Media blackout on the 128i

[Devon K]

Curiouser and curiouser.... weeks have gone by and still not one review of the 128i - just what is BMW so afraid of? My guess - BMW knows the 128 with the standard suspension is even more of an understeering boat than the 135i with its "sports suspension", and it's wary of this car getting shredded in the inevitable reviews, given the hammering the 135i is taking about its level of understeer.

Interesting how Mitsu and Subie have taken the opposite tack in their rollouts, releasing their lesser versions for review prior to dropping their big guns on the NA auto press.

[1ster]

I wouldn't count on the 128i understeering more. Part of the 135i's understeer can be accounted for by the offset front/rear tire widths. The standard 128i doesn't suffer from this problem.

Frankly, a stock 128i on all season tires might be a hoot to steer around a corner.

[joelk]

mr. negative! :wink:

i'm not familiar with the ways of press roleouts but why not lead with your best foot. seems to me the idea is to get people in the door with the great 135i reviews and sell them the 128i when the price becomes an issue. not that the 128i isn't a great car to begin with...

[BMWeber]

Mitsu and Subie average brand interested in selling average cars. BMW premium brand interested in selling premium cars

[Road Runner]

Originally Posted by joelk

mr. negative! :wink:

i'm not familiar with the ways of press roleouts but why not lead with your best foot. seems to me the idea is to get people in the door with the great 135i reviews and sell them the 128i when the price becomes an issue. not that the 128i isn't a great car to begin with...

I agree, I think the thought of the 128 being a complete bear being the reason we haven't seen much on the 128 is a little cynical.

I mean, with the 3-series, how often do you see reviews of the 328 versus the 335? There's certainly reviews of the 328, but most of the comparos and road tests are for the 335.

People are usually simply more interested in the quicker sibling in the lineup.

[Devon K]

Originally Posted by 1ster

I wouldn't count on the 128i understeering more. Part of the 135i's understeer can be accounted for by the offset front/rear tire widths. The standard 128i doesn't suffer from this problem.

Frankly, a stock 128i on all season tires might be a hoot to steer around a corner.

Hope you are right, but I suspect that the 128's standard suspension will be geared more towards safety and comfort, which means more understeer. Whether this will be fully mitigated by narrower rear tires remains to be seen....

[joelk]

Originally Posted by Road Runner

I agree, I think the thought of the 128 being a complete bear being the reason we haven't seen much on the 128 is a little cynical.

I mean, with the 3-series, how often do you see reviews of the 328 versus the 335? There's certainly reviews of the 328, but most of the comparos and road tests are for the 335.

People are usually simply more interested in the quicker sibling in the lineup.

not only that. with the 318 stuck in people's heads and wanting to avoid a repeat they really need to completely break any pre-conceptions about what a "entry" bmw is all about. thus focus on the halo car. imho.

[redwood]

Probably the fact that the 128i is a North American only vehicle and the 135i is global (and launches this month in Germany) has more to do with the lack of coverage. I'm sure we'll get more on the 128i eventually.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by Devon K

Curiouser and curiouser.... weeks have gone by and still not one review of the 128i - just what is BMW so afraid of? My guess - BMW knows the 128 with the standard suspension is even more of an understeering boat than the 135i with its "sports suspension", and it's wary of this car getting shredded in the inevitable reviews, given the hammering the 135i is taking about its level of understeer.

Interesting how Mitsu and Subie have taken the opposite tack in their rollouts, releasing their lesser versions for review prior to dropping their big guns on the NA auto press.

Fogedaboudit. Go back and check how many reviews there were of the 2.5i Z4 prior to and during the 1st year of production..:iono:
All you ever heard and read about was the 3.0i. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I have yet read a 2.5i review and I've had mine for 5 years now..
But not to worry, the 2.5i Z4 consistently outsold the 3.0i 2 or 3 to 1..

[Khobin~]

Just think of how many pictures are floating around of the 135 vs the 128...the 135 is more the "showy", spotlight car for the 1-series...vs the 128 which is the mystery car...the one tucked behind the corner, hiding on the shadow of the 135...unseen, and unsuspected...perfect for being a true sleeper...

Of course if bmw is quote "afraid" to get some reviews on it, perhaps it's because they don't want to see anyone writing lines about it like "The lesser powered 128 handled the corners of our test track with far less understeer then the 135...":wink::iono:

Not to say that is what would happen, but if it did, I'd find it pretty damn funny, and that would certainly but a big smudge on the 135

[atr_hugo]

The 135i has been reviewed (as well as the 120d and 123d) because they are on sale in Europe very soon (if not now). The 128i is a NA market only car, we won't see any reviews on it until the Jan/Feb '08 timeframe.

[UJackM]

Hmmm, I started reading this thread, then did some research and now I am very disturbed. Most of the understeer of 135i can be attributed to its large 6-cylinder engine for the relatively small car. It overhangs the front axle. As I said before, 1-series is designed for 4-cylinder engines. I looked at the UK site and 1's with 4-cylinder engines are slightly over 3,000lbs. While it could shave a few hundred more pounds, it is still much better the pigs with the 6-cylinders. The, those nice 4 cylinder including diesel are anywhere between 170ps-200ps, yielding solid 7 - 7.5 sec for 0-60mph. Not a car that scorch others in the straight line, but I would imagine they sure handle very nicely and that's more in line with the spirit of the 2002. Also, if BMW could bring 135i and 128i at the prices announced, I am sure it could bring 1's with 4 cylinders under or aroudn $25K. You could still make it clear that you would have to pay premium to get a BMW 6-cylinder, but 4 cylinders would position very nicely as the "bridge" from middle market to BMW..... And this would be a "real" enthusiast car... I had been kind of writing off 4-cylinder BMW's, but now I know the fact I am a little upset with BMW that it is not bringing 4 cylinders (at least for now) to the US>

[Devon K]

Originally Posted by Redwood

Probably the fact that the 128i is a North American only vehicle and the 135i is global (and launches this month in Germany) has more to do with the lack of coverage. I'm sure we'll get more on the 128i eventually.

Good point, makes sense - I should have thought of this global launch schedule. (Note to self: in future, pass on making provocative posts after 4 hours of sleep. :tongue

[johnny1019]

It reminds me of when Ford redesigned the Mustang - practically all of the reviews were for the GT, no one seemed to care about the V6.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by UJackM

And this would be a "real" enthusiast car... I had been kind of writing off 4-cylinder BMW's, but now I know the fact I am a little upset with BMW that it is not bringing 4 cylinders (at least for now) to the US>

Europe is a completely different market than the US. They have higher taxes, less disposable income, and pay much more for gas. A 145HP 4-cylinder 1 series starting at $25k would not sell in the US, remember the 318? The 4-cylinder Honda Accord, starting at $20k, is just as fast.

It's also pretty common for manufacturers to initially release only "the ringer" model to the press. That's what drives people into the showrooms, even if they end up buying the base model.

[UJackM]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

Europe is a completely different market than the US. They have higher taxes, less disposable income, and pay much more for gas. A 145HP 4-cylinder 1 series starting at $25k would not sell in the US, remember the 318? The 4-cylinder Honda Accord, starting at $20k, is just as fast.

It's also pretty common for manufacturers to initially release only "the ringer" model to the press. That's what drives people into the showrooms, even if they end up buying the base model.

How about 170HP engine (on 120i)? That sounds pretty good to me. Plus, Honda and others are FWD no matter how fast they go. Not very many vehicles beat the speed for money ratio of MazdaSpeed 3. Mustang GT is a bargain for the power. But, would you compare those cars side by side with BMW? That being said, I know 4-cylinder BMW is a tough sell in the US and to that matter, the whole 1-series are very difficult ones to put on the US market. After all, 3-series are good value for money in relatively speaking term, although it is a LOT of money.

[BMWERKEN]

I think part of it has to do with the fact that BMW wants to make a splash with the car. The 135 will make a more noticeable debut than the 128 which might be a bit mundane and boring.