Collection of 135i Reviews / 128i Reviews

[stampchez]

Originally Posted by IanM

There was a very favourable end-of-long-term-test report on the 135i coupe in this week's Autocar magazine in the UK.

Scan?

[IanM]

Sorry no scans - I read it in a supermarket!

It involved the writer and Frank Sytner (an ex-Touring car driver who owns several BMW dealerships) driving around Monaco in their 135i coupes. Both love their cars - I can't remember how the journalist phrased it but the 135i was his favourite car, and Frank Sytner could pretty much have whatever car he wants but also chose it.

A very entertaining read. I might have bought it if there had been any room left in our shopping trolley...

[Guibo]

edmunds' update on their long-term 135i: "Junior M3"

...engaging handling and steering...more enjoyable to drive on a winding road (by far) than their long-term Evo and STi.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2...junior-m3.html

[ptack]

Don't know if this has been posted before. Nice review by our friends down under.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/12960/2008-bmw-135i-review/

[Guibo]

Car Magazine: 123d vs TT TDI Quattro

-The Audi has the style, but not the substance. Interior is nicer.
"...feels detached...doesn't involve or entertain the driver. Its eclectro-mechanical steering feels dead. It's almost like playing on the PlayStation, a virtual reality sports car. Push a touch harder, and its composure starts to fall apart quite quickly...is a huge improvement on the earlier vehicle...but it still lacks the deftness and balance of a good rear-drive BMW."

-The 123d has the fun, but not the fashion. Its styling is truncated and boxy. It has the better engine, but like the Audi suffers from a lack of steering feel. It's faster than the TT, quicker, less thirsty. And cheaper, in the UK.
"...is also a more engaging drive...chassis is better-balanced, much more composed on winding roads and broken surfaces...is more interactive than Audi's catwalk queen."

Verdict:
"Those - surely the majority - who use their sportsters as urban transport and weekend playthings will be better served by the Audi. It's pleasing to drive, quick, rides and handles well enough, and looks fabulous inside and out. But if you fancy a car that rewards keener driving, has a greater depth of dynamic ability and is probably the most trend-setting sporting car of today - what else serves up such speed, practicality, fun and frugality? - then it must be the BMW."

[Guibo]

Here's another from Australia.

125i vs RX-8 vs Brera
The Sydney Morning Herald, September 13, 2008


Alfa:
Great style inside and out, but heavy and thirstiest. Back seats for kids only. Also the least enjoyable to drive.
"It drives like a passenger car with harder suspension, so it sits flatter in corners but rides quite uncomfortably over bumps."

BMW:
Most powerful, torquiest, and by far the most flexible engine. Also the most fuel efficient in the group. M Sport suspension too bouncy on big bumps and holes. Styling is polarizing. Chassis is well-tuned, but steering not as sharp as the Mazda's at the limit. Everywhere else, it's more comfortable and quieter (even with the runflats). Interior is an improvement over recent BMW's.
"Emitting a distant but distinctive induction howl, the 125i can really get up and fly. But it is just as enjoyable for its calm and civilised behaviour around town. Realistically, out of these three, it is the only true everyday car."

Mazda:
Unique design, smooth high-revving engine and well-sorted suspension tempered by high consumption, road noise, tight cockpit and basic materials.
"The RX-8 is a car for enthusiasts who like to hear the engine rev and enjoy corners. In reality, though, with its high-pitched engine, the RX-8 sounds faster than it is actually travelling which, these days, may not be a bad thing."

Verdict:
The Alfa Romeo impressed with its sharp looks and classy cabin presentation. As a style statement, it's the standout. However, as a sports car, it doesn't have the same urge or agility as its peers. And it was, surprisingly, the thirstiest car here despite having the smallest engine.
The Mazda RX-8 connects with the road in a way that makes you wish for carefree blue-sky days and traffic-free mountain roads. But it's not as fast as its high-revving engine would have you believe. And it's also not as frugal as it could be.
That leaves the BMW 125i as our pick in this test. It does the mundane jobs required of it as a modern motor car but also has the depth of capability to be thoroughly enjoyed. It's the most fun to drive and yet the easiest to live with day to day.

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=56963

[Guibo]

Drivers Republic: 125i vs Scirocco GT vs TT 2.0T



125i gets good marks for steering, balance, RWD dynamics, shifter (better than the 3-Series'), but falls down in power delivery (not as instant as the turbocharged 4's) and ride quality with M Sport suspension (the VAG cars are on magnetic dampers).

"Unfortunately the 125i has one fairly major flaw, and that’s its inability to exert tight and consistent control of vertical wheel movement. It’s likely that the M Sport wheels, tyres and suspension set-up are the culprits, for the more modestly tyred 123d we took to the Nürburgring back in the late Spring (insert link to Green Hell feature here) didn’t display the same failings. This is a real shame for the added grip, sharpness and traction the M Sport package delivers is both needed and enjoyable, but it comes at a high price as soon as you encounter less than smooth Tarmac, which in the UK is most of the time.
It’s the inconsistency as much as the sharp-edged feel that grates, for you can be making tolerably settled progress when for no obvious reason an apparently innocuous bump, ridge or pothole pummels one or more of the wheels and sends you skittering off line. Has the spectre of the run-flat tyre returned? Whatever the reason it lets the 125i down badly, for on roads that the VW and to a lesser extent the Audi smother masterfully the BMW can feel plain ragged.
Unfortunately, despite having a better balance, uncorrupted steering and the potential for recreational roundabout abuse the BMW snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. It doesn’t feel as quick and more crucially it doesn’t ride as well, ultimately tripping itself up when the going gets challenging. If the ride quality and wheel control was a match for the rest of the car the 125i Coupe would be very hard to beat, but the competition is so tight that as it stands the flaws in the damping (and therefore the 125’s ability to carry speed on less than smooth surfaces) are enough to seal its fate."

Runner-up: TT
Winner: Scirocco

http://www.drivers-republic.com/firs...f42ea4f&page=1

[Canuck]

I just read the fall edition of 0-60 magazine and they named the 135i and the GT-R the "two most important cars of the year". This shouldn't really come as a suprise to anyone with a 1 as a daily driver. I've had mine since july and I'm still smiling......

[Maine1]

Great review and video of the 135 from OnCars. He actually gets the styling!


http://www.oncars.com/news-blogs/sto...-3-Performance

[maxfx]

(Mod: If this has been posted before, please delete.)

Of 650 possible points:
BMW 135i Coupe = 486
Porsche Cayman S = 430

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/t...9874_13987.hbs

[esscolab]

http://www.carpages.ca/article/2008/...est-review/p/1

[ptack]

Kudos to our friends in the Great White North. The competition in this category was pretty good too.
http://www.ajac.ca/files/ccoty/CCOTY_Category_EN.pdf

[atr_hugo]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars2009

[BerkTechnology]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars2009

Thanks for the posting the article!

[esscolab]

Nice review

http://blogs.thetimes.co.za/wheeldea...w-135i-review/

[Bringinthewolf]

Originally Posted by esscolab

http://www.carpages.ca/article/2008/...est-review/p/1

Great find. Thanx.

I love the last line on the spec list;

Competitors: none

[esscolab]

Yeah a nice favorable review and fairly accurate too.

[manjingo]

The 128i is one of Edmunds Inside Line's most wanted cars for 2009: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=135586

[bmwzone]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...1.4a29ef4.html

[cagekicker]

good reading!

[ryanpick]

Front Page on MSN
10 Most User-Recommended Automobiles

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/landi..._885&GT1=22021

[1230vani]

There is a new one on CAR magazine (UK).
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/...09-CAR-review/