CAR MAGAZINE-BMW 135i Coupe First Drive

Monster · 10-21-2007, 01:04 AM

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So, is this the ‘One’ that everyone has been waiting for?
Very good. The thought of a small, highly focused BMW, with the full M Sport works, powered by one of the finest engines on sale has certainly had us salivating. Shoehorned into the 135i’s engine bay is the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six found in the 335i. It develops 306bhp at 5800rpm and a blistering 295lb ft at 1300rpm – good for a 5.3 second sprint to 62mph and an effortless 155mph before the electronic limiter steps in.

You’ll pay for that power though - the 135i arrives in showrooms next month wearing a hefty £29,745 pricetag. Depending on which way you look at it, that’s a bankrupting amount of money for a car whose lower minions jostle with Golfs for sales, or it’s a bargain because you’re effectively getting a pint-sized M3.

Bargain or not, I’m still not sure about those looks
Join the club. At the launch BMW was keen to play up the links between the 135i and the 2002Tii saloon of 1973. Sure, both have two doors and a blown engine but while the 2002 is beautifully proportioned and neatly detailed, the 135i is not.

Although the long bonnet, hump-backed roofline and stubby boot look good in isolation, join them all up and it somehow goes wrong. It looks best in dark metallics, and in the metal there’s a pleasingly squat chunkiness to the Bimmer’s lines.

It’s brisk enough to outrun the aesthetics police, I take it?
Yes, the 135i is searingly quick. That biturbo engine is an absolute gem – incredibly muscular, rev-happy and flexible with such a crisp throttle response, you’d never guess it was blown. It utterly dominates the driving experience, feeling like there’s an effortlessly torquey 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, rocketing the car forward with the smallest squeeze of the accelerator.

Of course, it would be an awful lot quicker if it wasn’t so heavy – it may look small but all the additional chassis reinforcements needed to handle the power means the 135i weighs 1560kg – just 40kg lighter than the full-blown 335i coupe. Strange, but true.

Does the extra heft detract from the driving experience?
Well, yes and no. Out on the road, the combination of that incredibly refined direct-injection powertrain, firm and well damped ride (a bit of a surprise given how stiff and unforgiving the ride is on most M Sport cars), hushed cabin and the 135’s overall air of sophistication makes it feel more like a mini grand tourer than a junior M3.

But then unleash it on a track and it really bares its sharp teeth with brilliant front-end bite, a disciplined tail and a chassis that thrives on fast changes in direction. The surprisingly heavy steering looses its heft, allowing you to scythe the 135i through corners and that mighty engine seems to have an endless supply of neck-straining torque. So almost two cars for the price of one ugly one.

How much room is there inside?
It may have grand touring pretensions but dreams of fast trips to exotic locations will be dashed the moment you pop the boot – or try and coerce some passengers into the rear. Once you’ve sacrificed all personal decorum getting into the rear seats, there's some decent headroom but legroom is not great.

The boot is not that small, admittedly, and you can squeeze in a set of golf clubs, but its shallow and narrow shape means it's soft bags rather than Samsonites. Think of it as a 2+2 car for couples or young families.

Is it just the twin turbo petrol engine on offer?
No. The 1-series coupe range kicks off with two four-cylinder diesel models – the 177bhp 120d, priced from £21,585 to £24,705, followed by the enticing 204bhp twin-turbo 123d (yours from £24,855 to £26, 290).

The 135i may steal the performance headlines but it’s the 123d that most private buyers in this market will look at. The biturbo unit - the most powerful four-cylinder diesel on the market - delivers the same 295lb ft of torque as the 135i for a seven second sprint to 60mph, a 148mph top speed and effortless mid-range acceleration. It also returns just 54.3mpg on the combined cycle and posts a tax-friendly CO2 rating of 138g/km. The 1-series also comes with BMW’s Efficient Dynamics package to assuage your green conscience even further.

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Didn't expect the 135i to be this heavy.

martinbo · 10-21-2007, 04:35 AM

I've always maintained that this is one funny lookin' Beemer.

Sunny · 10-21-2007, 05:09 AM

BMW should fire the guy who chooses colors for their press cars. That is the most drab red Charles Manson could come up with.

martinbo · 10-21-2007, 05:15 AM

Beemer B773ER · 10-21-2007, 05:46 AM

That first photo is the reason why the saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words' was created! It's just darn funny to look at!

But on a serious note, this car is virtually an M-car, just without the proper M designation. It's 0-62mph acceleration time is E46-M3 territory, and from the review its handling is nothing short of what we expect to hear from an M model.
That weight figure sure caused me to read that sentence twice... can't believe the minimal difference in weight between the 135i and the 335i Coupes!

I just wish that front spoiler wasn't so darn goofy-looking!

EnI · 10-21-2007, 06:50 AM

We know 1er is a heavy car. Nothing new here.

1er coupe weight figures are almost identical to 1er 5dr hatch - and we already knew E87 5dr was approx 50kg lighter than comparable 3er sedan, and that comparable 3er coupe was approx 40kg heavier than 1er 5dr hatch / 1er coupe.

I really do not understand all the sudden surprise by weight figures - since it has been already clear 1er is only 40-60kg lighter than 3er.
Mind that 3er is using more lightweight materials (alu, thin steel, composite plastic etc) than 1er. At the moment BMW just can't afford making a costly 1er due the US Dollar vs Euro exchange rates.

*****

BMW official weight figures - with manual gearbox (by EU standard):

135i coupe: 1,560kg
335i coupe: 1,600kg (+40kg)
335i sedan: 1,610kg (+50kg)

135i coupe weights 40kg less than 335i coupe, and 50kg less then 335i sedan.

120d coupe: 1,450kg
120d 5dr HB: 1,450kg (+0kg)
120d 3dr HB: 1,440kg (-10kg)
320d coupe: 1,495kg (+45kg)
320d sedan: 1,505kg (+55kg)

Beemer B773ER · 10-21-2007, 07:20 AM

Thanks for the explanation Eni. I wasn't aware that the 3er possess more weight-saving materials than the 1er.

Having not followed this car's development a whole lot, I must say I'm very suprised at its performance figures and engine output. Is there a reason why BMW didn't just use the 130i (hatchback) engine instead of creating a blistering pocket-rocket! ??

EnI · 10-21-2007, 08:15 AM

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Originally Posted by Beemer B773ER

Thanks for the explanation Eni. I wasn't aware that the 3er possess more weight-saving materials than the 1er.

Of course it does.

Why do you think such a small weight difference otherwise - which is even smaller if we put both cars with empty fuel tanks on scales (since 3er coupe has a bigger tank). So, if both cars are completely empty - with standard equipment - the difference between 135i & 335i is only 30-33kg or so.

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Having not followed this car's development a whole lot, I must say I'm very suprised at its performance figures and engine output. Is there a reason why BMW didn't just use the 130i (hatchback) engine instead of creating a blistering pocket-rocket! ??

130i coupe & cabrio will be available in Europe in May 2008. And less powerful engines will also follow.

By offering 135i & 123d initially BMW wanted to demonstrate the power - reviving the spirit of legendary 2002tii: small, agile & powerful.

It's a pure marketing move. Think: if a 'halo' car (135i) wasn't offered initially, 1er coupe wouldn't get such huge publicity. Even more so in the US market where BMW want to demonstrate small(er) BMW models are not inferior to their bigger siblings - and of course repeating the history with small, agile & powerful car (2002 vs 1er).

klier · 10-21-2007, 08:46 AM

It's funny but true what Eni says about the weight:

My 645ci weighs in at 1580 kg.....lower than some 3er models it seems!

Monster · 10-21-2007, 11:28 AM

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Originally Posted by klier

It's funny but true what Eni says about the weight:

My 645ci weighs in at 1580 kg.....lower than some 3er models it seems!

Didn't know the 6 series is under 1600kg.

To me the 1 series coupe looks ok, i like the rear end styling, but the proportion of the car is a bit strange. It reminds me of a small boat on wheels.

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