2012 BMW 135i Review By Steve Purdy

2012 BMW 135i

2012 BMW 135i - Quick, Competent and Entertaining

By Steve Purdy
TheAutoChannel.com
Michigan Bureau

It’s been quite some time since I’ve reviewed any of the great cars from Munich. The first, and only, car I ever bought new was a 1970 BMW 2002 and I’ve had a special affection for the brand since. I’ve lusted after many BMWs over the years, the 3.0 CS, the first 850i and particularly the Z8. The tag line “Ultimate Driving Machine” rings true since I’ve never been disappointed in the driving dynamics of anything from that brand.

Our test car this week is the quick and sporty little 1-Series, in the 135i iteration, featuring a 300-horsepower inline 6-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbo and direct injection. That’s a lot of ponies for this 3,500-pound coupe. The 3-liter engine makes 300 pound-feet of torque as well resulting in an effortless zero-to-60mph time of just 5 seconds flat. She burns premium fuel but with a 14-gallon tank and an average 21-mpg, according to the EPA, a range of much over 250 miles per tank is optimistic, though on the highway you ought to be able to manage close to the 25mpg EPA estimate.

A five-door version of the 1-Series is available in other markets but we only get the coupe and convertible in 128i (smaller inline 6-cylinder) and the 135i. These front engine, rear-wheel drive, four-passenger BMWs represent sort of an entry level into the brand, though the prices many not seem entry-level. The 135i Coupe will set you back at least 39 grand and the convertible just over 44 - without options. Of course they come mighty well equipped but you’ll have to pay extra for navigation, heated seats, the wonderful 7-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission (new for 2012) along with a few packages for lighting and some other stuff. The bottom line on our tester is just over 46 grand with the 7-speed automatic, navigation and the Premium Package. The 128i comes in about 8 grand less in each iteration.

Allow me to rave about the new transmission before I go on. Paddle shifters come standard and I’m not usually enamored with them. For typical driving I usually find they don’t add much to the experience. Now if you regularly have lots of twisties or do a little racing, that’s another story. Well, I decided to play with them a bit going down a country road at extralegal speed. I bumped down from 7th to 3rd gears one at a time and was amazed at the quickness of the shifts and especially at the smoothness. My passengers could not tell that I had shifted as the rpms went from 1,500 to over 5,000 one increment at a time. An admirably quiet cabin contributed as well muffling the sound of the revs. We also have at our disposal a “sport mode” button on the console that triggers “more aggressive” shift and throttle mapping that we feel decisively and immediately.

The 135i Coupe looks pretty small from the outside, and it is. Though I fit comfortably into the driver’s seat, and the generous doors made ingress and egress easy, we expect most rear seat passengers might be cramped. As it happened four of us made a trip into Detroit this week for the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) show and all three of the other guys are slim, trim and short. The two in the back said it was one of the most comfortable rear seats they’ve been in. A hard plastic tray between the rear seats would prevent a third person back there, even a small one.

The interior is typically Teutonic and practical but with a high-quality feel. BMW is not known for superfluous embellishment and you’ll find nothing flashy or esthetically interesting inside, but everything feels solid and looks good. The controls were mostly intuitive and the little muli-function HVAC/audio/nav/info system is getting easier, or I’m getting smarter (maybe both). The knob is positioned where it falls easily to hand but back far enough that it is nearly impossible to see while driving. A variety of buttons around the knob are always in play so you’ll just have to memorize their positions.

While we’re talking about ergonomics I’ll just comment on a couple of niggles. I wonder why they’ve designed it so that we have to tell it twice to shut down and tell it twice to let us out. It has a standard push-button start and the first push shuts off the engine then we have to push it a second time to shut off the radio and other accessories. Then we have to pull the door handle twice, once to unlock it and once to open the door. I found that a tad annoying. I also don’t like it when my computer makes me tell it twice what I want it to do. Does that make me a curmudgeon?

BMW’s warranty covers the whole car, including the powertrain, for 4 years or 50,000 miles.

This is a wonderful car to drive - quick, competent and immensely entertaining. Without discernible lag the dual scroll turbo provides thrilling thrust and the sophisticated chassis allows us to push it through our cloverleaf entrance ramp as hard as we like. I did notice that with less than 8,000 miles on the odo the rear tires were nearly spent. That’s probably because it is a press car and some of my colleagues have been testing its limits. I can’t blame them since this car can be so much fun.

It’s great to get back behind the wheel of this little Bimmer. It certainly reminds me of my little 1970 2002 that was also quick, competent and entertaining. Over 40 years ago, though, our criteria was entirely different.