BMW 1-Series 135i 2008 Review

BMW has always been strong at being able to produce compact cars with soul and spirit.

It is a fine art, an art where engineering integrity generates the DNA that dictates whether a small car will be an all-round track and field star or purely a one-dimensional athlete.

A newcomer to BMW's small car fleet, the 1-series coupe, is no one-dimensional squib nor is it a decathlete.

This pretty two-door is a track performer that is flexible enough to cut it with the one-event stars and yet muster the strength and stamina to do the hard yards with the middle-distance types at the same time.

The 135i reflects everything that has made BMW's values as engineering driver's cars.

Starting with the time-honoured recipe of putting a large engine in a small car, the 1-series had a lot going for it before the chassis boffins began to weave their tuning magic.

It runs with the fabulously strong 3-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine that is well matched to a sweet chassis, which gives it composure to tackle the smoothest, roughest and lumpiest black tops.

The evocative coupe is a car for all conditions and all distances, where it is a cool place to be for a sprint along the coast or for a hike to longer distances for border crossings.

The 135i rides on run-flats — not the most compliant tyre going — so in between a sports suspension and rock-hard tyre walls there is not a lot of plushness going on in the ride department.

It is firm rather than a bone-jarring hard ride, but it nevertheless is quite tolerable at highway speeds around challenging mountain terrain. The run-flats have more compliance in the side walls and are more closely linked to the suspension tune than in previous generations.

There is minimal turbo lag and the six-speed manual box is well gated and nicely matched to one of the most refined inline force-fed six cylinder engines on the market.

Aside from a modicum of ride harshness, everything about the 135i feels just about right — from the close heel/toe savvy pedal placement, to the excellent driving position in relation to vision, console controls and the gear shifter.

Out on the road the 135i turns in with typical BMW sureness and the whole affair feels for all intents like you are driving a 3-series, save for a lighter feel which translates to a more compact driving experience.

Unfortunately BMW did not have any 125i coupes available for the press launch so there is no base to go on for the newest two-door on the block.

On a drive from Albury up to Thredbo the 1-series coupe sucked 12.3 litres but the two-door worked hard for its money, getting a fair workout higher in the rev range.

It is the only rear-wheel-drive in its class, so there is no opposition.

If a British test is to be believed the 135i can give a Porsche Cayman, worth around $50k more, a licking on a track.

There is no doubt the 135i performs well above its weight division, a genuine weight-for-age competitor that is throwing down the challenge to higher-end stuff like the Cayman.

If the 335i coupe is a teenage M3 then the 135i is a juvenile master blaster.

It is the modern-day version of what the 3-series was 20 years ago, so rather than cannibalise BMW's bread-and-butter car, it provides entry into crackling turbo performance at about $40,000 less than a 335i coupe.

Just as the 2002 turbo coupe created a cult following in 1973, the 1-series coupe stands to replicate history 35 years down the track.

There are no real visible signs of compromises on the launch drive.

A rattle in the dash provided some annoyance and the one and only cup holder in the centre console cannot house a drink bottle without first unplugging the iPod and USB leads underneath the centre arm rest.

It's nit-picking, we know, but it was frustrating all the same.

Snapshot

BMW 1-Series Coupe

Price: $54,400 125i manual ($57,200 auto), $71,400 135i manual, ($74,200 auto).

Engine: 2996cc inline six cylinder (125i), 2979cc twin turbocharged inline six (135i).

Power: 160kW @ 6100rpm (125i), 225kW @ 5800rpm (135i).

Torque: 270Nm @ 2500rpm (125i), 400Nm @ 5800rpm (135i).

Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 6-speed Steptronic automatic.

Dimensions (mm): 4360 (length), 1748 (width), 1423 (height, 125i), 1408 (height, 135i), 2660(wheelbase).

Kerb weight: 1405kg (125i, manual), 1485kg (135i, manual).

0-100km/h: 6.4secs (125i, manual), 5.3secs (135i, manual).

Fuel consumption: 8.7litres/100km (125i), 9.6litres/100km (135i) combined city/highway.

Fuel capacity: 53 litres.

Boot capacity: 370 litres (815 litres with the 60/40 split rear seats down).