2008 BMW 135i: I Can Sit Behind Myself!

Good post. At the recent Seattle autoshow, I tried a number of the coupes, and they were all surprisingly tight. I found little sacrifice in the 135 vs. the 335 coupes. The A5 was actually quite a bit worse. Conversely, the Mini Clubman had generous legroom! I hope the Camaro has reasonable rear accomodations.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The anti-STI".

Guy's sitting in the back seat with his head bent because of the roofline and his legs wrapped around the front seat and it's all a big thumbs up!

I love it - everybody's got wood for this car, (including me).

James, I do the exact same test on all of the cars I test drive. I want to make sure that I can actually sit in back if I need to. That being said, I am "only" 6'1" and can comfortably fit in the back of this car without headroom issues. Same goes for the 3 series coupe.

I concurr with you on the G37 coupe. That back seat is for kids only and they may have to sit cross legged for fear of getting their legs cut off.

I have problems even in the Audi A4 Sedan. The backseat is small and my knees alway hit the front seat.

I also hope the Camaro has good back seats. I really want to like that car.

Don't expect much from the Camaro's rear seats. I saw one at an auto show (rotating platform with the door open) and they are definitely 2+2ish.

And speaking of Audi *4... I have a hard time sitting behind myself in my 05 S4 Avant, and I'm 5'8"! :(

I consider my MINI a 2 seater. No one has ever sat in the seat behind the driver, ever.

First off I like coletrickle's comment, couldn't agree more (except for part about the 1 series giving me wood). Why is a coupe which would bash your head open on the rear windshield if rear-ended being considered a practical rear seat? Instead of comparing to little japanese sports cars, how does this rear seat compare to, say, an accord coupe, a mustang, or a challenger?

None of these cars are designed to carry 6'3" editors in the back seat.

However how often do you have to do that? The only people that ride in my back seat are my daughters and they are both around 4 feet tall.

If you're looking at a coupe as a car pool vehicle for 4 large adults, you're looking at the wrong choice.

Camaro's back seat is a no go. I sat in one at the autoshow (pre pro base model but it was actually unlocked) and the rear seat is there for show only.

The entire Camaro might have been there "for show only" - don't be surprised if this gets scrapped.

I rather like the "sit behind yourself" test. I'm 6'1", so it seems unfair, but the vast majority of people I drive around or ride with are roughly my size or, at least, not way way smaller. So it's a very worthwhile test...who cares if someone 5 feet tall can sit behind you when you don't know anyone who's 5 feet tall?

This isn't fitting. This is a BMW fanboi trying his hardest to compliment a BMW car... you guys are just so biased its sad.

That looks like a torture chamber to me. You might have to see a chiropractor after sitting in the back of that car. The G37C looks 10x better than the 135i, so I call it a draw.

"This isn't fitting. This is a BMW fanboi trying his hardest to compliment a BMW car... you guys are just so biased its sad."

Do you know a coupe with a better backseat?

My friend who is 6'4 or 6'5 insists on buying the smallest cars possible. He's owned at least 2 Miatas and an Elise, and now he wants to buy a Mini. He has a wife and 2 very young children, so that Mini will be absolutely packed.

firstwagon:

Your logic is crooked. The fact no coupe has a good size back seat doesn't make this one a fit...
Is it better? maybe, doesn't make it good.

But since its a BMW edmunds will make it spin as a good thing.

israelgt

Read the post agin. He isn't saying it's a good fit....

"Sure, my legs are straddling the driver seat and my head is cocked forward like a jockey to avoid the roof, but that's a technical fit."

.... he's saying it's possible. I'm 6'2" and I can asure you there a lot of coupes where it's not possible. I'm not a fan of the 1 series (too ugly and pricey) but it is good to know an adult can sit in the back seat.

Just because you don't like BMW's doesn't mean they don't have their good points.

firstwagon:

1st. I don't hate BMWs, whats to hate? I hate bias, and lots of it.

2nd. Its not a good fit, so why even bring it up?

Even things that aren't great about the BMWs edmunds find a way to spin them positively.

As far as a coupe with a better backseat, try an oldschool detroiter like a monte carlo. For something more recent, look at the accord coupe or the challenger! There are plenty of coupes out there that are designed to be somewhat practical, but the 1 series does NOT seem to be one of them.

"Do you know a coupe with a better backseat?"

My wife's 02 Focus SVT (same body as a ZX3) has an incredible back seat. *Much* more livable than my S4 wagon's. The SVT Focus is an automotive bag of holding.

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2002/ford/focus/100070538/specs.html

Felonious, please refrain from any dungeons and dragons references, or you will scare people.

Good news about the SVT Focus. Like many, I'm anxious to get a crack at the new one coming soon.

I'm 5-8 and even with my head cocked forward just like in the picture my head touched the roof of my former boss's G37. At least that was better than the backseat of my friend's VW New Beetle, with just enough gap between my head and the hard metal bar above it that I would reach concussion-inducing speed before hitting my head any time we went over a speed bump. My teeth still feel a little loose from that experience.

Nice shirt.

Funny, he looks pretty similar to me (as long as you're not showing the face), though I'm a little taller at 6'7". Same type of clothes too. I don't consider the back of the 135i roomy, but it's definitely better than some other cars. I was considering the 135i, but needed something a bit more practical and the lightly used ones weren't cheap enough yet.

Can you say awkward?

However, I've sat in my buddy's G37 Coupe and I hit my head on the roof over every single little road imperfection...very annoying. Props to BMW for designing an alright backseat, but they still don't have the four door system of the RX8 beat.

Hmmmm. I dunno. I drove a 128i sport package car just over 6 hours round trip in one day a few months back. The back seat barely passes for around town jaunts and honestly, for me the front seat barely made my 3 hour clips bearable. The problem is not the seats so much as the car's ride. It's alot of fun around town, but too damn choppy to be comfortable for anything more than an hour or so!

Fun aside, it's hard to make a case for buying a new 1 series when you can get a 1-2 year old CPO 3 series for the same or less $$$. The 3 is nearly as much fun to drive, is way more refined and is better for long trips. Oh yeah...and the gas mileage is nearly identical. Nuff said.

^ If you buy into the idea that a bigger car is always better. And that is simply not the case.

I realize it's not technically a coupe, but the backseat of my GTI is quite liveable...bordering on hospitable. I'm a bit over 6' and can sit behind my seat setting quite comfortably.

Zcalvert, I agree the GTI has amazing use of rear seats. Cars like the GTI really put to shame all of the poor use of space in most coupes. The GTI does have space-saving design advantage of FWD, and its form definitely follows function. I would not say the GTI is sold much on looks.