Thinking about going from a 335i Coupe to a 135i/128i -- need input

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

And when passing a group of cars, 3rd gear is a delight from 50 to 90 mph -

+1

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

I actually disagree with a few of the posts in this thread.

I recently had a 2012 E90 328i loaner and the interior felt significantly lower grade than that in my 128i. It felt like it was almost trying too hard to be luxurious(yet on the cheap) while the 128i feels more purpose built without too much pretense of fanciness.

I really didn't notice that much difference in interior appointments... I wish my 128 had the little cruise indicator thingy on the speed and a couple other things. The 128 just seems tighter - maybe because it's more compact. Also, the angle to view the heater/radio is better in the 128.

Overall the E90 feels sloppy and heavy. You can definitely feel the weight difference between the two as well, the E82 and especially the 128i(as it is ~230lbs lighter than the 135i) feels much more nimble.

I had the same impression of the 335i I had as a loaner. Compared to the 128 it was a whole lot faster but it didn't feel as tight to the road or to me as the 128.

For driving seating position, I have to again give the nod to the E82. I simply could not get into an acceptable proper driving position in the E90 platform(shoulder in the seat back, arm forward should break over the top of the wheel). For the record I am 6'5". Between my manual seats and lack of sunroof in the 128i, I could easily wear a helmet. The car is a cavern of headroom. I can also sit reasonably well behind my driving position.

No comparison here - the 3 series had regular seats; the 128 sport seats. Not fair.

As for the engine, it's pretty fantastic.

I like the NA engine. After having driven both, the 35 is so powerful yoiu almost have to try and drive it slow enough to keep the police at bay. In a way I like to be able to twitch my leg for a 40mph gain, but on the other hand it's fun to cycle the engine and trans through the gears on a daily commute rather than basically 'idle my way there' in the turbo.

Sounds pretty ideal to me.

Just too bad that it isn't their best styling effort.

I for one love the way the car looks.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by dorkdog

I for one love the way the car looks.

Well, fortunately looks are subjective.

I couldn't agree more about the enjoyment of working for it with the 128i vs 335i and such. The car has been a welcome reprieve from my E39 M5 which was just all about the low end torque idling.

[fwmcb]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

Did you add 18s yourself or did the Sport or M-Sport packages come with 18s in previous model years?

In Canada the 18'' were part of the sport pack on the 128i! I don't think that they are anymore.

[simianspeedster]

Originally Posted by fwmcb

In Canada the 18'' were part of the sport pack on the 128i! I don't think that they are anymore.

Gotcha. We get 17" rims on both the Sport and M-Sport 128 models in the U.S. Not sure if that was always the case.

[John_01]

The driving position is quite different between the 1 series and 3 series. The seat and dashboard in the 135i are high. I found if I put the seat all the way down, the steering wheel obscures the speedo. The seat doesn't go very low either. Overall I like the driving position in the 3 series much better.

3 series also has better handling due to differences in the stock M-sport suspension. The 135i seems to be more tuned for comfort and has a lot more body roll. The 135i has hydraulic power steering, but the road feel still isn't as good as my 2009 3 series. Personally I prefer the 3 series chassis from a drivers point of view.

[simianspeedster]

Originally Posted by John_01

The driving position is quite different between the 1 series and 3 series. The seat and dashboard in the 135i are high. I found if I put the seat all the way down, the steering wheel obscures the speedo. The seat doesn't go very low either. Overall I like the driving position in the 3 series much better.

3 series also has better handling due to differences in the stock M-sport suspension. The 135i seems to be more tuned for comfort and has a lot more body roll. The 135i has hydraulic power steering, but the road feel still isn't as good as my 2009 3 series. Personally I prefer the 3 series chassis from a drivers point of view.

Interesting. Your description of the driving position might explain why my wife and I felt the 1 Series felt "taller" to drive when we drove a 135i and 335i back to back. You can also see from looking at the side by side line drawings of the 1 Coupe and the 3 Coupe that the passenger compartment and the greenhouse of the 1 lends itself to a more vertical seating position than the 3 (see below).

I'm surprised to read your comment about the relative handling. The prevailing attitude around here is that the 1 is more tossable than the 3, so I tend to think that would mean the suspension is more tightly controlled, not less. Hmmm...

I know I'm not going to have any luck finding a manual 128i and 135i at a dealer to drive back to back with my current car (if either), so I'm probably going to post a desperate plea to the Southern California regional 1 Addicts forum to see if anyone wants to meet up and swap some seat time with me, grab lunch and talk shop. That'd be better than a hurried dealer test drive anyhow so I can really get a feel for a 1.

[FJUNO78]

I went from a 2007 328i coupe (sports package, premium and cold weather package) and the 135i I now have is a huge upgrade IMO.

I wouldn't step down to the non turbo engine... n54/n55 is way more fun to drive. I have driven both and it's not even close, I have had my 135i for over 2.5 years and I still get a huge smile driving it. Can't say the same for my 230hp e92.

As far as the 128i, I drove it a few times as a courtesy car. It felt just as under-powered as my 328i.

good luck

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by FJUNO78

I went from a 2007 328i coupe (sports package, premium and cold weather package) and the 135i I now have is a huge upgrade IMO.

I wouldn't step down to the non turbo engine... n54/n55 is way more fun to drive. I have driven both and it's not even close, I have had my 135i for over 2.5 years and I still get a huge smile driving it. Can't say the same for my 230hp e92.

As far as the 128i, I drove it a few times as a courtesy car. It felt just as under-powered as my 328i.

good luck

I'm just the opposite as you - I was DESPERATE to get rid of the 335 loaner in favor of my 128... the difference being the 335 had no sport pkg and an automatic no paddles. My 128 has sport pkg and MT6. Two different cars; no comparison. Apples and oranges. IMHO of course.

Had I the 128 optioned like the loaner was, you bet I'd prefer the 335. But power, like money, isn't everything.

[John_01]

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

I'm surprised to read your comment about the relative handling. The prevailing attitude around here is that the 1 is more tossable than the 3, so I tend to think that would mean the suspension is more tightly controlled, not less. Hmmm...

I think you will find a lot of 1 series owners complain about the body-roll. Upgraded stabiliser bars is a very popular mod for the 1er. The 3 series has wider track and stiffer sway bars. The 3 series M-sport rear bar is 1mm bigger that the 1 series bar, but I don't recall the specs of the front.

I find the stock 1 series M-sport suspension to be underdamped in the 2012 model. The rear seems to float around a lot on direction changes - It gets more unsettling the faster you go. My E90 with M-sport feels a lot more secure. It is a 2009 model with factory Bilstiens. The damper stiffness is also noticeable at low speeds in terms of less compliant ride quality as you commented in your first post.

[simianspeedster]

Originally Posted by John_01

I think you will find a lot of 1 series owners complain about the body-roll. Upgraded stabiliser bars is a very popular mod for the 1er. The 3 series has wider track and stiffer sway bars. The 3 series M-sport rear bar is 1mm bigger that the 1 series bar, but I don't recall the specs of the front.

I find the stock 1 series M-sport suspension to be underdamped in the 2012 model. The rear seems to float around a lot on direction changes - It gets more unsettling the faster you go. My E90 with M-sport feels a lot more secure. It is a 2009 model with factory Bilstiens. The damper stiffness is also noticeable at low speeds in terms of less compliant ride quality as you commented in your first post.

Good info, thanks. To add to the confusion, your 2009 M-Sport 3 Series has different suspension tuning than my 2011 M-Sport 3 Series. I know the dampers changed for better compliance (very noticeable in terms of ride quality) and I think I've read they changed some bushings as well. I don't think the spring rates changed, but I can't be certain.

[simianspeedster]

Originally Posted by FJUNO78

I went from a 2007 328i coupe (sports package, premium and cold weather package) and the 135i I now have is a huge upgrade IMO.

I wouldn't step down to the non turbo engine... n54/n55 is way more fun to drive. I have driven both and it's not even close, I have had my 135i for over 2.5 years and I still get a huge smile driving it. Can't say the same for my 230hp e92.

As far as the 128i, I drove it a few times as a courtesy car. It felt just as under-powered as my 328i.

good luck

Were all those cars automatics? I think the power discrepancy is much more noticeable with automatic transmissions because the N55 has so much torque just off idle. The N52 mates better with a clutch so the driver can get the revs up a bit and use that engine's mid/high power band.