Alright well luckily this weekend i made a trip to SD and stopped by BMW to check out the new 1 series. Im not sure if anyone else has been watching them or not but heres my opinion on what i was hoping was gonna be the best new small car out this year. Well to make a long story short i didnt get to drive it seeing that all but one were sold. Walking around the car and trying my best to find faults with craftmenship or quality was pretty challenging. I only found 1 actual gripe and it was very minor. The 135i emblem was a tad bit crooked but other then that the car was well made and the quality meets typical BMW imo. I really digged the car and seeing that has the same 3.0 liter twin turbo power plant as the 335i its a rocket ship. Its also very nimble on its feet and is quite the handler from what i have read but i will have to get my hands on some keys before i can give my honest opinion. There isnt very much rear legroom which kinda sucks but its not really meant to be a people carrier so thats kind of expected. The price tag is also kind of high but for all you get its not terrible. If i had 40k laying around buring a hole in my pocket i dont know if i would get one or not. Im still stuck on the G37S but thats just me. haha. Hope this helps anyone in the market for the 1. When i get back to NC and go to the BMW dealership and take one out on a burn i will post back with my findings.

 

Hey Joshua,
I've been following the 135i closely myself. For the price and performance, it's def worth it. Keep in mind, the HP/TQ that BMW estimated is not at all accurate. It's been test driven to put out 12-20 more HP and 20-30 more TQ. Not to mention an Xede piggy back upgrade to its ECU for a price tag of $1500 will boost its TQ to about 420 @ the crank with a 0-60 at 4.2 seconds. Piggy back tuning picked up about 55-65whp and 80-100tq. This car is also lighter than it's older brother 335i and more nimble too! I've read on a 335i blogs that it can easily eat E46 M3s all day...I can't even imagine what the 135i can do.

 

I agree with you on the performance and handling. Im not cutting that down at all. The 135i is a great little car but im just saying in my opinion for mid 40's nicely equipped i would find it hard for myself to get one. Im a family man and there is no room in the back for anyone comfortably. If i was single and had nothing else to worry about i would give it a second look but currently it wouldnt be my first choice in a new car. Also i am absolutely in love with the 335i sedan and for about 10k more i would have a much bigger 4 door that is a dream to drive and work perfectly for what i need. I love small cars but if i wanted a coupe with no backseat i would just go after a Z4. Know what i mean? When i go to the dealer again and actually drive it i will have a better idea of how it handles and what kind of a rocket it really is. That 3.0 liter is an amazing engine. To bad we couldnt swap that into the fit:D:rotfl:

 

you made it to sd and dint call a meet? shit....thats hard core.


even though you were at hin, its okay....

 

I read that you guys were gonna be all over the place so i went to La Jolla and Escondido again and messed with more cars instead. I wanted to come to a meet but the guys i was with were less then interested in 16k cars on a super car trip. I was gonna try to meet up with BJ but didnt get his message till i got back to El Centro. Oh well. I come out this way usually once a year so maybe next time i will drive out. You guys would have died seeing what i had as a rental. A Chevy Aveo 5 door:( :rotfl:

 

I"m a family man my self too. I would need a useable backseats for my stinky kids also which the 135i can't support. If money was no object for me right now, I would buy the 135i for me and the 335i for my wife as leasure cars for both of us. Maybe in 2 - 4 years I can find used ones for around $20-$30k. Have you seen the hardtop convertable 335i? It is sick!

 

Its a killer car. Ive been following it for months on 1addicts.com. Its a fast little car, handling is just ok though. Lots of understeer when you start pushing it. Im sure aftermarket will have a fix for that. After alot of thought, ive decided id rather get a 335i. Just seems to me like more of a "real" car for some reason. The 1er is like a little toy lol.

Tyler

 

I've read some commentary that the 1 might have some trouble because it obviously looks like a cut rate BMW, whatever its performance credentials might be. It definitely looks awkward as hell, but I'm sure it will be an amazing drive and will sell great. I can't get around the looks.

 

i think the 1 series are junk... just my 2 quarters

 

You went to HIN LA? you didn't happen to see an R35 GT-R sitting next to a couple of 07 Type-Rs with RJ DeVera did you, outta curiosity?

I'm not sold on the 1-series' looks, but I gotta hand it to BMW for crafting one heck of a sporting machine. And with a minimal investment in aftermarket tuning the results are pretty stunning. Might have to make some room in the garage haha

 

reason being????



i personally don't look at the one series as a cut rate bimmer....all the reivews i have read say that the quality of the interior is just as good as a three series.

i think this all comes from the mentality that if something is a certain price, or its smaller than something else, it HAS to mean its low-end.

the only way this 30k car is low end is the fact that its the most affordable BMW out there.

Tyler have you driven it yet? i haven't, but i have not read to many reviews that complained about understeer....

 

because i cant stand BMW's thats why :D... they all are junks and benz 2
srry if im bashing this thead

 

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. But have you driven one before or owned one? I think until you can justify why they are a junk because you have driven one, please continue to bash away on this thread. Stating they "can't stand it" doesn't justify anything.

Back on topic, the 128i and 135i will be targeted from $25k to $40k price range. This will allow some affordability in purchasing a BMW for most of us without having to sell your own liver.

 

No i didnt go to HIN LA. I went around SD to La Jolla and Escondido. In La Jolla i went to Symbolic and looked at super cars again and in Escondido i went to the auto park and looked at just about anything i could get my hands on. I even went to Mercedes to check out the new C class and was not impressed at all. I didnt even ask for the keys to take it for a spin and waste his time. He was pretty happy that i didnt jurk him around so he let me sit and mess with the Mclaren SLR convertible in the show room. haha. Thats the most expensive car my ass has sat in, 514K.

Back on topic though the 1 series seemed like a fun car but the only way that it would be worth it in my opinion is a 135i with only the sport package otherwise with some options your easily into the 40k area. To me thats not worth it. I dont know if im a fan of the front end either. Its to straight up and down there is no real curve to it. With all the going back and fourth talk i really want to get my hands on some keys to see for myself cause it looks like everyone has there own opinion on it.

 

yeh, i feel the same about the 'toy' aspect of the 1-series which is
a good thing for folks (well, like me i guess) that look at our MINI's
and think they are fun cars. 1-series is all about that, i think in FR
platform lots of power. :)

personally ive been eyeing the 335i coupes for a while and will be
in the market for another V6 platform when im done with my G35C.
im expecting my budget to be around $50K range so 135i with
hopups, 335i coupe with nice options would be in-line. im also
checking the developments of the 370z. if they all fail my expectations,
im going to check out the vette coupes.

 

bmws are great cars... when they're not in the shop.

 

haha i feel you man. Lately my mom's X5 has been breaking down and with warranty up....damn that thing is expensive to fix >_<.

Regarding the new 1 series though, i think it's safe to say it's going to be some hot stuff. As far as looks go though i dont think it's that good looking.

 

I have been all over that website lately with the release of the 1 :) They are doing a massive driving event in Canada where (if you win the draw) you can take it out on the track and beat on it :D

I actually like the fact they shrank down the new 1 series, it reminds me of my old 3 series before it ballooned into a gigantic sedan. The way I see it they finally got around to building a no-nonsense more affordable sports car for enthusiasts. I was getting a bit discouraged by the fact every performance car on the market is as big as a 7 series sedan :p

 

yeah they are expensive to fix...but the three series has been getting good marks lately from buys like CR for being reliable.

i guess the germans realized that performance and reliability CAN go hand in hand!


I really like this car. I think it looks better than the hatch version they have in europe. (in which the rear doors are a total novelty!)

 

i remember when the 335i came out motortrend or road and track was doing a comparison test with it and they said 6 different lights came on on the dash in the course of their couple hour test!

If i was do buy a $40k car, I would like to drive it, not a loaner every other week. Even though it has free maintenance for 4 years, knowing that you could get stranded in the middle of the freeway at any time is worrying.

I like audi, mbenz, and BMWs products, but reliability is what deters me from buying a german vehicle. I'm sure there are owners out there who have problem-free cars, but many dont.

That's one of the many things I like about the fit, yes it may not be the fastest or the most fun to drive or the most prestigious car, but every morning when I get up, I know that it will start, and work.