BMW 135i coupe --FIRST OFFICIAL PRESS PHOTOS and North American Press Release! AdvEvo

[BForbes]

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I LOVE the quality of these pics. Its amazing how nice the rear looks in comparison to the first set of grainy pics we got.

[WolfsburgerMitFries]

Well I'm glad to see that BMW has at least added a temperature gauge to the Coupe instrumentation within the tachometer. Strangely, it appears to be an oil temperature gauge rather than a coolant tamperature gauge. I wonder if the added oil temperature gauge is a 135i exclusive due to the turbo heat.

[NBCGLX]

Holy F, thank you BMW! I'm in love... Opened a "get a 135i" bank account today!

[SCA]

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

Well I'm glad to see that BMW has at least added a temperature gauge to the Coupe instrumentation within the tachometer. Strangely, it appears to be an oil temperature gauge rather than a coolant tamperature gauge. I wonder if the added oil temperature gauge is a 135i exclusive due to the turbo heat.

The oil temp gauge is also in the 335s.

Edit: The last 535 I was in did not have it.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by TheUltimateDriver

The oil temp gauge is also in the 335s.

And 328....

[SCA]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

And 328....

Seems to be spotty. Seen some with and some without. Do not know what that is all about? :iono:

[Propagator]

Can someone please tell me how black leatherette is more "upscale" than two tone cloth/leather seats? I was really hoping to get the two tone seats here in the US.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by TheUltimateDriver

Seems to be spotty. Seen some with and some without. Do not know what that is all about? :iono:

Not sure about that...

BMW has changed the actual gauge though--mine goes up to 300--the middle of the range is 210. This was changed and now the guage goes up to 350 I think--so people aren't freaked out about the car "running" hotter than what might be considered normal...

Thought that was kind of funny....

[Deutsch]

The more I look @ it the more I like it. It looked slightly tele-tubby-ish at first glance, but the more I look @ it the more it looks like a baby bimmer should: a coupe version of the 1er with a little inspiration from the past. The rear spoiler bugs me a little bit, looks a tad over designed and exaggerated in its intent. The interior is typical 1er range, not very eventful but just enough of what you need. I can only speak for myself, but I know I wouldn't be buying a Bimmer for the depth of it's interior design, at least at this end of the model spectrum, I'm buying a 1er coupe because I want a unique BMW, a pure BMW. Something that's been lost for so long but has been found once again here w/ the new 1er coupe. Amen to that. :thumbup:

[larry lawless]

Originally Posted by Brookside

Same here Spud & 2K. These are indeed the first.
They are from AdvEvo and I just started a thread for him- natch I put it in the wrong category!
I agree....the car looks perfecto. I knew that these would be out today-
tho where AdvEvo got these isn't known, I suspect we will be swamped with new photos today and friday.
Harold will be busy.:wink: :wink:

Couldn't agree with u guys more

[Deutsch]

Sorry if I've skipped a crucial bit of said info, but is I drive std. fare in the 1er coupe? The BMW NA PR made it sound that way.

[WolfsburgerMitFries]

Originally Posted by spinzero

Can someone please tell me how black leatherette is more "upscale" than two tone cloth/leather seats? I was really hoping to get the two tone seats here in the US.

Sure that's an easy one. Leather is a natural product with inconsistent composition. Automotive grade leather is rather low quality...an artificial surface layer is laminated on top of the cheap leather to cover defects in the leather and color it. Over a comparatively short amount of time, the colored synthetic surface layer cracks and seperates in relation to the poor quality leather beneath. Here's a picture of the side bolsters of the sport seats in my 1999 328is showing exactly the type of failure I'm talking about.

I'm not a big heavy guy, I do treat my leather regularly, and my car stays in the shade most of the time.

So here's the reality. Leather is an imagined luxury like a stinky cigar. You've been conditioned to think leather=luxury, but in reality, leather = short lifespan and overpriced ripoff. Modern vinyl is good looking and most people cannot tell the difference between the 2. I got a ton of compliments about the "leather" in my first BMW (E30), when it was really vinyl. The reason why most people cannot tell the difference between the 2 is that the thick synthetic color layer applied to leather is not significantly different in texture to vinyl. The real difference between the 2 appears several years down the road as the vinyl continues to look fine long after leather cracks and goes to hell...I don't care how many times you spray it with Lexol. Vinyl is the real luxury, trouble free durability is the real luxury.

[Tijuana]

Originally Posted by onehots2k

This orange color is growing on me... can't wait to see it in AW.

Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been waiting for the 1er since the first photoshop of the "M2" appeared on the cover of Automobile. I have to say I am very excited about driving the 135i in the not too distant future.

[ZweierCoupe]

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

Over a comparatively short amount of time, the colored synthetic surface layer cracks and seperates in relation to the poor quality leather beneath.

...

So here's the reality. Leather is an imagined luxury like a stinky cigar. You've been conditioned to think leather=luxury, but in reality, leather = short lifespan and overpriced ripoff.

I've had the feeling that BMW's leather is not as good as that of some other manufacturers. My car's black leather is indeed rather cracked. Even worse, one of the seams tore. By contrast, the vinyl interior I had in my E30 many years ago looked just like leather, was easier to take care of, and stayed great looking for much longer. In my experience fabric interiors (though they look rather nice when they're new) are by far the worst of all options after owning the car a few years and ought to be regarded as substandard. Probably the best thing you can get nowadays for the money is Alcantara (the trade name of a product made in Italy, based on a Japanese patent). I do think that BMW should offer Alcantara as standard interior, as is the case with most European Porsches.

It's a shame that the initial release photos (which, like Playboy pictures, appear doctored) feature that awful new red color. In some photos it has a hint of brown-orange-tan-cinnamon to it, while in most others there's a clear perception of purple reflections. That red color also doesn't match well with the color of the tail lights. Somehow it seems that the final design of the headlamps could still be subject to small modifications. For instance, the top part of the clear plastic headlight cover seems to have a crease to make its surface align better with that of the sloping hood. I can imagine that in future iterations this crease could become more pronounced, thus making the vertical surface farther below appear to be smaller and make the overall appearance more natural. Also, perhaps the final version will feature some orange-amber plastic reflector material in the corners, a look that I personally prefer. It's hard to discern whether the side mirrors have a small area reserved for blinking lights, which I've seen on a test version vehicle.

While the stance of the car in the newest release photos may look OK, don't forget that they depict the top-of-the-line version. It's not clear whether the cheaper four-cylinder versions available in Europe will make the coupé look as dumb and dorky as those bad quality indoor pictures released earlier this week.

Too bad BMW is offering this car with the intentionally de-tuned 230 horsepower engine for North America. It's almost as if this were a calculated insult. The difference in horsepower between the proper 3.0 liter engines (i.e. with and without turbo, 272 vs. 306) is likely the same gap as there will be between the turbo and M-power 3.0 liter versions.

This car will certainly feature prominently at the opening of the BMW Welt, where it will likely be juxtaposed beside the 2002. I think the very same bright orange and bright yellow colors from back then in the new coupé ought to be a big hit among the old-time enthusiasts, who will have waited for three decades. I'm not quite sure why the rear diffuser has to be in gray rather than the body color.

I hope that BMW doesn't get greedy on the pricing, the way Porsche has in general, but particularly with its 2.7 liter Cayman. It's much better to induce high demand (include some cannabalization of 3 series cars) through reasonable pricing than to scare away potential new customers by insisting on higher margins. The Leipzig factory is one of the world's most flexible from a production logistics perspective and ought to be able to cope with potential record demand, as was the case with MINI. Throughout Germany, individual purchases of vehicles (i.e. not company buys) have been down considerably compared with last year, due in part to the raising of taxes and the completely senseless CO2 hype and related discussions about potential CO2 taxes to replace the traditional volume based considerations. Anyway, some of that pent-up demand is possibly being reserved for this coupé and the new Audi A4, both of which will debut in Frankfurt this September.

[SCA]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

Not sure about that...

BMW has changed the actual gauge though--mine goes up to 300--the middle of the range is 210. This was changed and now the guage goes up to 350 I think--so people aren't freaked out about the car "running" hotter than what might be considered normal...

Thought that was kind of funny....

So your car was built prior to March 2007? That is when the gauge increased. I think it went to 310 or 320. I'd have to look. In the past 210 was typically considered the ideal operating temperature.

[Auto]

NEW PICS!

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=536

[GreenMonster]

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

I don't know about that, I looked up the rear tire at the Tire Rack to get a feel for the cost of consumables, and there were no runflats listed at all in that size. Didn't bother looking up the front. That's very bad, limited availability and no competing manufacturers usually = outrageous prices.

I didn't catch the runflat tire detail in the annoucement... Are we sure that the 1-series is coming with runflats ?? Or just assuming since some other BMW's have 'em ??

There's a chrome looking bit in the trunk, that might be for a cargo tie down, but could also be a handle to access the spare tire (notice the center portion is separate from the sides) :iono:



<--- doesn't like runflats and knows how to change a tire... but runflats probably won't stop me from considering the 1-series as my next car.

[imported_MPower]

My current car had run-flats and I actually thought they were great. I had a puncture once and you could drive easily to the nearest dealer (who repaired the tire, FYI). The only problem, in my eyes, is the cost. But that doesnt bother me because then I just replace them with normal tires and buy a can of Fix-a-flat. Job done.

[WolfsburgerMitFries]

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

I didn't catch the runflat tire detail in the annoucement... Are we sure that the 1-series is coming with runflats ?? Or just assuming since some other BMW's have 'em ??

There's a chrome looking bit in the trunk, that might be for a cargo tie down, but could also be a handle to access the spare tire (notice the center portion is separate from the sides) :iono:

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the battery location has been moved from the traditional rear side location to the rear center. That's why there's an accessible door. Would make for better balance and you could place the battery lower for lower center of gravity.

There's a technolological development related to the brake energy regeneration and alternator management that everyone should be aware of...that would be the AGM (absorbent glass mat) battery that is required in this application. It may be a tad bit bigger than a traditional lead acid battery. Here's a link if you're not familiar with this technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agm_battery

[jt328i]

Originally Posted by ZweierCoupe

Too bad BMW is offering this car with the intentionally de-tuned 230 horsepower engine for North America. It's almost as if this were a calculated insult. The difference in horsepower between the proper 3.0 liter engines (i.e. with and without turbo, 272 vs. 306) is likely the same gap as there will be between the turbo and M-power 3.0 liter versions.

I wouldn't feel too bad about this. This is the same de-tuned N52 that BMW NA uses in the 328i sedan and coupe, the 528i, the X3, and X5. Only the 3.0si models get the full 260HP, and they use them in the big X3 and X5 which quite frankly need it. I don't know if I would calll it an insult, but it's definitely deliberate. A 40HP difference between a full 260HP 128i and a 300HP 135i wouldn't be enough to justify what will likely be a minimum $5000 difference. That's thay way it is with the 3-series, so I wouldn't expect anything different with the 1-series. After all, you wouldn't want to shell out the extra money for a 135i and only have a 40HP advantage over a "lowly" 128i. By the way, I don't think a 128i is lowly, that's the one I'm going go for regardless of cost.

[SCA]

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the battery location has been moved from the traditional rear side location to the rear center. That's why there's an accessible door. Would make for better balance and you could place the battery lower for lower center of gravity.

The E90 and E92s also have that. There is storage compartment under there. It is larger on the 325, 328, and 330s. The 335s is smaller due to the dual separate exhaust (2 cans). I think the battery location will probably be on the right side (rear).

BMW is moving to RFTs on all it's models except the M Cars.

[kartricer]

Am I the only one who thinks it's really ugly? It looks more like a new Hyundai Accent than a new BMW.