2008 BMW 135i vs. 335i Review

62 Responses to “ 2008 BMW 135i vs. 335i Review ”

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• JJ :
  April 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 am
  
  

  To me, this car, with that motor, at that price point, is very funny. BMW (and Audi, and MB) in the US is completely different than BMW in Europe. It seems that they’re doing everything they can to hide the fact that their EU lineup is more complete on the low-end, and preserve their status as a “status” brand over on this side of the pond.

  It fascinates me to no end that if BMW sold a 4 cylinder 1 series 5 door at a base price below $25k, it would some how change the desirability of the upper models. Or, because a car is popular, no matter how good it is, it suddenly becomes less desirable. That sounds more like fashionista than pistonhead.

  Yes, but I’m European, and there are a view things you overlook. In Europe cars and car ownership are much more expensive than in the US because we’re all (some more than others) socialist countries, which means governments think public transportation rules. At the same time, Europeans and Americans get about the same paycheck (on average, in general)

  Anyway, this means that, even in car friendly countries like Italy and Germany, buying a car is a way bigger chunck of the (family) budget than in the US. Although BMW and Mercedes offer entry level models, those are still more expensive than other brands models, and the difference is 1) exaggerated by percentage taxes and 2) subjectively more important because the price is higher anyway (realtively speaking, in terms of income).

  For instance, in the Netherlands, where I live, the cheapest 3 series (316i, with a nice petrol 1599cc I4 122 HP engine, not sold in most other countries) is about 33k Euros. A decent model with a 2.0 diesel like a 320d with some of the obligatory options can easily go for 50k, and I’m not talking about a fully loaded car. The 335 Coupe has a base price of 58,370 EUR. This while average income BEFORE taxes is about 35k Euros.

  This means that those entry level Bimmers are still perceived by the public as premium cars. Now in the US when they would offer these models, they would be so cheap that ‘everybody’ could buy one, and since perception is maybe even more important in the US than it is over here (especially in those parts where german premium brands are sold in the first place) they can’t afford to do that, because it is the high-end models especially that yield the profits.

  On top of that, private leasing (or creating some other debt structure) is not (yet) as popular for buying cars in Europe as it is in the US, and income differences (after taxing) are smaller, which all probably help to increase the effects of what I mentioned above.

• BEAT :
  April 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
  
  

  Hey that’s why AMERICA is still the NO.1 contributor of green house gases. China is way way behind the US and they already planning to eradicate pollution in their cities (like building the three gorgeous dam).

  I counted 25 Bimmers for the last 2 days.

  Can we buy something else?

  A Prius hot rod sounds better

  I wake up this morning saw $3.45 for a gallon on a regular next will be the prices of Food and Services going up.

  It is not even summer yet

  Ouch to America!!!

• JJ :
  April 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
  
  

  Darn I wish the litre equivalent of a gallon of regular fuel would be the Euro equivalent of $3.45 over here…

• Redwood :
  April 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
  
  

  For the person that asked, the internal code for the 1 series coupe is E82.

• relton :
  April 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
  
  

  For what it’s worth. the 335 and the 135 use different automatic transmissions. The 335 has a ZF unit, and the 135 a GM trans.

  They are both 6 speeds, with torque convertor, but ar otherwise completely different.

  Bob

• Redwood :
  April 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
  
  

  According to other car mag articles, and what one 1 forum person received from ZF (quoted below), it is the ZF unit, not GM.

  I emailed ZF and this was their response:

  Dear Mr.*****

  thank you very much for your Email and your interest in ZF´s advanced driveline technology. The BMW 135i E82 (Cabriolet) and E88 (Coupé) are actually equipped with ZF´s 6-Speed automatic transmission 2nd generation. For the case of any further questions please don´t hesitate to contact me.

  Mit freundlichem Gruß / Kind regards
  Holger Kirsch
  Produktkommunikation Presse Technik (VVK-KP)/
  Product Communication Trade Press
  Konzernkommunikation/Corporate Communications

• 8rings :
  April 23rd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
  
  

  I am not sure one can claim that the 3-series has better resale value than the 135. The 3-series is certainly good but I wouldn’t think the 1-series will be bad, at best we can claim unknown in this category.

  I will echo a previous post about the 128. I think this model is where it is at. With sub 30k starting price, keeping the manual transmission and skiping the options, you have yourself a great drivers car. I am not sure when 300hp became the mark for a car to be fun. I’m not going to downplay the twin turbo as I have driven it and I found it to be a blast. But my 99 M coupe has “only” 240hp and I rarely drive a car that is more fun.

• Landcrusher :
  April 23rd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
  
  

  While no one can know for certain that the 3 will hold it’s value better, I would give odds to the 3.

  The 135 may have some ability to be resold as a wild ride, but the 128 will likely go south quickly.

  BTW, BMW Finance believes the 3 will hold it’s value better. Check the lease info.

• mark06902 :
  April 24th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
  
  

  I just leased a 335 coupe a couple months ago, 51k msrp. Ive also ridden in (but not driven) the 135. I think BMW’s basic problem with the 135 is simple: The 135 is simply not worth the amount they are asking in relation to the 335. There is not a snowball’s chance in hell I would trade my 335 for a 135 to save 85 dollars a month. If you are making a lease payment of 700+ per month odds are 85 bucks isnt gonna sway you. (and if it does, you cannot afford the car you are driving) The 335 turns heads for all the right reasons on the road, and I havnt found a person yet that says the same about the 1. If this was a car leasing out in the mid 500’s fully loaded, it would be a smash hit, but the comparo kills it. Niche market for a small group of enthusiasts, nothing more.

• plien69 :
  April 24th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
  
  

  Here are the facts about the 135i vs the 335i: It is faster, it is lighter.

  Beyond that, there seems to be disagreement about whether it handles better, stops any better with the 6 pot brakes, looks any better (or worse), etc.

  Still, for my money, the chance to save ~$5-10k for a faster, lighter BMW seems like a no-brainer to me.

  Ask yourself this: if BMW announced a LTW/CSL/SWB 335i for $5k less, would you buy one?

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