|
I'm a driver who believes that there is no real reason to have more than 120hp in ANY car... Want to do away with BP oil spills and excessive fuel prices? Recognize this and keep cars low-powered and bias towards efficiency more than gadgets and the go pedal like we do now...
That said, that is an idealized world where MPG is king. I can do perfectly in my 138hp 318i, and went to the 1 series looking at the 128i versus the 135. The first time I test drove a 128, it felt heavy and sluggish. The 135i could allow super-light pedal usage and go along nicely.
The next time I tested a 128i, I was pleasantly surprised - It required a bit more user input and yet did what i wanted. A 128 was very tempting, but a 135i won out, despite my desire for economy and low-powered vehicles... Why? Value proposition. I liked a certain setup for my vert. I could have done a 128i M sport with xenons, etc., but when I did, the price was around $1500-2000 less than the 135i set up the same way. This is because of the extra cost of some of the equipment that is standard on the 135i - it really eats into the $4k or so premium that a normal 135i has.
I do have some level of concern that due to the massive power so low, and the speed of my new 135i, that I will feel somewhat disconnected... Or else go too fast and kill my economy. However, I do own other cars, ranging all the way down to 67hp and perfectly suitable as DDs. The 135i will be the fun car, and in terms of fun and value, the 135i couldnt be beat, IMO.
If there was a 118i or better, d convertible, Id have bought that in an instant!
|