's a nitpick, but I find it irksome. Also, the Mustang has the same design as the BMW's in that the window goes down a half-inch when you open the door, then seals when you shut it. It's a nice idea.
eriches says:
03:33 PM, 01/21/09
"CDs? Hello 1999, Prince is calling and he wants you to leave your raspberry beret in the trunk."
Hello, blueguy, I hate the sound quality of my iPod plugged into the aux jack. Unless there's a USB, I kick it old-school.
rubley says:
09:16 PM, 01/26/09
My 306 HP IS350 turned in a best of 31.8 MPG (3/4 of a tank, 60-65 MPH) with a modified intake/performance exhaust. I averaged 30 MPG over 3 tanks on a 1,000 mile trip. 25 MPG is not impressive at all.