2008 BMW 135i: Don't Impugn My Love You Lobster-Eater

I don't know about the ride... I wouldn't call it athletic as much as I'd call it kind of half-baked. It rides somewhere between an Aveo and a Cobalt, and the shifter is about as precise. I mean, c'mon, driven a good manual lately?

And the steering? Kinda numb. Everyone I know bought it for the 'small dimensions,' but it's too fat to be a real sports car- too clumsy as well. You're left with a mediocre sounding engine that provides thrust but not aural pleasure (I mentioned earlier about the GRRR-whirrr), as it sounds about as precise as the interior is assembled.

Icing on the cake: the seats stink.

@ mikeolan : Ouch, do you have a protein bar to go with that Haterade?

Okay, mikeolan, have any suggestions for a similar priced, similar performing, similar quality car that you think doesn't suck?

135i is James' funny Valentine. it's looks are laughable. unphotographable. yet, it's his favorite work of art.

The Edmunds photographers have a way of catching the best angle of any car. This makes the awkward in-person appearance of the 1-series all the more disappointing. It's effeminate from the rear, confused from the front, and compressed from the sides. I'm not a particularly masculine guy, but I'd feel distinctly self-conscious in this car.

A limited slip differential and styling cues from the old M3 would make the 1-series an object of lust. Surely BMW knows this; the new M3 looks quite nice. I can only conclude that they went of out of their way to make this car ugly for the sake of brand stratification. Even the homely 3-series isn't this bad.

The power seats in the 1 are *less* adjustable than the manuals simply because they offer far fewer seating characteristics to toggle. The power seats in the 1 are *more* adjustable than the manuals because they are not stuck with detents like the manual. The minor detent-free luxuries of the power seats are quickly overlooked by anyone who gets to bask in the 410-point adjustable manual seats. That is, of course, until you let someone else drive it (valet!) and your seat is left in some of contorted mess and it takes days for you to find that golden spot you had previously.

With regards to the engine vocals... Yes, if you drive around all day with your windows up and NPR blasting, yeah, the N54 is not as rewarding as the M3's chainsaw. If, however, you drive with your windows down on occasion (or every day in sunny Southern California) and drive the car like it was meant to be driven (read: you've got 300/300 under the hood -- drive it like you mean it. Break 3500rpm every once in a while! Downshift because it sounds and feels good! Keep those shifts tight and watch the back end try and sneak out on you!) it'll sing you a pleasant melody that will bring a smile to your face.

@Redwoodaggie

No, but I have some suggestions for a lower priced, better performing, higher quality car, chief amongst them would be the Nissan 370z, although you'll have to forego iDrive for a rev-matching transmission, which won't impress your tennis buddies.

If you're looking for a more pragmatic approach, you could always shell out $25k for a Subaru WRX (2009) , which somehow manages to be faster, have all wheel drive, -and- weigh less than the 135i. The interior isn't nearly as nice as the 370z's, which puts it about at the same range as the BMW. No iDrive though.

@mikeolan:

WRX or WRX STI? Big price and performance difference. It doesn't appear that the Edmunds' comparator includes things like 0-60, 1/4m, etc, but this is a good start:

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmunds/VehicleComparison?styleid=101082656&styleid=101069338&maxvehicles=5&refid=&op=3&tab=specs

In Edmunds testing, the STI did beat the 135's 0-60 by just a hair (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=125217), but not in 1/4m. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other, I suppose.

Comparably equipped, the 135i is cheaper than the STI.

"No, but I have some suggestions for a lower priced, better performing, higher quality car, chief amongst them would be the Nissan 370z, although you'll have to forego iDrive for a rev-matching transmission, which won't impress your tennis buddies."

You'll also have to forego your eardrums and the sensitivity in your lower half. The 135 is smooth, quiet and-- unless you're a pro driver-- just as fast without being harsh.

Which is why I would take the Z.

-mike

@CaptainChaos - I'm referring to the WRX, not the STi. For 2009, the WRX is actually faster than the STi (don't ask me why).

@BoxerMike - the 135i is a little less firm and a lot less sporty. It's not a good tradeoff if you ask me, as despite the dumbing down of its suspension, it still thunks over the bumps with the finesse closer to a GM rental product than even a VW GTI.

@ mikeolan...we know you hate the 135. stop letting us know that through awful (i mean awful) exaggerations. its obviously not the car for you, so just ignore the long term posts with 135 in the title.

ps..the 2009 wrx gets a better 0-60 time than the 2008/2009 sti because it has smaller wheels with all season rubber. this allows for more wheel spin at the line and in turn a faster 0-60. now that being said, 0-60 is just a performance measurement, and it cannot be the only consideration for how fast the car is.

""No, but I have some suggestions for a lower priced, better performing, higher quality car, chief amongst them would be the Nissan 370z, although you'll have to forego iDrive for a rev-matching transmission, which won't impress your tennis buddies."

You'll also have to forego your eardrums and the sensitivity in your lower half. The 135 is smooth, quiet and-- unless you're a pro driver-- just as fast without being harsh.

Which is why I would take the Z."

Just you wait until the new RX-8 (or RX-7) comes out. =D

aris4, the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX comes with Dunlop SP Sport 01 summer tires standard. The 2008 WRX came with Bridgestone Potenza RE92A all-season tires. And the WRX doesn't have a better 0-60 mph time if you look at most publications. I'm led to believe C/D's times are suspect.

If you haven't read it already, there's an excellent article about the testing team's procedures here.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=130988

"You'll also have to forego your eardrums and the sensitivity in your lower half. The 135 is smooth, quiet and-- unless you're a pro driver-- just as fast without being harsh."

You'd also have to forgo a back seat and any semblance of luggage space. The 370Z is probably a closer competitor to the former BMW Z Coupe/new Z4 hardtop vert than the 1-Series.

... except for price of course. Damn lack of edit.

@ subytrojan. Thanks for the fix. i know testing done on 16 vs 17 inch wrxs a few years ago yielded better results from the 16 inch set up on exact cars, so i just carried it over. either way with smaller rubber, more wheel spin in an awd prevents bogging of the engine and leads to quicker 0-60...i agree that the times are suspect, and something else may be going on.

@Bimmerjay: the back seat in the 135i is vestigial. Cargo on the 370z isn't too bad, either.

I have to agree about the 370Z being a better option. With the S2000 going out of production, the Catfish (as I lovingly call it) is easily the 2nd best sports car for your money (after the Miata).

Funny how BMW hates will make up random things about a car they never drove, then compare it to cars about half the price, and still be able to keep a straight face.

"@Bimmerjay: the back seat in the 135i is vestigial. Cargo on the 370z isn't too bad, either."

It's still a backseat. It's about as much room as the E46 coupe. And the 370Z has decent cargo capacity if your cargo is short and malleable.

@1SpeedBike:

I've driven the 135i, the E46 M3, and the 370z.

On the contrary, I love how people try to defend this car.

I am a fan of the 135i. It is sweeter as a hatch in my opinion. It's still cool in my book regardless and it is on my shopping list for my next car in a few years.