BMW 1 Series 135i 2008 Review

More recently, Bimmers have come in the form of fat SUVs, a wedge-shaped roadster and a coupe with a bulbous rear; most of them made in America, mainly for Americans.

Now comes a device, derived from a misbegotten two-plus-two, whimsically presented in hatchback form mainly for the European market.

We take a back seat to no one when it comes to deriding the 1 Series, not least because no one can fit in its back seat.

Now, a derivation of the 1 Series (conceived, ironically, for the hatch-allergic American market) is upon us. Due to reach here in June alongside a cabrio cousin, BMW's 135i has to have an early shot at being one of the cars of 2008.

Yep, the 135i is an excellent compact performance coupe; the sort of thing BMW hasn't done for far too long amid that plethora of profitable, but not so pure, products.

Indeed, this range-topping pocket rocket evokes the 1972 2002 Tii, an iconic two-door road rocket. It's the sort of car that has, as BMW doesn't mind saying itself, long been among the marque's core competencies.

Packing the same 225kW/400Nm three-litre, bi-turbo inline six introduced last year on the 335i coupe, the more petite 135i transcends the merely competent bythe width of its torque band.

We were introduced to the newcomer on the Swedish island of Gotland last week, driving it on public roads and the tight, twisting local racetrack.

“BMW is the only one doing this,” chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk told us.

Hooydonk, whose Concept CS has starred at the Australian International Motor Show, was standing before a pristine Tii and a 135i painted in a similar shade of burnished red.

“We didn't want to do a retro car, but because of the 2002 we were more willing to do the 135i.”

The 135i's planes and creases succeed in the metal to a far greater extent than printed images imply.

The traditional BMW style cues work with a high, muscular shoulder line, flared wheel arches and the standard-fit M Sports kit, including lightweight 18-inch alloys.

Although markedly shorter in the wheelbase and smaller in dimensions than the 335i, the 1485kg 135i is only 50kg lighter.

Within, it's a legitimate four-seater. A burly six-footer can survive the rear pews comfortably with just a little consideration from those up front as they sit among one of almost 200 trim combinations.

The work station is generic BMW, with the perfect driving position readily obtainable and a short-shifting gearstick readily to hand.

There's 370 litres of boot, or more than 800 litres with the split-fold rear seats folded flat.

Bluetooth and the now slightly less enigmatic version of the i-Drive multi-media system are among the options, as will be a six-speed Steptronic auto transmission.

When the 135i comes our way, it will be launched with its drop-top equivalent and the 125i, a circa $60Kmodel using BMW's 2.5-litre atmo six. But the impressive-sounding diesels aren't for us.

With a claimed zero-to-100km/h capability of 5.3 seconds, the 135i outdoes the 3 Series in a straight line by a good few tenths. It's not the relatively affordable, shrink-wrapped version of the 335i we half-expected, but a hugely gratifying car with rewards of its own.

Utterly devoid of lag, the twin-turbo unit accesses all its towering 400Nm from an exceptionally low 1300rpm.

Beautiful match with a paddle-shifted ZF auto that it is, it will, when open-roading in the manual, pull so emphatically in sixth that you almost believe you're in fourth. Linear, lag-free performance is a given.

What the 135i brings to BMW's rich table that's uniquely its own; is handling that befits a compact performance coupe, a species of which this is the only extant example.

Electric power steering provides feel to complement the trademark combo of rear-wheel drive and almost 50/50 weight distribution.

This coupe is decidedly more at home on a winding B-road than the track, where its still-hefty weight and tall gearing can hinder progress.

That said, where the 135i succeeds brilliantly is in its performance and handling capabilities being so readily accessible while its demeanour remains extraordinarily forgiving.

If the dynamic envelope is rigidly defined, there's acres of room in which to roam before tearing point.

Purists may sniff that the 135i isn't all it could be: not as lithe, nor quite so focused. That misses the point, which is that it's absolutely what BMW customers want.

And if the show stand reminded us that there's a BMW for most shapes and circumstances, here's one that'll win both hearts and minds.

Snapshot

BMW 135i COUPE

Price: $80,000 (approx)

Engine: 3.0L/6-cylinder turbo, 225kW/400Nm

economy: 9.2L/100km (combined)

0-100km/h: 5.3 seconds