I had a free afternoon yesterday, and I looked at our 2008 BMW 135i coupe in my carport and decided a drive was in order. We went to Little Tujunga Canyon Road
, a favorite of mine because of its convenient location and pretty even mix of fast sweepers and tighter turns.
We've written before that the 135i is an easy car to drive quickly because it is so benign -- perhaps the most benign of any rear-wheel-drive car currently on sale in the U.S. Slow down on your entry to counteract the understeer; then, exploit all that torque (300 lb-ft from as low as 1,400 rpm) on your exit. Find your rhythm, know your road and you'll be fast. And safe.
I love the steering feel in this car. You never have any doubts about front tire grip.
And I love the driving position: It's not sexy; I'm not going to see the curves and contours of the car as I do in our 370Z or a G37. Really, I might as well be sitting in a sedan when I'm in our One. All I see is a flat hood, and I jack the seat way up so I'm sitting high. But I don't care. The steering wheel fits perfectly in my hands, and flat and squooshy as the driver seat is, it orients me perfectly for steering, shifting and working the pedals.
Other than the sneaking suspicion that this car doesn't need me (with all that torque, it barely even needs me to shift), the one complaint that came up during the drive is the 135i's lack of a limited-slip rear differential. Mind you, I probably could live without one if I owned this car. But, occasionally, when the rear tires had trouble getting the power down on exit, I thought about driving the Genesis Coupe 3.8 and wished the One had a torsen limited-slip, too.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 19,455 miles
jkp1187 says:
12:03 PM, 03/30/09
So just get one installed. The Steptronic LSD is cheaper, though.
Automatic:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234434
Manual:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234437
throwback says:
12:55 PM, 03/30/09
erin, I notice you are spending a lot time in the little coup. I sense an affection that will carry on after the long term test is done. Are you planning on buying??
spinchild says:
01:37 PM, 03/30/09
It's interesting you should use the term "Benign" to describe the 135i's handling, that's exactly the word that comes to mind when I try to describe my RX-8. While it's definitely down on power compared to the Bimmer, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a RWD coupe under 35 grand that handles better than the Mazda. The only one that comes to mind is the Miata. Since you've had all three of these cars in the long-term stables at some point, how would you compare the way they go round corners?
eriches says:
02:48 PM, 03/30/09
@spinchild: It has been so long since I've driven an RX-8 that I really can't weigh in on that, but perhaps one of my colleagues will jump in.
If you leave aside the fact that it has a lot less power/torque, the Miata does feel like it has fewer safeties in place than the 135i. When I drive that car, I'm more keenly aware that my actions at the wheel do have consequences -- good and bad. With the 135i, you really have to be pushing on it before you get that kind of immediate cause & effect feel. --ER
stingray454 says:
11:53 AM, 03/31/09
Another one of my favorite roads when I lived in CA - you guys are killing me! I'm getting the itch to fly out to CA and pay a visit to some of those roads again. Maybe rent a fun car from one of those exotic car rental places, and rip it up...