BMW 135i coupe -- entire car exposed and confirmed 135i!!

WolfsburgerMitFries · 06-27-2007, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheUltimateDriver

I wonder why the trunk badge (135i) is so far to the left? It should be further to the right.

That "135i" badge looks like poor photoshop work to me.

c4r_dr1v3r · 06-27-2007, 06:05 AM

Hiya!

I actually love these wheels. But they aren't "M" wheels so I don't understand why they're fitted to a M-sport car... They're available on the 130i hatch as an optional here in Portugal and I always wondered how they'd look like with the M bumpers (but because they aren't considered to be sporty wheels the bmw configurator won't let you select both at same time). Now I know... a bit misplaced. They would look great on one of these: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468

Anyway, I'm loving the car! And I love this colour... just not on this photos!

02cruzer · 06-27-2007, 07:05 AM

tdc - thanks for the update on the "2-series" being dead. Hadn't heard that yet.

As for the 1 coupe. I still think the dark gray metallic is the color for me. I sure hope they have something that will lower the ride height a bit other than after market springs.

SCA · 06-27-2007, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

That "135i" badge looks like poor photoshop work to me.

Yup...

Brookside · 06-27-2007, 07:26 AM

Maybe a little heresy from me, but I don't think BMW did themselves any favors releasing these most recent front/back photos(assuming that they did and I think they did).
The move was too cute. Too inside, especially falling on the heels of the fantastic photos of the grey 135 and the Hans Stuck car.
The longer I looked, the worse I felt.

Yeah, we can see the car, but the quality of the photos are so bad it makes the car seem anemic. There's so much distortion the car looks thin as a rail, especially in the rear photo which I can't bring myself to look at anymore.

The rear end is much too busy, it's like everybody got to chip their favorite idea into the design- some of it looks like afterthought...cheap looking diffuser, the way the tailight curves downward and then upward..into what...an arrow shape?
Those headlights...all the drama of tape and fake hoods for regular 1-series bugeyes?
And I'm sick of the red color, the mixup with the wheels, the coy disguising of the center taillight. And the car rides so high it looks like it's setup for awd.

Enough. No more teases. I'd rather be deprived a coupla more days.
I wonder if these latest photos caused more second thoughts about the car rather than amping up the excitement?

dmboone25 · 06-27-2007, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danp

Back looks awful ! The colour doesn't help...but even so it's disjointed, like a lump of dough that happened to fall in the gap...

I will reserve final judgement for the press pics and of course when I see it in the flesh, and in a proper colour.

Sorry but that red sucks with a capital S !

That's close to what I thought--the middle part of the back end just doesn't come together that well. Now, if there is a third brake light on the lip of the trunk lid, it might help the rear end a lot. I cannnot see it like some others can...

And the wheels--

look like they are 16X6...Too small, too skinny, poor design. Again--I would buy CSL reps anyway, but you can only hope these aren't going to be the stock wheels for any model...

dmboone25 · 06-27-2007, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookside

Enough. No more teases. I'd rather be deprived a coupla more days.
I wonder if these latest photos caused more second thoughts about the car rather than amping up the excitement?

I agree--I actually feel much more reserved at this point than I did about a week ago--the overall lack of aggressiveness on the back end is very disappointing....

Kevin Schroeder · 06-27-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookside

Maybe a little heresy from me, but I don't think BMW did themselves any favors releasing these most recent front/back photos(assuming that they did and I think they did).
The move was too cute. Too inside, especially falling on the heels of the fantastic photos of the grey 135 and the Hans Stuck car.
The longer I looked, the worse I felt.

Yeah, we can see the car, but the quality of the photos are so bad it makes the car seem anemic. There's so much distortion the car looks thin as a rail, especially in the rear photo which I can't bring myself to look at anymore.

The rear end is much too busy, it's like everybody got to chip their favorite idea into the design- some of it looks like afterthought...cheap looking diffuser, the way the tailight curves downward and then upward..into what...an arrow shape?
Those headlights...all the drama of tape and fake hoods for regular 1-series bugeyes?
And I'm sick of the red color, the mixup with the wheels, the coy disguising of the center taillight. And the car rides so high it looks like it's setup for awd.

Enough. No more teases. I'd rather be deprived a coupla more days.
I wonder if these latest photos caused more second thoughts about the car rather than amping up the excitement?

I guess you're right with what you said concerning the latest photos - they could have braked the initial enthusiasm dedicated to them.

nonetheless the pics of the dark grey were really promising.

Let's wait and see...

danp · 06-27-2007, 08:00 AM

The hatch is no beauty - but looks better than the coupé IMHO, I might as well buy an '06 130i 5 door instead and save almost 50% on the 130 coupé...(which is about what you guys will be paying anyhow ;-) [a well equipped 130i is around 60k USD in the UK]

Genericuser1 · 06-27-2007, 08:35 AM

Some real quick and dirty shops in blue and black.

I do think I see a thin taillight near the top of the trunk but it's very hard to see with this color and the image quality.

SCA · 06-27-2007, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookside

[The rear end is much too busy, it's like everybody got to chip their favorite idea into the design- some of it looks like afterthought...cheap looking diffuser, the way the tailight curves downward and then upward..into what...an arrow shape?
Those headlights...all the drama of tape and fake hoods for regular 1-series bugeyes?
And I'm sick of the red color, the mixup with the wheels, the coy disguising of the center taillight. And the car rides so high it looks like it's setup for awd.

+1

I have never been a fan of the headlights on the 1-Series and I was hoping for some sort of a change to distant the coupe from the hatches.

Theses wheels look like shit, ala E90 328i wheels. Bring on the beefy 5 spokes! The M Technic goodies better be on the car standard or part of the Sport Pkg or it really will look Zzzzzzzzz.....boring! If that is the Sport Pkg ride height then it total sucks! Seriously, that is just pathetic!

Naturally like most of the new BMWs today it will drive/handle better than it looks. Based on appearance alone it is nothing spectacular.

My 0.02, My E90 SP looks far superior. The 1er coupe is almost bubbly and maybe to thin (pics?) I will have to reserve my final judgement on the car until I see it in person.

02cruzer · 06-27-2007, 09:11 AM

It does look better in the darker colors.

As for the wheels, I'll take some 18x7 or 8 any day over those wimpy wheels.

amdmaxx · 06-27-2007, 09:28 AM

ye, rear tires dont look wide enough for 300hp car..
If not, STi, here I come..

imported_gear_shift · 06-27-2007, 09:29 AM

Hi there! Been a reader for sometime but decided finally to register.

I'm the happy owner of a sparkling graphite 120d, no mods beside a ECU flash.

The wheels in these pics are 18x7, optional for the 1er since launch. They are not M parts, so i don't know what they're doing in a car with the M package.I bet the M-wheels will be much nicer.

Here is a picture from the 5dr 130i launch

dmboone25 · 06-27-2007, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 02cruzer

It does look better in the darker colors.

As for the wheels, I'll take some 18x7 or 8 any day over those wimpy wheels.

I would actually like to put some staggered 18's on the 1er--18X8.5 in the back, 18X8 in the front--decently aggressive offsets and it would really look nice.

ZweierCoupe · 06-27-2007, 10:50 AM

I also think the recent indoor photos were a deliberate and authorized leak. They're probably a trial balloon designed to get preliminary reactions from critical enthusiasts. BMW's stock price has been stagnating in comparison to the recent upswings at Porsche, VW, and Daimler, so this coupé is extremely important for BMW's future and the Leipzig factory utilization.

You can tell by the fact of this car essentially being introduced two years late (in my opinion the hatchback shouldn't have been brought out at all), that BMW is very apprehensive about its introduction. I think the incredible "excuse" (high sulphur content in American gasoline) we got for BMW's not having released the photos last week is actually because the engineers at the FIZ (Forschungs und Innvations Zentrum) here in Munich and their suppliers are working overtime to tweak the final shapes. Perhaps the final headlamp system design is still being worked out because it's pretty clear that what the indoor pictures show is just too ugly for official release.

Important influences on the general public perception (and reception) are the opinions and writings of the motoring enthusiast magazines (which tends to dwell on cars that more than 95% of the populatiuon can't afford anyway). When a sporty car that is relatively affordable for many people comes along, you can be sure that it will get heavily scrutinized, and many of these motoring journalists are relentless in their criticisms. Therefore, I think BMW is monitoring the opinions expressed on this board to get an idea of what the car enthusiast journalists may also think and publish with regard to the overall appearance of the car, as if though most people couldn't make up their own mind.

If first impressions and the so-called halo effect are so important the official press photo release will likely feature a much sportier version, maybe even with a new 18" wheel design, which would certainly be appropriate for the occasion. My personal guess is that white and gray will be among the colors in the initial press releases because white is getting to be more "in" and some have expressed favorable opinions about gray color. Personally, I think a special sporty initial edition in bright orange (like the 2002 model) with black interior ought to be a big hit too among enthusiasts, certainly much more preferable than that cinammon red (or whatever the name will be), which reminds me of cheap Hondas. Getting such bright orange cars on the streets initially would do a lot toward inspiring attention nd interest because this color is so rare nowadays and also stands out significantly in a sea of black and silver or gray metallic colored cars. In addition to the nostalic associations with the 2002, orange is also associated with the very sportiest and expensive Porsches and the Porsche Jägermeister racing team cars from a while back.

ezbst · 06-27-2007, 10:51 AM

First post here...

I've been curious about this car for years now. Now, having seen everything, all the renderings, spy shots and now the full car... my verdict is thumbs down.

This will not replace my E30 318is. The design is poor. I'm not a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, but when he said that the 1-series is 'crap', he wasn't far off the mark. I'm a die-hard BMW fan, but I'm not blind, so let's be honest... this is not the car you were waiting for - this is the car you will settle for. Because there isn't anything else out there.

Mark my words - this design will not age well at all. It's already an ugly duckling, and not in the kind way that an M Coupe is. Now, I am sure that it will drive great and be lots of fun. But personally, I am going to wait until the next-gen 1-er. Hopefully it will look a bit more like the rendering that adorns the header of this site.

spudw · 06-27-2007, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookside

The longer I looked, the worse I felt...
Enough. No more teases. I'd rather be deprived a coupla more days. I wonder if these latest photos caused more second thoughts about the car rather than amping up the excitement?

Don't give in Brook... You know they're only playing with us. Pleasure has to be tempered with a little pain. These photos are painful, in many respects, because they're poor quality and, with the color and the wheels and the too-high suspension settings, they're just a little off. It's kinda like looking at you're bride-to-be to be in a distorted mirror.... I'm sure BMW would love for us to hate these pictures... it'll make the launch much more dramatic...

ghotman906 · 06-27-2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfsburgerMitFries

That "135i" badge looks like poor photoshop work to me.

from my point of view, it looks legit. I know I would just debadge it as soon as i'd get the car regardles...

btw, does anyone think this car would look 10x better with smoked/black headlights w/ an amber corner light like in the 3series? or is it just me?

davidl · 06-27-2007, 11:47 AM

Been lurking for a while and this is my first post.
I am looking forward to this car and am hoping to replace my current e90 325 with it. It's just not as inspiring to drive. Hoping it will be as much fun to drive as my e30 318i was and my e34 M5 is. I am hoping the 135 will be able to serve double duty as a DD and track car also.

David

WolfsburgerMitFries · 06-27-2007, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghotman906

from my point of view, it looks legit. I know I would just debadge it as soon as i'd get the car regardles...

btw, does anyone think this car would look 10x better with smoked/black headlights w/ an amber corner light like in the 3series? or is it just me?

Well, since you asked...not really. Removing badges for no apparent reason, "smoking" lenses, installing big rims, lowered suspension is all very juvenile and just makes the owner look foolish and makes the car look ricetastic. Those modifications are what you do to an old piece of junk like a 1988 Golf when you're a kid with no money and can't afford to buy something new and nice like a BMW with a M-package.

When I sell my cars, they are 1 owner unmolested "survivors" that live in a garage. Sell a car that's been owned under those circumstances, and you get top dollar for it. People beat a path to your door for an unmolested original because so many people have made the mistake of ghettofying a car.

Just get the good engine, pay the extra money up front for the M-pak, or "ZHP" option (performance package) if offered and you want something distinctive. Leave debadgeing and smoked lenses to the children, because that's where it belongs.

Devon K · 06-27-2007, 11:59 AM

Interesting to catch the reaction of some regulars here as the veils of wishful illusion are gradually stripped from their eyes with the release of less-disguised photos... The design weaknesses obvious here were apparent (if less obvious) earlier but folks just didn't want to see them.

This backend reveal is one brutal shock. Not quite up there with the first Bangled 7 series rump but close. Combining the tall, square profile of the 1 coupe's rear together with the characterless rear lights and the awkward and unattractive cut of the trunk lid edges that create a "tacked on" appearance for the lid, the end result is classic mid-90's econobox styling a la Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Corolla....

And man does that ruler-straight crease along the side look ugly! I'm still hoping this looks a LOT better in person....

06-27-2007, 06:05 AM	#90
c4r_dr1v3r Enlisted Member 12 Rep 45 Posts Drives: Alfa Romeo 156 /Citroen Mehari Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Coventry / Lisbon iTrader: (0)	Hiya! I actually love these wheels. But they aren't "M" wheels so I don't understand why they're fitted to a M-sport car... They're available on the 130i hatch as an optional here in Portugal and I always wondered how they'd look like with the M bumpers (but because they aren't considered to be sporty wheels the bmw configurator won't let you select both at same time). Now I know... a bit misplaced. They would look great on one of these: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468 Anyway, I'm loving the car! And I love this colour... just not on this photos!
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06-27-2007, 07:05 AM	#91
02cruzer Enlisted Member 4 Rep 35 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jun 2007 iTrader: (0)	tdc - thanks for the update on the "2-series" being dead. Hadn't heard that yet. As for the 1 coupe. I still think the dark gray metallic is the color for me. I sure hope they have something that will lower the ride height a bit other than after market springs.
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06-27-2007, 07:26 AM	#93
Brookside Major 244 Rep 1,136 Posts Drives: 2016 228i M-Sport Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: KCMO iTrader: (0)	Maybe a little heresy from me, but I don't think BMW did themselves any favors releasing these most recent front/back photos(assuming that they did and I think they did). The move was too cute. Too inside, especially falling on the heels of the fantastic photos of the grey 135 and the Hans Stuck car. The longer I looked, the worse I felt. Yeah, we can see the car, but the quality of the photos are so bad it makes the car seem anemic. There's so much distortion the car looks thin as a rail, especially in the rear photo which I can't bring myself to look at anymore. The rear end is much too busy, it's like everybody got to chip their favorite idea into the design- some of it looks like afterthought...cheap looking diffuser, the way the tailight curves downward and then upward..into what...an arrow shape? Those headlights...all the drama of tape and fake hoods for regular 1-series bugeyes? And I'm sick of the red color, the mixup with the wheels, the coy disguising of the center taillight. And the car rides so high it looks like it's setup for awd. Enough. No more teases. I'd rather be deprived a coupla more days. I wonder if these latest photos caused more second thoughts about the car rather than amping up the excitement?
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06-27-2007, 08:00 AM	#97
danp Private 6 Rep 78 Posts Drives: Join Date: Mar 2007 iTrader: (0)	The hatch is no beauty - but looks better than the coupé IMHO, I might as well buy an '06 130i 5 door instead and save almost 50% on the 130 coupé...(which is about what you guys will be paying anyhow ;-) [a well equipped 130i is around 60k USD in the UK]
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06-27-2007, 08:35 AM	#98
Genericuser1 Captain 22 Rep 661 Posts Drives: M3 Convertible Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: usa iTrader: (0)	Some real quick and dirty shops in blue and black. I do think I see a thin taillight near the top of the trunk but it's very hard to see with this color and the image quality. Attached Images
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06-27-2007, 09:11 AM	#100
02cruzer Enlisted Member 4 Rep 35 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jun 2007 iTrader: (0)	It does look better in the darker colors. As for the wheels, I'll take some 18x7 or 8 any day over those wimpy wheels.
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06-27-2007, 09:28 AM	#101
amdmaxx My gift Registry: M2 119 Rep 1,432 Posts Drives: Future Mowner of Monster Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	ye, rear tires dont look wide enough for 300hp car.. If not, STi, here I come..
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06-27-2007, 09:29 AM	#102
imported_gear_shift New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jun 2007 iTrader: (0)	Hi there! Been a reader for sometime but decided finally to register. I'm the happy owner of a sparkling graphite 120d, no mods beside a ECU flash. The wheels in these pics are 18x7, optional for the 1er since launch. They are not M parts, so i don't know what they're doing in a car with the M package.I bet the M-wheels will be much nicer. Here is a picture from the 5dr 130i launch
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06-27-2007, 10:50 AM	#104
ZweierCoupe Private 9 Rep 82 Posts Drives: Join Date: Feb 2007 iTrader: (0)	Trial Balloon I also think the recent indoor photos were a deliberate and authorized leak. They're probably a trial balloon designed to get preliminary reactions from critical enthusiasts. BMW's stock price has been stagnating in comparison to the recent upswings at Porsche, VW, and Daimler, so this coupé is extremely important for BMW's future and the Leipzig factory utilization. You can tell by the fact of this car essentially being introduced two years late (in my opinion the hatchback shouldn't have been brought out at all), that BMW is very apprehensive about its introduction. I think the incredible "excuse" (high sulphur content in American gasoline) we got for BMW's not having released the photos last week is actually because the engineers at the FIZ (Forschungs und Innvations Zentrum) here in Munich and their suppliers are working overtime to tweak the final shapes. Perhaps the final headlamp system design is still being worked out because it's pretty clear that what the indoor pictures show is just too ugly for official release. Important influences on the general public perception (and reception) are the opinions and writings of the motoring enthusiast magazines (which tends to dwell on cars that more than 95% of the populatiuon can't afford anyway). When a sporty car that is relatively affordable for many people comes along, you can be sure that it will get heavily scrutinized, and many of these motoring journalists are relentless in their criticisms. Therefore, I think BMW is monitoring the opinions expressed on this board to get an idea of what the car enthusiast journalists may also think and publish with regard to the overall appearance of the car, as if though most people couldn't make up their own mind. If first impressions and the so-called halo effect are so important the official press photo release will likely feature a much sportier version, maybe even with a new 18" wheel design, which would certainly be appropriate for the occasion. My personal guess is that white and gray will be among the colors in the initial press releases because white is getting to be more "in" and some have expressed favorable opinions about gray color. Personally, I think a special sporty initial edition in bright orange (like the 2002 model) with black interior ought to be a big hit too among enthusiasts, certainly much more preferable than that cinammon red (or whatever the name will be), which reminds me of cheap Hondas. Getting such bright orange cars on the streets initially would do a lot toward inspiring attention nd interest because this color is so rare nowadays and also stands out significantly in a sea of black and silver or gray metallic colored cars. In addition to the nostalic associations with the 2002, orange is also associated with the very sportiest and expensive Porsches and the Porsche Jägermeister racing team cars from a while back.
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06-27-2007, 10:51 AM	#105
ezbst Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jun 2007 iTrader: (0)	First post here... I've been curious about this car for years now. Now, having seen everything, all the renderings, spy shots and now the full car... my verdict is thumbs down. This will not replace my E30 318is. The design is poor. I'm not a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, but when he said that the 1-series is 'crap', he wasn't far off the mark. I'm a die-hard BMW fan, but I'm not blind, so let's be honest... this is not the car you were waiting for - this is the car you will settle for. Because there isn't anything else out there. Mark my words - this design will not age well at all. It's already an ugly duckling, and not in the kind way that an M Coupe is. Now, I am sure that it will drive great and be lots of fun. But personally, I am going to wait until the next-gen 1-er. Hopefully it will look a bit more like the rendering that adorns the header of this site.
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06-27-2007, 11:47 AM	#108
davidl New Member 0 Rep 26 Posts Drives: 2006 Jet Black 325, 91 M5 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: CT iTrader: (1)	Been lurking for a while and this is my first post. I am looking forward to this car and am hoping to replace my current e90 325 with it. It's just not as inspiring to drive. Hoping it will be as much fun to drive as my e30 318i was and my e34 M5 is. I am hoping the 135 will be able to serve double duty as a DD and track car also. David
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06-27-2007, 11:59 AM	#110
Devon K Lieutenant 38 Rep 570 Posts Drives: TBD Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Interesting to catch the reaction of some regulars here as the veils of wishful illusion are gradually stripped from their eyes with the release of less-disguised photos... The design weaknesses obvious here were apparent (if less obvious) earlier but folks just didn't want to see them. This backend reveal is one brutal shock. Not quite up there with the first Bangled 7 series rump but close. Combining the tall, square profile of the 1 coupe's rear together with the characterless rear lights and the awkward and unattractive cut of the trunk lid edges that create a "tacked on" appearance for the lid, the end result is classic mid-90's econobox styling a la Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Corolla.... And man does that ruler-straight crease along the side look ugly! I'm still hoping this looks a LOT better in person....
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