BMW 135i & M3

Words and photos by Warren Madsen

March 22, 2008

The first time I saw the new 1 Series from BMW in concept form I was excited. Being a fan of the BMW 2002, I was happy to see the German car company was getting back to it's roots with a smaller, more focused coupe. I had followed it's debut in other markets as well, with the introduction of the small wagon and even had the opportunity to take a look at them closely while I was in Japan. I circled the U.S. release date on the calendar and I made sure to be first in line to drive this exciting new car- the 135i.

Since so much has been written and previewed about these cars I won't go into too much detail regarding the technical specs here. The basics are this: you get a smaller, and slightly more nimble car with the same 300 hp twin turbo 6-cylinder power plant as the 3 Series. Add a nice and tidy interior with all the goodies you could want, a meaty M3 steering wheel, great seats and BMW's famous driving dynamics and you have one hell of a car.

The car we drove was a well optioned sport model and came with the new automatic tranny which replaces SMG in the 1. Essentially it's a quick-shifting clutchless 6 speed matched to well placed paddles behind the steering wheel. I'd have preferred a true manual, but to be honest BMW makes one of the best auto/manual set ups around. To get a first impression of the car it was probably the way to go.

My test drive consisted of the cypress and oak lined back roads of the Monterey hills. Through town I took note of the quiet interior, stiff chassis and comfortable red leather seats. I left it in full auto mode until we ventured further away from stop lights and traffic. We found a slightly rough road that weaved deeper into the surrounding hills and with the transmission now in manual mode, I clicked through gears and felt little hesitation. Only while entering a blind curve did I wish it would downshift with a little more urgency. Up shifts were completely acceptable and the brakes were very strong.

Torque from the twin turbo six came on smooth and was always available. The 1 did jump around a little more on the rougher asphalt but it also felt more nimble and tossable compared to the only slightly larger 335ci. You might be wondering why I failed to brag about weight reduction in the 1...well, at only 300 pounds lighter than a 335 coupe, it's hardly worth mentioning. Steering feel was excellent and I'll chalk up some of the jitteryness to the large sport wheels with low profile tires. 0-60 takes only 5.3 seconds- pretty impressive and it feels even faster behind the wheel. 50-70 is equal to the new M3, crazy.

My only gripe has been about the styling and pricing of the new car. The somewhat awkward "flame surface" design of the Chris Bangle led team at BMW looks better in person and controversy completely fades once you are in the wonderful interior. I especially like the gloss black twin tail pipes and simply styled wheels. Considering the 1 is going to be a popular model for years to come, I have a feeling there will be many unique ways to option your car including the highly anticipated 135 tii; essentially an "M" optioned 1 Series with it's roots firmly connected to the great 2002 tii of the '70's.

Pricing is a bit of a shock and the only major drawback in my opinion. There is a base 128i available without the turbos, but a fully loaded 135i will push past $40,000 quickly. Hmmm. Many people will point out that a nice 3 series isn't much more. I think this choice will come down to ones personal style since the 135 offers all the best parts of the 335 with only size and design to differentiate the two. Having said that, you get a lot of car for the money and one that provides maybe the best overall driving experiences around.

To contrast the 135, I drove the new M3 on the same route. I should have been more excited to get a chance to experience the latest M-car but for some reason I anticipated it being somewhat predictable. Maybe since the 135 is all new and the M3 shares so much with the current 335ci in terms of overall styling and interior. Too much hype perhaps?

I quickly found the new V8 to be very volatile and it reminded me of revving a fresh small block crate motor from GM. It rumbles and sounds nothing like the old 6-cylinder in the E46 M3. The car looks great in white with the pure carbon fiber roof and is a joy to drive; the gears shift effortlessly and take little time to get familiar with. The entire car just wraps around you and urges you to push a little further, a little harder. The roads that I ran the 135i at about 60 mph on, I found myself pushing 80. It felt about the same in the M3 and that's really the story of this car.

I had a short straight before me with no other cars to be seen so I stopped in the road. I put the car in first gear, revved the 400 horse power V8 to about 3000 rpm and let out the clutch briskly. Quick shift into second, my back is pressed into the seat, up to 6000 rpm, grab third gear; high rpm's again, slight steering correction, V8 howling now...look down: 100 mph! It happened that fast.

I was sold and I completely reversed my lack luster attitude toward this German beast. The new M3, as everyone already knew, is no joke. Is it worth the $30k increase over a 135i? Not quite but I think they appeal to two different types of consumers, and if you have the means for either one of these cars you will not be disappointed!