BMW 135i Sport Coupé Awarded Best Performance Car of the Year

MULGRAVE, AUSTRALIA – November 27, 2009: The BMW 135i Sport Coupé has been crowned Drive Best Performance Car over $60,000 for the second consecutive year at the 2009 awards.

Leading motoring journalists voted BMW’s ‘giant killer’ the best performance car amongst the final field that included the heralded Nissan GTR, the Audi S4 and the HSV GTS.

The Drive award is another to be added to the BMW 135i Sport Coupé honour board in recognition of its sublime performance that delivers rapid acceleration, brilliant handling, involved driver dynamics and impressive fuel economy.

With almost 1,500 examples on the road since it was launched in May 2008, the BMW 135i Sport Coupé and Convertible continue to win the hearts of the most discerning performance customer.

David Morley from Drive reported on the judges’ decision:

“… poise and balance are two words that could have been invented to describe our winner in this category, the BMW 135i.

“With a silky but potent twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine, the BMW has one of the most charismatic powerplants around at any money.

“The conventional manual contains six forward ratios and a light, accurate clutch action and, for those who value the driving experience, there's really no substitute for this level of involvement.

“The same goes for the handling which is supple but beautifully controlled yet also sure and rewarding thanks to the 135i's rear-wheel drive.

“If it all sounds a bit old-fashioned, it shouldn't because the BMW is still very much an up-to-the-minute drive that just happens to ooze entertainment.

“…there's really nothing that combines the BMW's generous abilities with its undeniable charms and at such a price.”

BMW also featured prominently in the Drive Car of the Year awards as a finalist in the Green Innovation Award category with its highly successful BMW EfficientDynamics sustainability strategy.

To view the full results of Drive Car of the Year please visit www.drive.com.au, alternatively the awards will be published in tomorrow’s Drive section of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in Melbourne