both cars are solid. i do not need a big back seat or the little more trunk space like the 335i has. coming over from the nissan 350z, it is surely a much faster car and more practical. i am not slamming the nissan 350z; it is a good car, but it is bit too heavy and enjoyed it for 6 years.

for styling of the 135i, looks is matter of opinion and perception. i’d rather save 5K over looks.

Even with that history my opinions are just that, opinions.

However, for this driver at this age (57), with my kids gone, with 2 other vehicles in the garage, the 135i is:

A) a blast to drive
B) not as buttoned down as the 335 (that is NOT praise for the 335)
C) I actually like the looks (M team worked on the aero)
D) I haven’t enjoyed a BMW this much since my 2002 days, and that INCLUDES the M
E) I opt’d for as little as possible other than the sport package so it’s a basic driver’s car

All that is biased, uninformed by other than my experience, and do I care what others think about its design, cost or other comparisons?

Nope.

Regards,

Alex

I was extremely dissapointed by the SMG transmission: while it being very fast and effective, I found it extremely boring, driving fun wise. Was really looking forward to moving back to a manual shift again.

Besides owning 4 BMW M3’s, I´ve had the chanve of driving many 400bhp + cars, very sporty cars (besides having racing experience)… The 135i brings the thrills, the driving experience and the enthusiasm that only cars with more than 400 bhp have brought me before. I think it’s a very balanced car, it’s a real “wolf in lamb skin”…

I really can´t understand how you did your review and where you got your conclusions from!!!!! Bad quality journalism…

Cheers.

The Mustang is cheap but unsophisticated. The 128i is about 38, the 135i is about 42, and the 328i is about 48. Big differences between all three price wise. As of now I’ll take the 135i with a soft top, saves a lot of trunk space and weight compared to the 328i. Additionally, the back seat in the 1 series and 3 series convertibles were not much different size wise. All the cars on the lot were loaded to the gills and quite expensive, you’ve got to order it to do it right.

If I was not looking specifically for a convertible it might be a different story, but try to find a sporting 4 seat convertible with a manual and you’ll find your options limited and very expensive.

1. “After testing BMW 135i and 335i coupes back-to-back, I can reveal that there are only two good reasons to purchase the smaller, cheaper car. Either you need a track day machine or you’re an idiot.”

How about you live in a 2 person house and use the back seat of your car maybe once a month, and the fact that it’s lighter, faster, sportier, and cheaper are only side-perks>

2. “Step on the powerful, easily modulated brakes, toss the cars into a turn and you soon realize only one makes the driver look like they know what they’re doing.”

Sorry, are the 1-series 13″ Brembo brakes (biggest in BMW’s lineup) too much for you to know how to handle?

3. “The 135i outruns the 335i, but only just.”

A .4 second difference is 2 car lengths at 60 mph..

4. “the 135i’s auto feels cheaper and slower-witted than the sublime ZF-equipped 335i.”

They use the same auto transmission. The 128 gets the cruddier tranny.

Hmm…

And the reason that I didn’t go to the 335 Convertible is that its ridiculously expensive — the differential between the 135 and 335 convertibles is almost $10K when configured with the same options. Plus the hard top weight on the 335 makes the car even more sluggish when compared to the soft top 135.

I will agree the styling takes some getting used to — its not a smooth and sleek as the 335, but if you just look at it on its own rather than in comparison to the 3 its actually quite attractive.

As for performance, the 135 reminds me of my old M Roadster — small, nimble, and a crazy amount of power for its size.

As for your continued comments about the steering of the 135i being too heavy etc.. Grow a set. It’s not nearly as bad as you seem to think, and everything becomes normal after a couple weeks of driving. I found myself comfortable using one hand to steer and one to shift after only a 15 mile drive.

It’s also nothing even remotely resembling “darty”, in fact it’s more stable than a 328i(it’s true competition) when driven back to back on the same roads, even despite the higher speeds it registers and it’s worlds ahead of it’s other competition. It tracks straight and true, even over horrible PA roads, and required almost no thought to control where the 328i was more prone to tramlining.

Faulty conclusions…

1.) The 135i is faster then the 335i 0-60

2.) The 135i is faster through the slalom then the 335i.

3.) The 135i has better brakes and stops quicker then the 335i.

4.) The interior’s are almost identical other then the small back seat in the 1.

Oh and 4k difference? What are you smoking? It’s a $5900 difference Coupe vs Coupe. 

p.s. I have driven them both aggressively.

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?

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.

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.

I emailed ZF and this was their response:

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

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

Bob

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!!!

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.

“I also find it hard to believe that something on the track could be so horrible on the road!”

Lotus Elise sound familiar? Perfect track car, can’t stand it for more than 15 minutes on real roads.

I also find it hard to believe that something on the track could be so horrible on the road! I drove both the 128 and 135 and found it to be a stable, toss-able fun little ride. Yes it’s about 6K too much but we have some folks in the government and stupid homebuyers to thank for our tanked dollar.

I will echo the comments of many, though, in that it completely fails in meeting the spirit of the 2002. I think there was room between current 1er pricing and the Cooper S for a 1-series with about 200HP and a sub 3000lb curb weight.

I saw the 135 at the NY Auto Show. I drive an E46 330i sport. I came away with, if my beloved 330 was stolen or crashed, a desire (huge) for the four door M3, or the 335i (chip and cooler, here I come, toss the run flats), but the 135 struck me as something rich dads will buy for their girls.

Here in the big wide US of A, there is not sufficent differences, and at the same price, basically, I think BMW is set up to fail.

Had the 135 been sent to us light, without i drive or the typical option overload of BMW (read: way to raise the price beyond the reasonable starting price), it would be a winner.

Most of us thought “new 2002″. What we got was 5/8 335i, which was already done well by the real 335i.

Strip this, keep the big motor, ditch the leather and the overpriced options. The guy who wants that stuff will buy a 335i…anyway