2008 BMW 135i: Spiritual Sucessor?

I don't think so either. I was watching a design commentary on BMWTV.com from Adrian Van Hooydonk how this is the spiritual successor to the 2002. No such luck, if anything it's the spiritual successor to earlier 3 series cars before they suffered the same upsizing that almost every other vehicle experiences.

They could have done so much more with the 1 series if they really wanted to nod to the 2002. They pulled it off with the Mini.

I disagree. There isn't another upright coupe sold in america. Not with a greenhouse like the 1. That's the thing I love about the 1 - the nearly bolt upright greenhouse.

I agree; read the Car and Driver article by David E. Davis Jr. entitled "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002" to get an idea of what a revelation the '02 was back in 1968(I have a signed original copy). In my opinion, the closest BMW successor was the E30 318is, which is a terrific car. The 318ti is also very similar to the 2002 in terms of size, weight, and overall performance, but I think that the E30 is the real deal. By the way, the Inka 2002tii pictured above is a "new" car which was built by BMW Mobile Tradition(now BMW Classic) in a "glass workshop" at the BMW Museum in Munich:
http://www.mwerks.com/artman/publish/bmw_news/article_1010.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m26S0zrEd8
Approximately 90% of the parts for the 2002 are still available, and that's important to me, since I have a 1975 2002...:D

Blueguy is right...it's a nice proper upright coupe. And it even comes with two engine choices, both with the proper manual transmission.

e30 is perfect in size, imho, and design. I really wish they still sold something that size with a modern engine. Not the N54 but an NA engine. Or a turbo 4.

Ok lets reference a previous blog entry entitled "Ugly?" In the comments I related a story: "Yesterday I was driving in the Hilton Head/Bluffton area. I made a left turn onto a road to take me further along my journey. In front of me was a Frost Blue Jaguar XK...a beautiful car I think (if you disagree then please, please, please put down ye ol' crackpipe...LOL). He was making a left onto a side road as I passed him. Glancing in my rear-view to admire the car again I saw him sharply swerve from his left hand turn and fall in line behind me. Thinking he was just flexing his muscles I increased speed slightly. He kept pace....well to keep it short I came to a light to make a left turn, looked and my rear view and didn't see the Jag. Looked to my right and saw his front bumper in the right hand turn lane. I wondered why he was so far back of the "line" for a free right hand turn. Then he inched forward about a foot and I saw that he had his camera phone out taking pictures of my car! He noticed me looking and gave me an animated thumbs up and a kool-aid grin. Yes...you read right...Jaguar driver taking pics of the lowly, UGLY, 135i."

I don't know about others but from the abundance of comments I have received from others seeing the car "in the flesh" I would think it is pretty special. Ok, ok maybe not in the way that a Ferrari, AM, or Maserati is special...but special in its own way. And by the way there is NO other "special" 2-door coupe in this segment that looks special. *NOTE I SAID IN THIS SEGMENT BEFORE YOU COMMENT*

I think the 135 has tons of personality, but it's in the driving experience, not the looks.

so maybe just maybe you're tooling around town thinking "wheeee!" the whole time, even though no one turns to look.

you know what? I can live with that.

oh...and I imagine MS3 owners probably feel the same way.

I had an E30 318 and completely disagree that it was the 'successor' to the 2002. My 318 was completely reliable - true. It had a balanced chassis - true. But it had a horrible, wheezy, slow revving 4 cylinder motor that felt completely out of place in a car that was too heavy for it.

No - the 1 series is too heavy and not small enough. The weight difference between the 1 series and the 3 series is way too small.

As a former 2002 owner, if I were buying a new BMW (I'm not, just bought an Audi instead), I'd probably get a 135i...

But that would be because I'm too cheap/poor to buy an M3, and because the 135i has a little less (very little less) bloat than a 3 series.

Not because it in any way (upright greenhouse notwithstanding) reminds me of my '02.

Nope. The original '60s-era 2002 was (A) a 2-door sedan that could seat four adults in relative comfort, (B), put the BMW brand on the map for American buyers, and (C) virtually created the sport sedan market as we know it today.

The current 1-Series, while a fine car, is none of the above.

Don't gt me wrong, I like the 1er, and I may yet wind up with a 135 M Sport, but right now I still think I'll wind up in an E46 M3. Fourteen years is way, WAY, too long between M cars...

"oh...and I imagine MS3 owners probably feel the same way."

That's why I ordered my MS3 in Cosmic Blue. It doesn't attract anyone's attention- particularly that of law enforcement. If it was True Red I would have lost my license a year ago...;)

desmolicious; what year was your 318?

BMW missed a golden opportunity by not giving the 1 series a full on retro 2002 body a la the Mini. It's sad that the 1 series greenhouse counts as "upright" these days. I've always loved how upright the 2002 greenhouse is. Or even an E30 coupe. The super squashed look of the current 3 coupe is too much.

The 1 Series is actually within an inch or two when compared to the E30 3 Series from the dimensions perspective. It is the worthy successor for the E30 in my book, not the 2002.

@blueguydotcom: I think a Honda Civic coupe or a Mini Cooper have similar greenhouses.

pyo, I owned a mini cooper. It's not a coupe and does not ever feel like one. ever. It's a hatchback and feels it.

As for the honda civic, it's not the least bit upright. You sit in a Darth Vader hole with a steeply raked windshield and back window.

so maybe just maybe you're tooling around town thinking "wheeee!" the whole time, even though no one turns to look.

you know what? I can live with that.

If that works with the police then I'll sell my truck immediately

I saw a 1969 BMW 2002 when i was at work the other day, and that is the beemer i immediately thought to myself "thats the BMW for me." Not to mention it will be cheaper to maintain than the 135 (let alone the 128) and you can pick a good one up for $12000.

BTW, if anything is going to be its spiritual successor, it would be the 128. The 135 just has too much motor for it to be a direct successor.

The 2002 looks boring and ugly to me, its seats look uncomfortable, and the engine is probably underpowered.

De gustibus, I suppose.

daskiing1;

Just so you know,
Bimmer= BMW Automobile
Beemer= BMW Motorcycle
:D

2002's are a blast, the key is to find a solid one. A 1972 or 1973 tii is the hot ticket, in my opinion, although some '02s have received S14 or S38 M motor transplants. In addition to joining the BMW Car Club(www.bmwcca.org) you should also check out the 2002 FAQ(www.bmw2002faq.com). As noted above, I currently own a 1975 and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have. Shoot me a PM at roadburner@carspace.com. I still might forget an E46 M3 and pick up one of these :
www.bmw2002registry.com/imageHosting/images/02turbo/BMW_2002_turbo_1974/BMW 2002 turbo 1974 1.JPG