Automobile Magazine By Sam Smith

[135idrive]

Driven: BMW 135i
By Sam Smith


Get up from your computer, drive to your nearest BMW dealer, and put down a deposit on a 135i. Now. You won't regret it. In the years to come, you'll probably even look on this as the best purchase of your long and distinguished life, a moment that defined your personal idiom, a moment that caused the tide of your existence to turn away from meh and toward Eat Your Heart Out, John Q. Dull, I'm Awesome. In other words, when you drive out of the dealership in your sparkling new 1-series, it will be the Rip Taylor moment of your life, confetti shower and all. This car is that good.

BMW's 1-series coupe might seem like it comes out of left field - as a rear-wheel-drive premium compact car, it's essentially in a class of one - but it's actually Munich's second attempt to create the segment in the United States. The Bavarians' first effort came in the mid-1990s in the form of the 318ti, an overpriced and underequipped four-cylinder hatchback that was nevertheless a very good car. Poor sales afflicted it from day one, however, and it left our shores after a few short years.

Regardless, the concept of a sub-3-series BMW lived on in Europe, where the market for small cars is more vibrant and less fickle than it is here. The ti's replacement, the 1-series, appeared in 2004 in hatchback form. Its success (more than 450,000 examples have been sold to date, and a convertible is also planned) prompted BMW to try the American small-car thing again. And so they cranked out the car you see here, a car that will be sold worldwide and was designed expressly with the States in mind.


Like all 1-series, the 135i is based on the underpinnings of the 3-series. The same twin-turbo, direct-injected, 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder found in the 335i is also found here, producing 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque with virtually indiscernible lag. (A nonturbo, 128i-badged version starting at about $30,000 will also appear in American showrooms, but our drive was limited to the 135i, which we expect will cost approximately $5000 more.) A strut-type front suspension and a multilink rear setup are essentially borrowed wholesale from the 3-series, as is a six-speed manual transmission. (A six-speed automatic will also be available.) Finally, six-piston calipers are fitted up front, with two-piston units at the back.

At 172 inches long and 69 inches wide, the 1-series is 8.9 inches shorter and 1.4 inches narrower than the 3-series coupe. This smaller size doesn't manifest itself in a huge weight loss, though - surprisingly, the 135i checks in at a claimed 3440 pounds, or a mere 130 pounds lighter than the 335i coupe.

Still, the first thing that hits you is just how blazingly quick the 135i is. The 3.0-liter six delivers its peak torque at 1300 rpm and hauls the little coupe to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds, according to BMW. (To put that figure in perspective, that's just half a second slower than the 414-hp M3.) The engine emits a glorious roar, one that threatens to rip your ears from the side of your head. It's angrier, coarser, and deeper than the noise that comes from the 335i, and it's capped with just the slightest hint of turbo whoosh.

Chassis balance is one of our few complaints, as the 135i is plagued by tire-howling understeer-more so than with the 335i - a situation that's not helped by an open rear differential, a minuscule rear antiroll bar, and front tires that are narrower than those used on the rear. That said, steering feel is fantastic - it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the 135i's hydraulically assisted rack (all other 1-series cars use electrically aided steering) offers better feedback than any other current BMW, and that's saying a lot.

This is all well and good, you think, but really, why do I need one? Why shouldn't I just buy a base 3-series for about the same money - it keeps winning awards, right? - and get more trunk space, a bigger back seat, and more Joneses-wowing street cred?


Simple: with the 1-series, the appeal is in the intangibles. Indeed, the 135i isn't spec-box perfect (witness its pudgy curb weight), it isn't dynamically faultless (BMW engineers have hinted that their primary goal was ride quality, not balance at the limit), it isn't cheap, and it isn't a track junkie's dream (that would be a lighter, high-strung, four-cylinder screamer).

What it is, though, is something of a renaissance. In essence, the 135i is BMW doing what BMW does best. In spite of all the superbly engineered autobahn missiles and the quirky-but-capable sports cars, the company's forte has always been small, fast, and relatively affordable sedans. Forty years ago, the Munich carmaker built a legacy with the 1600 and the 2002; twenty years ago, it cemented that legacy with the E30-chassis 325i. In spite of what BMW's marketing department would like you to believe, the 1-series isn't a reborn 2002 - it's far too portly and thirsty for that - but it is a return to the principles that have made BMW great. The 1-series is compact, endlessly involving, and absurdly fast. It is everything that the 3-series was before that car grew up. It is also more fun than a caffeinated circus monkey.

So, break out the confetti, kids, and start warming up those checkbooks. If you hadn't guessed already, your lives are about to change.


http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...35i/index.html

[joelk]

Originally Posted by 135idrive

It is also more fun than a caffeinated circus monkey.

that paints one interesting picture.

strange article...at first i expected nothing but buff...with the opening few lines....but there was some critique as well... maybe it really is that good :iono: can't wait to find out.

yet another article insisting the 135i has hydraulic steering... hmmm

[BForbes]

Wow, that was such a great write up. Absurdly fast huh? Man I cant wait.

[dna550]

Thanks for the Automobile mag post!

[Devon K]

I wonder if one of the performance options from BMW will be a stiffer anti-roll bar. Of course you can reduce the understeer by running slightly lower tire pressure up front and firmer out back, but I am not sure what that is going to do for tire life, or whether it will be enough to neutralize the reported understeer.

Getting rid of at-the limit plowing is one of the reasons I want to move from FWD to RWD so these repeated remarks about "tire-howling understeer" in several reviews are a downer. Waiting for Evo reviews...

[Robert]

Why is there a discrepency between the BMWNA curb weight vs. the one mags have been stating, 3440lb. Which is different from the EU weight.

The 1-series is compact, endlessly involving, and absurdly fast. It is everything that the 3-series was before that car grew up. It is also more fun than a caffeinated circus monkey.

NICE. I never thought 5.3s is absurdly fast... there is something they are not telling us... If the 335i is really 4.8s then 135i might be 4.6s.... that will be absurdly fast for a nonM

[larry lawless]

Great post thanx.

[grant]

Originally Posted by Devon K

I wonder if one of the performance options from BMW will be a stiffer anti-roll bar.

Not likely, but there will be a large selection of different bars in the aftermarket. I'll opt for some adjustable ones...

[bradford]

Originally Posted by grant

Not likely

Agreed. No chance, imho.

WAY too much liability there for their palate, the first time some asshat goes into a turn too hot a lifts off the throttle. It shouldn't be BMW's fault, but this is the USA, where personal responsibility is a foreign concept.

[bradford]

Good article btw. Light on the details, but probably the most realistic one I've seen thusfar in what I'm expecting from the driving experience - specifically in relation to the last few paragraphs...

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by 135idrive

The Bavarians' first effort came in the mid-1990s in the form of the 318ti, an overpriced and underequipped four-cylinder hatchback that was nevertheless a very good car.

The 318ti was a good chassis with a crappy engine (even for a 4-cylinder). This is Bavarian Motor Werks we're talking about and the engine is at least as important as the rest of the car. Other than that line it's a great review, more opinionated than most.

[bradford]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

The 318ti was a good chassis

Notsomuch.

[1ster]

Originally Posted by bradford

Notsomuch.

You sure? I seem to remember it coming in first or second in C&D's Best Handling Cheap Car test several years back. :wink:

[atr_hugo]

Get up from your computer, drive to your nearest BMW dealer, and put down a deposit on a 135i. Now.

Oh hell - just what I was afraid of, they're letting our secret out of the bag!! :mad::wink:

[gbent]

Is this the same Sam Smith that writes the monthly column in Roundel?

[C_Topher]

Nice to see some positive comments about steering feel.

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by 135idrive

Driven: BMW 135i
By Sam Smith


Simple: with the 1-series, the appeal is in the intangibles. Indeed, the 135i isn't spec-box perfect (witness its pudgy curb weight), it isn't dynamically faultless (BMW engineers have hinted that their primary goal was ride quality, not balance at the limit), it isn't cheap, and it isn't a track junkie's dream (that would be a lighter, high-strung, four-cylinder screamer).


http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...35i/index.html

+10

The old DNA ..!

[LeifW]

Originally Posted by 1ster

You sure? I seem to remember it coming in first or second in C&D's Best Handling Cheap Car test several years back. :wink:

I agree. Several other magazines, at the time, praised the car's handling. I owned 1995 318ti Club Sport for 10 years. That car had fantastic handling. The four cylinder engine was a lot of fun. It was the same 4 cyl engine in all the other 3 Series. Obviously, in a straight line there were faster cars, but on back roads this car was a blast. I also had zero problems with it. It was the cheapest car (maintenance wise) I've ever owned. The only reason I sold it, is because of the increasing size of my family. I was a little nervous that, being a hatchback, there was no crushable structure in the back if we were ever rear ended. Since I sold the car, I've been waiting for BMW to offer something that would fill the void. The recently introduced tii concept would be perfect. Boy I hope they make that car.

Anyway, this was a good write up from Automoble.


Leif W.

[palou]

As much as I'd like the 135i to be great, that column smells of unralistic fanboism. It basically it says that the car is an understeering pig, but it's a good thing because BMW put in plenty on "intangibles" in it. Pretty dumb reasoning in there.

I don't look at BMWs for straight-line acceleration (a Mustang does the same or better for much less). Good transitional behavior and positive feedback is what's important to me. An an overweight understeering car doesn't seem the right one to do it. Maybe the 128i will be more like it, too bad we don't get a 130i...

[Jeff_DML]

I wouldnt worry about the understeer. bummer it didnt come setup better from the factory but the 1 is not a nose heavy front wheel drive car. It is a balanced rwd car. Just a stiffer rear sway bar might solve most of it, if not then ditch the run flats and get the same size tires all around, thinking 235's. Only thing that cannot be fixed easily is the open diff

[1ster]

Originally Posted by Jeff_DML

Only thing that cannot be fixed easily is the open diff

Except that BMW has announced a factory LSD will be available as an after purchase accessory. :smile:

You're way out of Stock class at this point, but oh well. If you really want to buy a dedicated, Stock class competitive SCCA car, this probably isn't the place to start.

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by 1ster

Except that BMW has announced a factory LSD will be available as an after purchase accessory. :smile:

You're way out of Stock class at this point, but oh well. If you really want to buy a dedicated, Stock class competitive SCCA car, this probably isn't the place to start.

yeah I saw that but as far as I know that will be after the car is built, i.e. dealer installed, so it will be big bucks. Hopefully they will offer it from the factory eventually.

edit: your response saws the same thing