Dumb article about the 135i

[DC135i]

This is the dumbest article I've read on the 135i. The author focuses his theme more on the ills of driving a well engineered car in New York City than on the car itself. Is this supposed to be a review? Anyone who knows anything about NYC, knows that hardly anyone in Manhatten owns a car!! So if he was trying to review this car in terms of how it does in a city...I would argue that NYC-Manhatten, was a poor choice...you won't be seeing Manhattenites buying a car, let alone a 135i!! Anyway, what do you all think?

Here's the article in full:

BMW drives fine except on N.Y.'s brutal streets
BY WARREN BROWN
The Washington Post
Friday, June 6, 2008

NEW YORK — The new face of fast got slapped hard here. It turned the other cheek and got slapped again. It got slapped every time it ventured forth in this city of hard knocks.

That's New York for you. It has no respect for German engineering, finely tuned sports cars or automobiles other than those yellow crater crawlers with "TAXI" signs up top. Anything else gets trashed.

Thus was the case with the 2008 BMW 135i coupe we drove here. On smooth, well-maintained roads, the tightly hewn, rear-wheel-drive 135i, one of four members of BMW's new 1-Series family now on sale in the United States, is marvelous to behold.

It handles brilliantly, the sharpest handling we've experienced in a compact car at any price. It is a driver's car supreme.

But smooth, well-maintained roads in New York City and environs are as rare as a politician willing to call for an increase in federal gasoline taxes in an election year. The streets here are beyond bad. They are brutal.

"Ahhh-ouch!" cried my wife, Mary Anne. "Can't you be more careful?" she asked as the 135i's front wheels crashed over a crater on West 41st Street. She was sitting in the front passenger's seat. I felt her pain but could do little to relieve it.
BMW's engineers went all out to develop a sports car with a suspension that performs superbly on good roads and reasonably well on surfaces that are less than perfect. But despite the 135i's excellent suspension engineering, which includes MacPherson struts up front, stabilizer bars front and rear along with a rear multilink suspension setup, a four-wheel independent suspension designed to keep the car upright and turn-tight, it wasn't ready for New York.

How strange it all seemed. We were in a superbly engineered car, albeit one not designed for maximum passenger comfort in the rear. On the reasonably maintained New Jersey Turnpike, we were in road-trip paradise. The 135i moved so swiftly, handled emergency maneuvers so deftly, our drive time seemed to fly by.
And then we entered the mouth of this car-eating metropolis, this city of the endless speed bump and the sinkhole traffic circle. Suddenly, the 135i seemed not up to the task. The remarkable competence of its engineering was undermined by the sad incompetence of an urban infrastructure falling apart one street at a time.

The BMW 1-Series, particularly the 135i, is primarily engineered for good roads. Any surface substantially less than good turns it into a torture chamber.

Ride, acceleration and handling all get superior marks on good roads. On bad roads, it gets bumped into marginal ratings.
All told, the 1-Series lives up to its marketing slogan, "the new look of fast." But the new look is also one of controversy. People either love or hate its edgy sculpture. In a week, we met no one who had no opinion about the 135i's design.

[lib]

So in other words the entire article states that the 135i is an amazing car but if you live in an area where the potholes demand an SUV or large cruiser you should probably buy one of those.

[larryn]

Mrs. Brown sounds like a peach. I feel sorry for this guy. :wink:

I had not seen or heard of the slogan "The New Look of Fast"...

[atr_hugo]

I vote to put Mrs. Brown in an Evo VIII and re-run that route. ; -)

[dmboone25]

I had not heard the slogan either.....but I like it. :biggrin:

I have hit some pretty big potholes in my 135i and I have been pleasantly surprised how well she has done. Handles them well in my opinion--maybe this author is talking about more dramatic holes in NYC?

Regardless, he did make some good points about the car being wonderful to drive, perfectly balanced, etc. Those are all true. I wouldn't expect the car to handle as well on uneven or poorly maintained roads.

[lib]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

I vote to put Mrs. Brown in an Evo VIII and re-run that route. ; -)

Now that would make an interesting review series. Put this guy and his wife in a 135i, evo, r32, etc. and use a dB meter to measure her yelling.

[sluday]

I live in New Jersey and go to New York a few times a year. I have seen more high end sports cars and exotics there than any other city in the US.( never been to LA) Does this fool think that people won't buy a 135 because of potholes? I have seen potholes big enough for Mrs. Brown to take a bath in but that does not seem to deter the Lamborghini and Ferrari owners one bit. This guy is probably 75 years old and his wife is 85.

[Red135]

Originally Posted by larryn

I had not seen or heard of the slogan "The New Look of Fast"...

I don't know that it qualifies as a marketing slogan, but they still use it on the website.

[Omega Man]

Actually his comments make perfect sense and were a major concern for me. In my heart I know the 128i is the better choice for inside the "loop" driving. You can explore the full range of gears. The 135i is going to be pissed off a lot of the time because it can't run. But then I thought if I wanted to tear up city streets, the Mini does it better than anyone. But we already have a low to the ground miniwagon so that niche was filled. Hello 135i Convertible, the "cruiser" class choice. And if I need to blow doors, doable in a flick of a flash.

[ptack]

I would bet they don't even own a car which is why it's seems like such a revelation that sports cars go bump on rough roads. I have several friends who live in NYC and all have had to give up their cars - too expensive, too many hassles (and they keep getting worse). Most people there rent a car if they need to drive out of the city. No one in their right mind goes to Manhattan to test drive a car for a review.

[knightps]

I am headed into NYC this afternoon. First trip down with my 135. I will let you know how it goes.

[lacrosse]

I live on Long Island. When I want to go to the city I leave my car at home, take a taxi to the train station and either walk or cab it once I am there. It isn't the potholes I am afraid of, it is the other idiots in the yellow cars!

Yes 135 is a driver's car. "Driving" in the city isn't really driving. For "driving" as we understand it, tour the North Shore of the Island and/or the Twin Forks. That is driving!

I only ask the the Brown family keep to the right on the LIE. Don't want them poking along on the left lane!

[sluday]

I can't wait for Warren Brown's next review. He is going to test drive a Toyota Prius on a race track. Mrs. Brown and the kids will be in the car as well. :biggrin:

[oneaabe]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

I vote to put Mrs. Brown in an Evo VIII and re-run that route. ; -)

[Ant]

Warren Brown is actually one of the better mainstream automotive journalists out there. Read any of his past articles on Bimmers he's driven and you can tell that he's one of us. That being said, his articles are not meant to be read by gearheads, but rather regular people just doing research on cars. I don't consider anyone on this board to be a "regular person"

More than anything, this article decries the state of our public roads rather than the faults of the 1er:

The remarkable competence of its engineering was undermined by the sad incompetence of an urban infrastructure falling apart one street at a time.

--ant

[ptack]

Maybe the article was taken out of context, but unless it was written for Road Construction Monthly, it seemes pretty muddled, especially given how brief it was. Is it about the car, his trip, his wife, the roads? I'm even more confounded to hear he's supposed to be an automotive journalist - you would never telll from the article. The comments about car seem almost like a "oh by the way, nice car."

[knightps]

Just got home from spending the weekend down in NYC with my 135i. Hit one bad bump on the FDR that had the potential to dent a wheel, but looks like I made it ok. Other than that, it was a ride that is to be expected from a sport suspension. I think the article blows things a little out of proportion.

[BMW86]

hater

[buckwheat986]

Originally Posted by BMW86

hater

very contructive

[taiheung]

Originally Posted by DC135i

This is the dumbest article I've read on the 135i.

I would hazard a guess that this was focused at NYC dwellers. Even so - it raves about the car, even going as far to say that it will please on 'reasonable' roads. I personally don't think this is a bad article, I just think you kind of missed the point of it. This would still inspire me to look at the car, if potholes were not an issue. His praise for its abilities on road anything better than terrible is quite positive, and his knowledge of the technical aspects of the car make up for his lack of experience driving it. Basically his article hints at the fact that if you can get this car out of the city and onto decent roads, you've bought yourself a fantastic vehicle. If you can't, the stiff suspension might do you damage - and he's right - I've hit a few doozies around our CBD here in Sydney that near shattered my spine.

[jkp1187]

Who on earth drives to New York City?

:iono:

[Crowley]

I don't see anything wrong with his statements ... any bumps in the road and this car will pick them out and you will feel it .... I howerver didn't expect anything else .. I didn't buy the car to feel get the most comfortable ride out there

Crowley