 2008 BMW 135i cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
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2008 BMW 1 Series, by Laurance Yap Test Drives
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2008 BMW 1 Series
Oshawa, Ontario - Just as cheap gas prices and wide-open spaces once shaped North America’s automotive industry, Europe’s pricier petrol and tighter city quarters resulted in vehicle segments that, up until now, we’ve never really explored. But as our fuel prices soar, more of these vehicles are making their way across the ocean, including those of the premium compact - cars like Mercedes-Benz’s B-Class, Audi’s A3 and now, BMW’s 1 Series.
Available as a cabriolet (convertible) or coupe in Canada (a delightful little two- or four-door hatchback is sold in Europe, but BMW Canada says not to expect it here, at least in this generation) the 1 Series comes as the 128i, with 230-horsepower naturally-aspirated 3.0-litre inline-six, or as my tester, the 135i, carrying the twin-turbo 3.0-litre that has twice now been named “International Engine of the Year”, and justifiably so.
If those powerplants sound familiar, it’s because BMW also puts them in the 3 and 5 Series, but here, they’re into vehicles that are smaller, lighter and even more fun to drive. My choice for the next permanent resident of my garage used to be a 3 Series, but now, “the One is the one”.
 2008 BMW 135i cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
While it’s the smallest vehicle in BMW’s fleet and bases with the company’s lowest price-tag, don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s an entry-level car. This is the real deal, with performance that will put a smile on your face.
If anything, the 1 Series’ size and its series number may initially work against it in the Canadian marketplace, where we’ve always been accustomed to the idea of more money equals more sheet metal. The 1 Series isn’t inexpensive: the 128i coupe has a starting price of $33,900, and while it takes $41,000 to get that engine in a 3 Series, you can also get the larger if less powerful 323i for just $2,000 more than the 128i.
For the 135i, starting price is $41,700 for the coupe, and $47,200 for my cabriolet tester. Start checking off the options boxes, and the cost will accelerate faster than the car will: add every possible option to the 135i cabriolet, and it’s a whopping $62,600.
Truth be told, I’d probably buy the 128i for my personal car, both for the break to my wallet and the fact that, in everyday driving, the non-turbo version is enough engine for this smaller package and feels somewhat better balanced because of that. But I can’t deny that the 135i is way more fun when it’s time to go out just for the sheer pleasure of driving a road machine.
 2008 BMW 135i coupe; photo by Chris Chase. Click image to enlarge |
The twin-turbo produces 300 horsepower, and makes its 300 lb-ft of torque at a mere 1,400 rpm. This powerband is fatter than my great-aunt Belinda - poor dear was buried in a piano crate - and provides acceleration no matter where you need it, whether it’s from a standing stop or to pass a line of tractor-trailers, and it pulls hard even in sixth gear. Zero to 100 km/h happens in just 5.7 seconds in the convertible (5.4 in the lighter coupe), and the governed top speed is 240 km/h. Each of the turbochargers is responsible for three cylinders, and there simply isn’t any turbo lag; full power is instantaneous, to the point that you wouldn’t know you were driving a car with puffers. The rich burble out of the exhaust makes it worthwhile turning off the stereo, too. Official fuel figures are 12.0 L/100 km in the city and 7.9 on the highway; in combined driving, I averaged 11.0 L/100 km. You’ll need to put premium fuel through its filler neck, though.
A six-speed manual is the default transmission, and was in my car; a six-speed automatic is available for $1,700. As with other BMW offerings, the gearbox is very well done, with the shifter moving smoothly and precisely into each gate. A flick of the thick steering wheel and the car responds; the confident weight at higher speeds sticks around for lower ones, so if you prefer to spin around parking lots with just fingertip pressure, another $1,500 buys you Active Steering, which varies the steering ratio and reduces the wheel travel needed to move the front end around at lower speeds.
 2008 BMW 135i cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
While the 1 Series coupe isn’t that much lighter than the 3 Series two-door, there’s much more of a difference in the cabriolet, and my 135i undercut the 335i by 130 kg. Add to that the shorter wheelbase and near 50/50 weight distribution, and you’ll be making turns just for the fun of throwing this car into a corner. The 135i’s standard tires are 18-inch performance run-flats, and the grip is simply awesome.
There’s a trade-off in that the car is noisier than the company’s larger offerings, and while the ride over most asphalt is smoother than expected given the abbreviated wheelbase and hard rubber, it doesn’t take much of a pothole to let you know exactly where the city crew needs to fix the road. There’s a bit more body flex than in the coupe, naturally, but it’s still pretty tight for a car that’s missing its roof.
The only top choice is canvas - there’s no retractable hardtop available - but it’s fully automatic and stores under a metal tonneau. It does eat into the trunk, which is 73 cm long, but a protective panel that prevents the roof from hitting cargo on its travel down can be pushed up out of the way when the top is up, to provide a maximum of 40 cm cargo height. When it is up, though, there’s a considerable blind spot over the shoulder, and that’s when you’ll really notice how small the mirrors are.
  2008 BMW 135i cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
The 1’s smaller size turns it into more of a driver’s car, with a surprising amount of legroom in the front seat but not a great deal of shoulder width. The rear seats are extremely comfortable, and thanks to little tricks such as extra space under the front seats for feet, and concave panels in the front seatbacks for more knee room, rear-seat passengers should be fine for a little while as long as the front seats aren’t pushed fully back, although it’s quite a chore getting to the rear chairs if the roof is up.
The dash is unmistakably BMW, with the extra benefit that there’s no iDrive; the standard dual-zone automatic climate control is simple to operate, and while some of the radio’s fine-tuning can be complicated, it uses simple spinning knobs for power, volume and stations. The cluster is easy to read, and vents close easily and completely. Lift the armrest, and there are places to stash small items, along with the auxiliary input jack; a very nice touch is that there’s a soft pouch with Velcro closure on the underside of the armrest that’ll hold your music player and keep it out of the way.
The default upholstery is “leatherette” - and it’s very well done for fake cowhide - but my tester’s Premium Package clad the seats in red Boston leather, which looked really sharp when combined with the black on the door trim panels. I also had $800 Sport Seats, but try sitting in them at the dealer’s first, before you check them off on the order form. Already heavily bolstered, they include air bladders that you can adjust to tighten them even more; I liked them, but larger drivers might find them too narrow. The lack of a power seat on any 1 Series is surprising, given the car’s price, but the manual adjustment has numerous stops on its track and I had no trouble finding the right driving position.
  2008 BMW 135i cabriolet. Click image to enlarge |
Overall, interior fit and finish is extremely good, and the asymmetrical dash design is attractive. My main complaint is with the door pull handle, which is too far forward; there needs to be a second handhold further back on the door armrest, so you can steady the door when opening it on a windy day. A door this long simply can’t be adequately controlled by holding it near the hinge. And given that every other automaker’s security alarm uses a tiny flashing red light bulb to indicate that the system is armed, I can’t figure out why BMW continues to embellish the rearview mirror with a big ugly cherry that looks like it belongs on an old-fashioned cop car’s roof.
But these are minor quibbles on a car that’s simply a great piece of machinery to drive. If anything’s going to hold it back, it’s going to be perception: on this side of the pond, we’re still not used to paying premium dollars without getting premium size. We’re also accustomed to each automaker’s segment being priced as a bloc, and so I’m guessing that many shoppers will expect the most expensive 1 Series to cost less than the cheapest 3 Series model - which it definitely doesn’t. But rather than simply a downsized 3 Series, the 135i is its own beast, a sharp-handling, stinky-fast and extremely nimble compact with possibly the best engine on the market under its hood. Look at it that way, and you’ll want one, too.
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Pricing: 2008 BMW 135i cabriolet
Base price: $47,200 Freight: $1,400
Specifications
Related articles on CanadianDriver
First Drives
2008 BMW 1 Series, by Laurance Yap Test Drives
2008 BMW 135i coupe, by Chris Chase
Competitors
Manufacturer’s web site
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