2008 BMW 135i: Open Thread

What is the consensus about the non-sport seats?

If this was your car, would you spring for the forthcoming BMW Performance upgrade (or DINAN or any of the other "chips"?)

I actually like the way it looks. ::Ducks::

How you like the 135i vs the 128i? I drive enthusiastically but not like a madman. I know some comments early in its time there seemed to indicate a number of drivers would pocket the extra cash.

Can you fit a baby seat in the back?

Why is it so ugly, so heavy and so expensive?

"is it really as ugly as the pictures show it to be?"

It looks better in person.

For your last hurrah with the 135i, throw in a Dinan chip and retest it.

I have owned a 135i since last May when I picked it up in Munich on a European Delivery. While I would say it isn't the most beautiful car ever, its appearance grows on you overtime and I now think it isn't a bad looking car.

From a driving experience perspective I love it. It is hands down one of the best all around driving cars I have experienced. While it is heavier than I would ideally like it has the best combination of luxury and performance anywhere near its price range.

At this point the only cars that I would be willing to trade up for would be a Porsche Cayman S or a Nissan GT-R both at significantly more money. There is nothing in its price range that competes with this car.

Is that the ugliest color available on the 135i?

"Is that the ugliest color available on the 135i?"

yes.

Should've gone with white.

What does the car feel like at 1500 rpms when you give it a good amount of throttle in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear? How often do you just leave it in any specific gear and let it go all the way down (say, 1300 rpms) and cruise around at 4000 rpms, because it's smooth and powerful?

What does Kissel think about the 135?

For some reason, this car has really grown on me after seeing a few in person. I used to hate it, but now it's actually my favorite of the current BMWs (second choice being the facelifted 3 sedan).
Some questions:
-How comfortable is it on long trips (compared to say, an Audi A4)?
-Any rattles or squeaks yet?
-Does it have the same craptacular headliner/overhead console from the e90 (you can bend it w/ you fingers, crappy looking 1977 GM style overhead lights, etc). Small thing, but needlessly cheap interior details bug me.
-Which one would you choose: a VW GTI or a 128i? With BMW's european delivery thrown into the mix, i'm thinking the cost difference could be pretty small.

I really do not think it is ugly, either. Especially compared to the midlife crisis 6-series.

I would love to hear more on 335i (coupe and/or sedan) vs. 135i, particularly with an eye for how it would affect a taller driver (6'4"). Is there any reason at all to get a 335i coupe instead of a 135i, other than aesthetics?

How does the 135i fare in bad weather, on nasty roads?
Not sure the weather will oblige in time, but having been through the worst winter Portland has had in a while, traction on other than usually bone dry SC/LA roads's important up here.

I know the material quality isn't up to 3 series standards, but how does it compare to the genesis coupe, 370z, and the three musclecars?

135i + STI + Evo + road course (other than Streets...how about Buttonwillow?), let's make it happen. Please!!! :o)

mod it before you stop the long term test! like smedin said, throw on a dinan chip, catback exhaust, air scoops, performance intake, the works! (all the stuff i don't have enough money to do on my own car lol)

Also, replace the stock RFT's and get some real tires and let us know the difference in performance and ride quality, that's something I'm really interested in..

Coupes are known to have a fair share of blind-spots. Is the 1-Series any different?

How is the throttle response at 1500rpm. Do you just put down your foot and instantly get 300lb-ft or does it take a second for the turbos to spool up?

Why doesn't everyone own one?

@jaguar36: yes! (barely) you can fit a baby in the back.

While driving around Europe we had an infant car seat + base (Britax Companion) -- I'm 6'2" and had to move my seat forward about 1 inch closer to the wheel than I'd prefer, but it fit.

Back in the US--and now with the baby a bit older--we have a convertible car seat (Britax Roundabout) that is currently rear-facing, and I have to move my seat about 1/2" closer than I'd prefer. As soon as we can go forward-facing in ~1 month everything will be fine (tm).

The slope of the rear seat is such that we did need to prop the convertible car seat to get it to a comfortable angle. Also, unless the kid can crawl in and buckle up themselves (ours can't, yet) you'll need to get in via the OPPOSITE door to load them into the seat. It's not as easy as an SUV, but I don't mind.

I am going to try and respond to a few of the questions based o my opinion:

White is the best color, I have Sparkling Graphite which isn't bad but doesn't compare to the Arctic White.

At 1500 on the 135i, it isn't bad in any gear but the turbos don't kick in until in between 2500-3000. The turbo lag isn't bad but somewhat noticeable. I normally try and keep it between 3000-4000.

Very comfortable on long trips, spent many long days in Europe and never a complaint, can't compare it to an A4 but one of the most comfortable I have driven on long trips.

I have one rattle that has just developed recently which appears on very rough roads, not enough of a bother to complain about until it goes in for its first service.

I would go with the 128i over the GTI.

I don't think there is any reason to go with the 335i unless you need a four door. The 1 series is much more tossable than the 3 series.

I live just outside of Portland and have found that it is great in wet weather - I have had no issues. I did make the mistake of driving it on ice when we had the bad weather in January and that was a mistake, if you are going to be driving it on ice (it was ok on powder) you at least need winter tires, performance tires don't cut it.

The quality is a step below 3 series but better than everything else.

Blind spots aren't bad, the mirrors work well to cover them.

Thanks PDXLager!

First I would like to say I own a SGM 135i w/complete BMW perf. parts (like the Tii) Pics here: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/bpgarage.php?do=view&id=3562
We want to know how the car performs with Non-RFT!!! That is using your normal battery of tests. Have you had any long starts or possible HPFP issues? 3rd brake-light issues? And for those wondering...my car has immediate response at ~1500 rpm from 1st-4th gear...very, very slightly delayed in 5th-6th, but that is not due to turbo-lag. Looking forward to hearing more about your 135i.

Black and Cashmere Silver (the gold color you see all the Z4s in) seem like the best colors for the 1-series.

2008 135cic AW/Terracotta. Have 2500 miles on it, drives still like a dream. None of the basic "1st year" issues that have happened, and most of those have been minor.

N54 motor was recently named one of Ward's Ten Best engines. Car is built rock solid, handles extremely well (very tight, very responsive). Power is plenty.

Simply, no problems and no complaints.

Fabulous little car. If you need a car as a daily driver and you're in it alone most of the time (but still need to accomodate 2 or so passengers on occasion), I don't think there's a better ride out there that has the 135's unique balance of performance, fun and comfort. There's also plenty of room to tweak it for even greater performance (with no loss of comfort). Mine has over 7000 miles so far and no issues. The only complaint I have for BMW is that the stock run flat tires are terrible. Expensive and harsh, they are not remotely worth their supposid convenience. I had snow tires on for the winter which were markedly supperior to the run flats. The good thing is that the car will get even better with a nice set of high performance summer tires.

135i Coupe, picked up last May. Just broke 15K miles. A perfect mix of performance/comfort for a daily driver.

Was terrific in bad weather with dedicated performance snow tires.

Interior quality has some minor flaws in material and rattle resistance. Cold weather brings out a few annoying creaks...more noticeable due to the surprisingly quite cabin.

Sport seats are great, but need lumbar support (prem pkg only).

Power delivery is smooth and addicting. It's no M engine though, give it one second under 3K. But once you're up there, it's instantaneous. 4th BMW, (E30 325ix, E36 M3, E46 330xi) This E82 is my favorite by far, small and nimble like the E30 with the performance of the M3.

Addition --- and my last long expressway trip returned 32MPG!!!! That with an avg of 21MPG in a mix of heavy traffic and sporty driving is a great bonus for such a performer.

"Coupes are known to have a fair share of blind-spots. Is the 1-Series any different?"

There's a bit of the blind spot where cars sometimes hide on the drivers side just behind the car. I have to make a much more conscious effort to turn my head and not trust the mirrors when merging left.

"How you like the 135i vs the 128i? I drive enthusiastically but not like a madman. I know some comments early in its time there seemed to indicate a number of drivers would pocket the extra cash."

It all depends on personal preference. Some people absolutely must have the biggest engine or they aren't happy - one of those people will always want the 135i.

With the 135i you can effectively floor it in whatever gear you want, even at low RPMS, and the car just moves with no complaints. With the 128i you'll need to work the gears more to bring the RPMS up but once the revs are there its a lot of fun. It's all personal preference (I prefer having to work the gears of a nice 6MT :D)

I'm probably an odd case but I intentionally went with the 128i even though I use it for a few autocrosses and the occasional track day. It performs fine and if I was given the option to go back and pick the 135i I'd still pick the 128i (like I said, I'm weird).

The key is knowing yourself and what will really make you happy.

dmcy, i think the 128 is the better pick too. While it won't do sub-5 second 0-60 runs, it's still plenty quick, much cheaper, lighter, better balanced and I think will have much lower long term costs.

I have the 135i with 10K miles on it now. It's been a blast to drive for the past year. I love taking a corner in 2nd then punching it - hold on we're going for a ride! I find almost instant throttle response - you wouldn't even know there are two turbos in there. This is an excellent grand touring car for 2 people; it's very comfortable on long trips (I have the sport package seats, a highly recommended option).

It got me through a serious Maine winter with no problem using winter tires. As others have said, it's a much better ride without the run-flats.

I'm a fan of the adaptive Xenon headlights on the 135. Great visibility, and the lights turning to follow the road is cool stuff.

The 1 series is still pretty rare and draw a lot of positive comments on the street.

I second the request to see how the performance tests would turn out using some non-runflat performance summer tires. We have a suspicion that they are the weak link.

I love my '08 135i. I agree the side profile is not the greatest, but it looks fine from the front and back. My only options were metallic paint color, M sport package, and leather seats, so total list price with shipping was $38,600.

I really like the quicker handling short wheelbase, lower weight, easier parking due to compact size, and $5,000+ lower price compared to the 335i.

My car has had NO problems so far, but I would be interested in more info. on the fuel pump failure problem.

What percentage of 135i's are affected, what are the prospects for a perfected fuel pump fix by BMW, are they extending the warranty period for this problem, if it fails while I am on vacation can I still drive several hundrd miles home (as the BMW service advisory suggests), and is there any prospect for a recall and replacement of all at-risk fuel pumps?

For the last test it would be awsome to throw a chip in it and see what it does...i know i'm not the only person who wants to see this..

This German hot rod will slap a smile on your face every time you hop in! FUN! ZERO turbo lag. Power delivery is silky smooth. The Steptronic shifts precisely and instantly. Sport package option is a must. Excellent steering feedback. After a year of ownership I report not a single problem. Surprisingly good gas milage too at 30+mpg hwy. The design is controversial, it has ATTITUDE, I love it!

I've tracked this car to a best of 13.082 @ 108.60 on the 1/4 mile in showroom stock trim. I'm totally stoked with my choice.