The 135 is boring.

[mistermojorizin]

"Also Consider:
• 2009 Subaru WRX
• E46 BMW M3
• E39 BMW M5
• 2009 Chevy Corvette
• 996 Porsche 911
• Lotus Elise SC and packing lightly
• 1990 BMW 325is w/springs and dampers; Yokohama AVS Intermediates; K&N filter; chip; exhaust; rebuilt engine and gearbox; $36,000 in your pocket."

WTF?

why would I look at 325i or wrx? and why didn't he put z4m coupe as an option?

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by gio

He should have gotten active steering. It makes it way more fun.

no it does not, it still lacks feel

[avus]

i find the replies and reactions to the 1 series most intriguing -- and it makes me come to the conclusion that maybe those that complain of boredom are not fully exploiting the capabilities of the vehicle

it reminds me of my experiences of serious off-roading in my Range Rover.
while other older Landies 'toughed it out' with mechanical diff-locks, no air conditioning, no radios, no leather seats -- they were surprised that i could meet and exceed all the capabilites of said Landies (excluding the seriously modified ones) in my stock Range Rover with mud tires. likewise, it made them reassess that maybe the venerable "no pain - no gain" mentality might need to be updated

when off-roading, my Range Rover pushes me well beyond my ability level and provides me another level of visceral excitement above the rudimentary 'driver feel' or seat-of-pants sensation -- all while being enveloped with luxury features

for me, the 135 is the same type of creature. i am constantly thrilled in finding the break-away points in wet and dry conditions, the braking limits, etc. believe me, when reaching the performance limits of this car the level of excitement is intoxicating. when you're not pushing those limits, it is a perfectly acceptable GT.

[VFX]

Originally Posted by avus

i find the replies and reactions to the 1 series most intriguing -- and it makes me come to the conclusion that maybe those that complain of boredom are not fully exploiting the capabilities of the vehicle

I disagree...

IMO, a truly great driver's car will entertain you at all levels of it's capabilities.

If a car is only entertaining if you push it to it's limits then what fun is it for 99% of the time?

In fact almost ANY vehicle will become 'not boring' if you're really nailing it's limits!

.

[ptack]

Actually, I think anyone who owns a 135i and is dissappointed in the performance is -well - pretty stupid. They obviously didn't test the car thoroughly enough before buying. To expect 2-seater Porsche or Lotus handling in BMW's "entry level" line of coupes is foolish. The car isn't supposed to be a track machine. It's aimed at people who can afford 1 car which needs to serve practical purposes. I you wanted a raw sports car you should have used more sense and looked elsewhere. You're especially foolish if you could have actually afforded an M3 or Caymen S. The fact that a 135i comes close to those cars in abilities is icing on the cake, not a promise to make the driver into Michael Schumacher.

[imported_mega]

entry level bmw LOL my ass

[JB135i]

Originally Posted by ptack

Actually, I think anyone who owns a 135i and is dissappointed in the performance is -well - pretty stupid. They obviously didn't test the car thoroughly enough before buying. To expect 2-seater Porsche or Lotus handling in BMW's "entry level" line of coupes is foolish. The car isn't supposed to be a track machine. It's aimed at people who can afford 1 car which needs to serve practical purposes. I you wanted a raw sports car you should have used more sense and looked elsewhere. You're especially foolish if you could have actually afforded an M3 or Caymen S. The fact that a 135i comes close to those cars in abilities is icing on the cake, not a promise to make the driver into Michael Schumacher.

I am one that IS disappointed, and I am definately not stupid. I resent you saying as such.

Just because you love (apparently) doesn't mean all of us have to.

I readily admitted that I should have driven the car longer, which makes me impatient for sure, but not stupid.

I also admitted to relying on posts here and briefly mentioned one magazine article, again impatience led me to the purchase and not stupidity.

If I would have seen a thread similar to this one before I bought the car I would likely have not bought the car. But all looked well, at that time, but after living with the car, meh.

****

To Avus:

I assure you I know how to push a car and have pushed the 135i past it's limit's (handling, not top speed). And this is the territory, FOR ME where it's actually the most disappointing. At about 80% it's decent, after that it gets vague and unpredictable, you just never know when or how it's going to let go on you. AGAIN, back to my "feel of isolation" theme.

Is it going to push, sometimes it does, sometimes it grabs? What RPM am I at? Don't know because of the lack of sound and lack of tactile feedback. I had an autocross student observe during a run where I was driving, that he was amazed how close I got to redline in my S2000 EVERY shift, knowing there was noway I could be looking at the tach. This is impossible (for me anyway) to do in the 135i.

The brakes are great, but with the Dynamic Brake Control DSC as seen on page 66 of the electonic version of the manual, you often have an on/off switch type effect, rather than a progressive feel to the brakes.

Again (and again) I for one am not saying it's a bad car and more power to you if you love or like it. I think it's important to post up ALL opinions and observations, not just ones that are favorable.

I KNOW I am in the minority here and that's cool, but I think my opinions that I have spelled out here are done with respect and backed up with some detail as well.

The 1Addicts community is great with very few exceptions. Always helpful, and full of passion, with a great mod team as well.

P.S. If you don't like my opinions please feel free to put me on the ignore list, you can do this in the user control panel. That will not stop quotes from showing (I don't think). But you will also miss some outstanding political commentary and some minor but helpful DIY posts I have made.

Or you can wait for 1.5/2 years before I trade the 135i and become a lurker like I am on the S2000, EVO, STi boards.

[imported_mega]

have you replaced the tires with real tires yet?

Most of what you describe is those damn runflats

[drand]

Originally Posted by EspressoBoy

El Bulli is and has been rated the best restaurant in the world for a few years now. The food from there is well I'll let you read about it yourself...

http://www.theworlds50best.com/2008_list.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Bulli

It's what most if not all Chef's dream of.... To be El Bulli... and that's no bull.

I was comparing it to food.

Corolla = good old family meal....
BMW 1 = like an El Bulli tasting menu, wine pairing, food that didn't exist before... not boring!

My wife and I ate at El Bulli while on our honeymoon in April of last year.

While I do love my one I do agree with some of the issues which have been raised. It isn't the perfect all around car that I think some people hope it would have been, but personally I wouldn't trade it for anything else available at the moment.

With that said, I can't quite compare the 1 to El Bulli. If a car can be compared to El Bulli, there is only one which is currently made which makes the cut and that would be the Veyron.

Our dinner at El Bulli was composed of 32 courses over 4 1/2 hours. We experienced food that I never thought possible (strawberries that had their exteriors freeze dried so that they were hard and crunchy but the interiors were perfect, only significantly jucier than normal and at an average world-class resturant that might be it but this being El Bulli they were topped with a dash of wasabi-incredible) but at the same time it isn't food that I could eat everyday.

I would describe the 1 as fun, maybe not as fun as in an ideal world, but the sort of fun that I can have on a daily basis in what has always been a very boring commute.

[uofmtiger]

It isn't the perfect all around car that I think some people hope it would have been, but personally I wouldn't trade it for anything else available at the moment.

There is no perfect all around car. Many people do not want the rough riding cars that many people compare with the 1 series. Many people do not want a car that is ultra-small like the s2000 or Miata. Many people want do not want to trade safety for performance. Many people do not want the crappy interiors of some of the 1's competition. Many people do not want to worry about the maintence of a used luxury car like a Porche or M3...

For me, the 1 series is the perfect compliment of size, luxury, and performance. A fantastic daily driver. My favorite combination will never be everyone's cup of tea. Some people want something more cushy and others want something more tossable.

Of course, like I mentioned, this guy's review is one of the very few that have such huge problems with the 135i. The issue with it being extremely overpriced seems to be more of a hater comment than anything that reflects reality. I would not put a standard Subaru WRX in the same league as a BMW 135i...but maybe I am biased...I did not even consider a Subaru when I bought my car.

[Spook]

If I had discovered that I missed the characteristics of my pure sports car and that my performance daily driver really wasn't what I had in mind, I would think I would spend the $'s on the suspension mods, sway bar, wheels and tires before I ditched the car and replaced it with a new one. It is intuitively obvious that this car is not a 997 or a Cayman S or a Lotus, but if I understand the feedback from those who have done the handling mods, significant improvements are available. And if that won't do and you're real requirement was for one of these purpose built machines, that's fine but I really don't see how you ended up in a 1 series unless you bought it without driving it and before the reviews were out which puts the whole thing in a somewhat different light.

Now as for fun. I'm a little tired of reviewers (and the occasional poster) that want to identify themselves as so true and pure that they will only be satisfied by the rarified atmosphere of top (and less practical) sports machines or just can't understand why BMW doesn't reissue the E30 M3 for under $30K. I suppose that mustangs, camaros, Audi S5/A5's, Audi S4/A4's, BMW M3's, BMW 335, BMW 5xx, Mercedes Cxx, Lexus IS350, Infiniti G37 and anything else that is in the GT class is simply boring. No fun. Snooze. Well, it seems millions of people think they are fun so you'll have to excuse me if I find myself discounting your position.

Spook

[imported_SpeedDemon]

I agree that the 135i is boring, but so is just about every other BMW for really hard core driving until you throw some modifications on it. The 135i begs for a limited slip differential and some really nice coils, but so does my '05 330Ci ZHP, and so did my E36s, and from what I remember... so did the E30s.

My point is simply that, BMWs are made first and foremost for the masses (unless they are an M car), and the point of that is that they are supposed to be engineered for what 90% of the drivers on the road are going to want. BMW figures (and correctly if I might add) that anyone who wants more performance, will add it to the cars on their own.

[josh]

To me, going from an E36 M3 to a 135i has been a real letdown in all aspects of performance, especially handling feel. Honestly, to me the 135i is a disappointment.
With a car like the E36 M3 under their belt, I would have thought BMW would have gone forward, and they did with electronics doo-dads and the like, but not with the basic handling that I enjoyed so much.

[pit1]

I also have to agree on some level. The car is a bit too complicated compared to it's predecessors. I had an E30 in high school and spent quite a bit of time behind the wheel of my Pop's E36 M3. I LOVE the 135i, I do think it's the best car BMW makes, but it still lacks the rawness of the older BMWs. The E30 was simply perfect, the E36 added a touch of luxury and touring ability. (I still remember reading a R&T article about the E36 M3 suspension and the driver's ability to feel the front wheels rolling over a quarter.) The E46 came around and diluted the Ultimate Driving machine with soft suspensions and rubbery steering. BMWs are still fantastic and miles ahead of the market, but I also would have liked to see a more raw similarities to the 2002 and E30 era.

[robboblobbo]

My two cents (for what it's worth) is that the 135i is an exciting car to drive and, coming from a guy who could barely afford this car, an M3 might be nice but $80k isn't in my price range. And, the gas mileage on the M is crap. You get an awful lot of bang for the buck in fun and class with a 135i, and all sorts of performance add-ons if you choose. This is a cool car for someone like me.

[EspressoBoy]

angkor, I was exaggerating!

I agree with you totally. (just trying to make a point)

Nice to know I am not the only one who likes fine dining! Have you tried any other places?

I can bitch about the car too...
but....
I can bitch about my loved ones too...
but...
love is blind!!!!

I love 1!

OK it's a car, but damn it's nice.

I just parked it the other day late at night, under the parking lot lights. It rained... as the lights beamed down... The car just beams back up! Ohhh! It was the best looking car in the whole parking lot! AW Coral with tint is so cool. I know too many ppl have this colour combination, but when I drive it, I don't see their car! I guess everyone who has it, has good taste.

EspressoBoy

[mtla4]

The thing is that a lot of us bought the car without driving it first..because it wasnt out when we ordered them. On my side Im lurking more and more toward vintage cars god do I hate nannys and stuff. Id love a P-Car but its kinda flashy while the E90 M3 is stealth.
If I was Bmw I would :
-bring the 4 cylinder out and slap it in the 1 series(for the badge whores)
-Push people toward the 128
-Make the 135 an M car without the M badges(stiffer suspension,less insulation,make it pricer)

[whya1?]

Originally Posted by JB135i

I also agree, not joking.

It's going to be 79 degrees here today, light wind and partly sunny. I think I feel a tear forming up as I think about my now traded S2000...

I completely agree with you. I drove miatas for years and looked at getting an S2000 as well. The 1 series cannot compare with a lightweight convertible. Both cars tell you exactly what is going on and are very precise.

The problem with BMW is they try to be a jack of all trades and fail. You can't offer a comfortable car that is also a backroads carver that is lightweight yet practical. You and I both need two cars; a lightweight convertible and a practical hauling vehicle like a WRX.

The 1 is undoubtedly fast but it is vague and handles poorly, at least compared to our previous cars. To people who came from Camrys and other such pedestrian crap, the 1 series will seem outstanding. It is not but it is all about a matter of experience. If you ate nothing but dog food than McDonalds would seem amazing.

Don't waste your money getting another 40k automobile, get yourself another USED S2000 for 20k and a USED WRX for 15k and be happy.

And 40k for a 1 series is a ridiculous joke. Even 36k is bad.

[Spook]

Originally Posted by whya1?

Don't waste your money getting another 40k automobile, get yourself another USED S2000 for 20k and a USED WRX for 15k and be happy.

And 40k for a 1 series is a ridiculous joke. Even 36k is bad.

My last two cars were an E36 M3 and a WRX. The 1 series is faster than the M3 and you don't notice the handling differences until you start to lose grip. That is fixable with suspension bits. The WRX was bought to deal with snow.

So.. I did not come from a Camry and I doubt that most of the other posters here did if you look at the 'what did you own before' threads.

You suggest that a WRX and S2000 would be a better situation than a 135. Which one of these is going to be your daily driver? Which one is going to be for long trips? Which one is going to be your town car? The WRX is nice for the money but it's a raw choice and gets old every day. The S2000 is a nice sunny day car but what about when you're alongside a semi? Some like it for a daily car, most do not.

What do you like better for $36K? (what I paid for mine) An econobox and pure sports machine lacking in practical assets? Umm.. no thanks.

[ptack]

2 cars to insure and maintain - just so one of them can essentially be a toy. Unless you're rich enough not to care (in which case why by used cars?), that's the joke.

[Robert]

135i is loring

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by whya1?

I completely agree with you. I drove miatas for years and looked at getting an S2000 as well. The 1 series cannot compare with a lightweight convertible. Both cars tell you exactly what is going on and are very precise.

The problem with BMW is they try to be a jack of all trades and fail. You can't offer a comfortable car that is also a backroads carver that is lightweight yet practical. You and I both need two cars; a lightweight convertible and a practical hauling vehicle like a WRX.

The 1 is undoubtedly fast but it is vague and handles poorly, at least compared to our previous cars. To people who came from Camrys and other such pedestrian crap, the 1 series will seem outstanding. It is not but it is all about a matter of experience. If you ate nothing but dog food than McDonalds would seem amazing.

Don't waste your money getting another 40k automobile, get yourself another USED S2000 for 20k and a USED WRX for 15k and be happy.

And 40k for a 1 series is a ridiculous joke. Even 36k is bad.

i came from an 01 corvette and a g35. the 135 handles very well for having runflat tires. it rolls a bit but its got so much grip. the biggest problem is the 29.2 turbo lag, but the advantage is that for less than a grand you can make the car very fast.