BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      09-17-2010, 06:17 PM   #45
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My co-worker has a 2007 6MT GTI. In stock form both the GTI and the 128i put out similar numbers at the track according to Car and Driver. I did think the GTI cornered with a little less body roll but its uglier. But if you need to carry lots of stuff with you remember its a hatchback; said co-worker can carry all his DJ equipment around with him everywhere but there is practically no chance he could do that in my 128i I'm sure.

Now after you chip this car supposedly its a whole different story. He showed me a dyno he did where he's laying down over 200+ HP and 250 lb/ft of torque. Even at the front wheels he claims it let him run the 1/4 at 13.9s at a local track while the best I can do is 14.8s (admittedly I'm not that skilled at the track though). Car and Driver puts the 128i at 14.5s. So if you plan on chipping it the GTI will yield more power for a lot less money than a 128i. Also the power is different...its got more torque at low revs so you can probably get away with less shifting and have alot more useful power around city streets but the 128i is more fun to wind up at the top of the rev range and pull the power out there. Also even with those numbers I think the engine isn't as smooth in the GTI as I'm told there is a small but perceptible turbo lag, nothing like a Subaru I'm sure but another owner of a DSG has told me he feels it.

If money isn't an option I think the 135i in stock form beats the chipped GTI in performance easily and with some small suspension mods equals or betters its handling. Don't forget the brakes on the 135i are heroic.

All and all I'm not disappointed I didn't get a GTI over the 128i one bit but it has dawned on me that it cost a whole lot more.

Hope that helps.
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      09-17-2010, 11:12 PM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky1 View Post
My co-worker has a 2007 6MT GTI. In stock form both the GTI and the 128i put out similar numbers at the track according to Car and Driver. I did think the GTI cornered with a little less body roll but its uglier. But if you need to carry lots of stuff with you remember its a hatchback; said co-worker can carry all his DJ equipment around with him everywhere but there is practically no chance he could do that in my 128i I'm sure.

Now after you chip this car supposedly its a whole different story. He showed me a dyno he did where he's laying down over 200+ HP and 250 lb/ft of torque. Even at the front wheels he claims it let him run the 1/4 at 13.9s at a local track while the best I can do is 14.8s (admittedly I'm not that skilled at the track though). Car and Driver puts the 128i at 14.5s. So if you plan on chipping it the GTI will yield more power for a lot less money than a 128i. Also the power is different...its got more torque at low revs so you can probably get away with less shifting and have alot more useful power around city streets but the 128i is more fun to wind up at the top of the rev range and pull the power out there. Also even with those numbers I think the engine isn't as smooth in the GTI as I'm told there is a small but perceptible turbo lag, nothing like a Subaru I'm sure but another owner of a DSG has told me he feels it.

If money isn't an option I think the 135i in stock form beats the chipped GTI in performance easily and with some small suspension mods equals or betters its handling. Don't forget the brakes on the 135i are heroic.

All and all I'm not disappointed I didn't get a GTI over the 128i one bit but it has dawned on me that it cost a whole lot more.

Hope that helps.
Very good summation.

I happen to like the look of the GTI though.

The 135i brakes really are heroic.
After getting back into my 135i from the 328i loaner, the brake difference was night and day. At the second red light I came too, I applied the brakes like I did in the 328i, I had just dropped it off, and luckily there wasn't a car on my ass or he would have had a big bite of 135i rear end.
Bite and clamping force is awesome.
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      09-17-2010, 11:15 PM   #47
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128 = GTi when it comes to performance
GTi > 128 when it comes to hauling stuff
128 > GTi when it comes to styling

135 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GTi period

Too bad the US doesn't get the 130i hatchback. That would be an interesting comparison. ~250hp 1 series 3door hatch vs GTi.

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      09-17-2010, 11:25 PM   #48
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dOOde....not the green rims!
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      09-17-2010, 11:28 PM   #49
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Originally Posted by MarkR171 View Post
128 = GTi when it comes to performance
GTi > 128 when it comes to hauling stuff
128 > GTi when it comes to styling

135 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GTi period

Too bad the US doesn't get the 130i hatchback. That would be an interesting comparison. ~250hp 1 series 3door hatch vs GTi.

But, it's so FUGLY!

I just can't accept that a 1 series can look so ugly.
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      09-18-2010, 12:21 AM   #50
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Totally different league of car. The 135i is head and shoulders above the GTI. I test drove both, and no I'm not a VW hater. I've had Jettas in the family since I was young and love them. The GTI is a good car, in its price range.

Also, the 128i is a chick car. Get the 135i
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      09-18-2010, 12:37 AM   #51
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Also, the 128i is a chick car. Get the 135i
Careful, your insecurity is showing.
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      09-18-2010, 12:59 AM   #52
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Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob View Post
Careful, your insecurity is showing.
So is yours
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      09-18-2010, 01:58 AM   #53
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So is yours
Touché.

I just hate this whole "chick car" nonsense. Like your manhood is really at stake when car shopping. Seems like a pretty immature way to approach life.
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      09-18-2010, 01:58 AM   #54
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Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob View Post
Touché.

I just hate this whole "chick car" nonsense. Like your manhood is really at stake when car shopping. Seems like a pretty immature way to approach life.
I know what you mean, my last car was an SLK
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      09-18-2010, 09:42 AM   #55
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I agree with the collective and admit that the MK VI GTI is a great car for the money. Being a hot hatch comes with compromises, and the 200 HP engine in a sea of 250^ motors in the competition leave the GTI a little lacking IMHO. A trip to an APR dealer for a little bit of tuning solves that problem... but cost an extra 500-1000 dollars to get the car that should have come from the factory. In comparison, my 2011 135i w/DCT feels faster, better planted, better interior and electronics straight from the dealer. Sure, the BMW cost more than the GTI, but it is worth it!!!
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      09-18-2010, 09:44 AM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob View Post
Touché.

I just hate this whole "chick car" nonsense. Like your manhood is really at stake when car shopping. Seems like a pretty immature way to approach life.
that statement just explained %90 of the lifted 4x4s in the Pacific Northwest. I hate hearing when a truck is called a "rig", it just irks me!
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      09-18-2010, 11:19 AM   #57
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Lol, a "rig." I know what you mean.

With the "chick car" comment, what I meant was that the 1 series looks somewhat feminine without the 135i flare. The 1 series is a decent series of car, but the main attraction is the N54/N55, 135i brakes, and suspension. Without that, the car isn't much to talk about. Especially with a price differential of only ~6k.

I'm not trying to put down anyone, hence the smiley in my last post.
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      09-18-2010, 12:37 PM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milligan View Post
With the "chick car" comment, what I meant was that the 1 series looks somewhat feminine without the 135i flare.
That's overstating a bit on the appearance. From 100 yards are so, most people can't immediately tell the difference. I'm still training myself to notice the 128i vs. 135i coupe differences.
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      09-18-2010, 01:12 PM   #59
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The differences are actually pretty obvious unless the 128 has the M-Sport package. Then it's just the wheels, exhaust tips, brakes, badges, kidney grille and fog lights. (And headlights or moon roof unless the 128 has those optioned.)
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      09-18-2010, 02:53 PM   #60
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Most people can't tell the 128 from the 135, but when it comes to purchasing, my opinion is that most women buyers have little interest in paying extra for more horsepower so they get 128is. Doesn't matter to me except these also tend to be the clueless ones and not 1addicts so the car's abilities are never truly appreciated.
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      09-18-2010, 04:03 PM   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hops128i View Post
That's overstating a bit on the appearance. From 100 yards are so, most people can't immediately tell the difference. I'm still training myself to notice the 128i vs. 135i coupe differences.
100 yards? Most people probably couldn't tell what brand it is at that range lol. Its pretty obvious to anyone that's interested in cars.
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      09-18-2010, 09:03 PM   #62
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I had a VW Eos for 3 years before the 125i. The car has the same 2.0T engine as the Golf GTI V and was a manual on factory sport suspension and 18" wheels.

I have driven the Golf GTI V and VI and the Golf R. Price wise things are a little different here in Australia with the following as base prices before on road costs and options (Manufactures RRP, both Golfs are 3 door versions and all are manuals) -

Golf GTI Mk VI $39,000AUD($36,543USD)
Golf R Mk VI $48,500AUD($45,444USD)
BMW 125i $55,400AUD($51,910USD)
BMW 135i $72,800AUD($68,213USD)

So here in Australia price really has a much larger impact on one's decisions, having said that I could have bought the 135i convertible but the price difference between my optioned 125i convertible and a 135i convertible would still have been $14,000AUD($13,118USD). Specification wise I missed out on Electric seats and Xenons which are standard on the 135i and the turbo and brakes obviously.

Now I live 6km for the center of Sydney and 98% of my driving is around town. I would very rarely take long trips outside of the city. In this context for me the 125i does everything that a 135i does apart from being about .5 sec slower to 60km/h away from the lights. The best car I ever owner was a Lotus Elise which was my daily driver for 4 years. Yes I do have certain masochistic tendencies

Now this car had about 120hp and a top speed of 208km/h(129mph). But it was FUN. Now my personal preference is to attack a quiet twisting piece of tarmac then charge down the quarter mile in the shortest time possible and hence large V8 muscle cars have never been my thing and I prefer RWD over FWD, normally aspirated over turbos and manual over automatic or DSG/DCT.

I genuinely enjoy the physical and mental aspects of driving. I look at most drivers as ranging from people who enjoy the driving from A to B in the same way as a round of Golf is a physical and mental exercise and those who get into the buggy and drive from the first tee to the clubhouse without swinging a single club. It is a sliding scale and depending on the day we all fit somewhere between driver and operator and it is a variable thing.

To me it is about feedback and interaction. This is not always about being the fastest around the track or down the road. The Elise and the Mazda MX5 are all about this and while the MX5 or Miata is derided as girls car I suspect that it is by people who have never driven one and obviously down the freeway is not the environment I am talking about.

Now the Golf GTI is a very good car. But for steering feel I have yet to drive any FWD car that steers as well as a good RWD setup. The blown four also cannot compete with the straight six heading towards the red line in either engine or exhaust sound. I prefer the manual gear change feel of the BMW to the cable linkage of the VW. The impression of engineering depth that is in all the minor controls in both the way they move and feel and how all their actions require a similar effort.

I also don't miss that front axel tramp that could effect the Eos and GTI when given a boot full off the line on broken tarmac or in the wet although I haven't driven a Mk VI with the electronic diff lock in the wet so it is probably better. A couple of brief flashes from the DSC warning light as the BMW accelerates forward with intent is a lot neater. I find the BMW gives me more feedback about what is happening between the vehicle and the surface it is travelling over. The flip side of this is that the secondary ride is not as plush but I did chose the M Sport suspension which is available here with or without the M Sport kit and as a delete option even with the M Sport kit.

Is the 125i a better drivers car than the GTI, in my case yes because in the things that I look for in a car it does a better job. Likewise down an unfamiliar piece of tightly twisting broken tarmac it would be as much fun and probably just as quick as the 135i.

But there again as I have been talking about my feeling it is probably just as well I drive a girls car
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      09-18-2010, 10:37 PM   #63
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Quote:
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100 yards? Most people probably couldn't tell what brand it is at that range lol. Its pretty obvious to anyone that's interested in cars.
Please enlighten me to differences I'm curious. My initial point, was the general appearance of the 128i vs 135i is not dramatically different.
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      09-18-2010, 11:06 PM   #64
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The best car I ever owner was a Lotus Elise which was my daily driver for 4 years. Yes I do have certain masochistic tendencies
why did you get rid of the Lotus? I thought about getting a used one, they really depreciate. I saw a few few low mileage 2005's for the price of a new 128i.
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      09-18-2010, 11:20 PM   #65
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I just traded up from an '08 R32 to a 135i and the difference is dramatic and amazing. The car is so complete as a small performance coupe and confidence inspiring on the road. The biggest difference is the car makes no excuses, and dosn't require a trip to an APR tuner to get Stage I to feel complete. DCT is very similar to DSG, but I don't expect to get a letter about recalls for the transmission any time soon. I love the torque band of the N55 engine, and with the DCT it feels like it is never caught in the wrong gear, just a solid thrust of acceleration when you stomp he go pedal. Remember that BMW is very anti tuner, so don't be the guy that loses his warranty when something bad happens! IMHO, the 135i is a superior performance coupe that will not disappoint you!!

Funny you mention that because I too traded in an '08 MKV R32 for a 135i 'vert. Although I don't have the DCT (just the regular auto), the shifts are still reasonably fast. Nowhere near as fast as the R32, but to your point about the recalls and then the awful jerkiness, I'm definitely a fan of the 135i's overall performance.

The R32 was definitely a lot slower, esp. on the top end. Not that it wasn't quick, but it just lacked the authority of the N54 engine. The exhaust, however, was better than in the 135i.

Yet, I still miss my R32. If I had more space, I would have kept it as a daily driver and used my 135i as a weekend car (which it pretty much is anyway). The R32's AWD would have come in handy this winter. My 135i will be staying in the garage for most of that time.
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      09-19-2010, 12:13 AM   #66
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I was no longer a single man but I had a single garage/parking space

I had a 1997 Elise... the original car and loved it. It was $70,000AUD back then and I sold it 4 years later for $55,000 so it was good for depreciation here in Australia.

As a second car I would have another one tomorrow and drove a 2010 Elise S before I bought the 125i, it was as much fun as I remembered but with the addition of air con as standard which on a Sydney summer's day with the Temp at 40 degrees Celsius would have been greatly appreciated. While my heart said yes my head said it was just not practical.

They are certainly an acquired taste and if you go into the ownership experience without your eyes open you will be probably be disappointed. As far as a driving experience goes then you get it all, sublime steering, great performance, reasonable running costs and something not many other cars have, that lack of inertia that makes it so responsive.

The downsides well, if you have a certain body shape or lack of flexibility then you will not get into the car with the roof on. The ride is always noisy whether from the engine, the exhaust or the suspension, usually all three. The actual ride is okay but it just sounds worse than it is, especially over broken tarmac. You will be eye level with the running boards of SUVs with all that entails and people, both pedestrians and other drivers, will not expect you to arrive at corners without slowing down much at suburban speeds which means they will be always be in your way.

The car is hand built by English guys which is either a pro or a con depending on your point of view. But faced with a choice of the short or the long way home on anything other than a rainy day or night you would always go the long way.

You either get it or you don't but I can't think of another car that will give the grin factor for your dollar. It is not about the brute horsepower of a muscle car or about the technology of and STI or an EVO it is about you reading the information from your eyes, fingertips and your butt and you get that flow and a rhythm going with hands and feet that makes you want to just laugh out loud as you wind down after a blast down your favourite bit of tarmac.

But the big plus with the Elise is that you don't have to be travelling at 'rip up your licence' and 'throw you in jail' speeds to have fun. That information flow is always there not filtered away by the guys in Noise Vibration and Harshness like most modern machinery.

The original car was a mix of old and very advanced engineering. Manual steering,transmission and brakes with no ABS or traction control and no airbags. Wind up windows, manual mirrors and no sun visors. Bonded aluminium chassis with a light weight body and carbon fibre parts for the self assembled roof and on the early cars like mine carbon aluminium brake discs. It weighed 675kg(1485lbs) with all fluids as against the current car which is 873kg.

But it is a car for people that get 'it' and if you look at the Elise and say 'but' then just move on folks there is nothing to see here
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