BMW 135i 2008 Review

The 1 Series Coupe is a little wider in the track, longer in the wheelbase and a whole lot more focused in performance. It may well be the pot of gold at the end of the 1 Series rainbow.

“These cars are going to appeal to a wide selection of buyers looking for performance in a small coupe,” BMW's product manager Paul Ryan said at the Australian launch this week.

“The sort of customers we are expecting are the dual-income families aged 35 to 45.

“They may come from brands like Subaru, Nissan's 350Z the [Audi] TT or even the S3. We expect a lot to be new to the brand - customers who've never previously considered a BMW.”

The hero car of the two-model Coupe range - and the only one available for drive at the launch - is the crackerjack 135i Sport using the brilliant bi-turbo 3.0-litre inline six already doing duty in the top end of the 3 Series range.

At $71,400 for a basic off-the-floor car, the 135i Coupe is hardly cheap, but it does represent a good value performance package - as long as you like white. Any of the other five colours available immediately bring a $1600 premium for the metallic paint treatment.

The only other options you might consider are basic navigation ($2700 - the full version with maps is $4200) and - why anyone would bother with it is a mystery - an electric glass sunroof at $2750. If you must have automatic, the six-speed Steptronic is an extra $2800 but it seems a shame to cast aside the wonderful six-speed manual that comes standard.

It is not that BMW has had an epiphany and thrown the always extensive options list out the window. No, there are still plenty of extras for the excited new owner to spend their dollars on - a 10-speaker hi-fi upgrade ($1950), front seat heaters ($685), adaptive headlights ($860), alarm ($900), active steering ($2750) and front parking aids ($675) - but the basic package is so good you really are not going to miss the add-ons.

The 125i Coupe, which will be available at the same time as the bi-turbo model in May, also uses the classic 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine but in naturally aspirated trim. The base price for the 125i is $54,400 for the manual and there is a longer options list which includesBi-Xenon headlights ($1820), M Sport suspension ($800) or the full M Package at $2300.

The Coupe twins will also be joined by a convertible with a similar engine strategy about the same time to complete, at least for some time, the 1 Series range, which now stretches from the original 120 hatch, through diesel, to the 135i Sport at the top of the tree.

For Australia, the 135i Coupe will come standard with the full M Sport pack - suspension, aero kit, badging, interior trim, chunky steering wheel and 18-inch alloys - but will still carry the runflat tyres that work so poorly with the M Sport pack on the 3 Series cars.

While not ideal - the car still has a tendency to “hop” when the fully loaded suspension finds an extra bump mid-corner - the suspension/tyre combination is less offensive on our harsher roads than previous experience would suggest.

BMW's explanation is that a combination of improvements in the tyre technology and a more specific tune for the suspension is responsible for the improved behaviour and ride quality and, while it remains something short of perfect in ride refinement, the dynamics, grip levels and sheer enjoyment of a torque band that stretches across the rev range make it all forgivable.

Peak power of 225kW is nice and allows for the impressive top-end performance but, without the 400Nm of torque the twin blowers squeeze out of the engine, this would be just another hot hatch rather than a genuine spiritual successor to the classic 1972 2002 Tii, generally considered pivotal in BMW's core value as a driver's car.

However, the 135i Coupe has no need to call on its antecedents for credibility. That comes within a couple of kays of firing up the engine for the first time. With almost instant response from the lightweight turbos, the 135i Coupe can be driven for relaxed cruising or wild thing attacks on twisting mountain roads with equal ease.

There is nothing outside the expected BMW levels within the cabin. A relaxed driving position is easily achieved with ample seat movement and a good range of tilt and reach adjustment on the chunky steering wheel. The semi-sports seats grip well and remain comfortable for hours, embracing, rather than squeezing, the driver.

Rear seat space is reasonable, with two dedicated seats, while the boot will hold enough for a shopping trip or weekend away, but can be more than doubled by folding the rear seats.

BMW claims a zero to 100km/h sprint of 5.3 seconds and there is little reason to question that, but it is not the off-the-mark exhilaration that makes the 135i Coupe so desirable. Such is the spread of the torque and its availability that it was not unusual to find the car pulling so enthusiastically on the open road that you would check just to confirm the car is in top gear.

The absence of the active steering was well appreciated in a spirited run through the twisting roads of the Snowy Mountains this week. While the steering is a touch heavy it is comforting in the level of connection between driver and front wheels. There is never any question of a breakdown in feedback with the unruly behaviour of the suspension/tyre package - as limited as it was - restricted to the rear of the car.

It is difficult to not leave the 135i smiling. It is not a lightweight racer but there are cars out there for that. What the 135i does - and does exceptionally well - is reinforce that, when push comes to shove, BMW is still capable of producing a diamond from a coalmine.