2008 BMW 135i

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With the new 2008 BMW 135i, the German company explicitly promises a return to its compact sport sedan roots. This rear-drive two-door — in 230-horsepower 128i and 300-hp 135i form — "will reinvent the niche that the legendary BMW 2002 created," says the company. Meanwhile, it also frees up the 2002's lineal descendant, the current 3 Series, to move even further upmarket and grow even larger.

In fact the 1 Series coupe is close in size to the old 2002. Sure, the 135i's 104.7-inch wheelbase is 8.3 inches longer than the 2002's, but its 171.6-inch overall length is smack between the 1971 BMW 2002's 166.5 inches and the big-bumper 1976 2002's 176.0 inches. However, the 2002 was never offered with anything except four-cylinder engines and never had more than 170 horsepower aboard (in the rare 2002 Turbo, which wasn't exported to America). When the 1 Series coupe comes over to North America this next spring, it arrives with nothing but six-cylinder power.



Vroom, Vroom
The 135i coupe shares its essential engineering with the three-door and five-door 1 Series models that have been for sale in Europe since 2004. That engineering is familiar to anyone who has ever looked under any recent BMW sedan with the steel unibody structure containing a mostly aluminum "double-pivot spring" MacPherson strut suspension up front and an independent five-link system in the back. Both BMW's Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) will be standard and that ought to be...dynamic.

Both U.S.-bound engines are familiar, too. The 128i's naturally aspirated, magnesium-block 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve straight-6 comes straight out of the 328i, while the 135i's twin-turbocharged and direct-injected version of that engine is the same one used in the 335i. Both will be available, hooked to either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

BMW is claiming the 135i will swoop from a standstill to 62 mph in just 5.3 seconds. (Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.) That seems awfully conservative since the first 335i we tested did zero to 60 in a staggering 4.8 seconds. With the 135i having the same engine and less mass to move, is 4.5 seconds out of the question? How about 4.3?

Kinky Hofmeister
Considering the 135i's proportions, it was inevitable that it would be boxier than other BMW two-doors if there were going to be any useful space inside. But while that boxy shape is in the tradition of the 2002, this isn't a clone of any previous Bimmer.

As with almost all BMWs there's a pronounced "Hofmeister kink" in the greenhouse near the trailing edge. In the 135i coupe, however, that kink is moved rearward along the wheelbase so that it's almost directly over the rear wheels' centerline. That leaves the car with a relatively long hood and very short rear deck. Throw in the prominent rear spoiler stamped into that deck lid and the result is almost an exaggeration of the classic muscle car shape.

The 135i then pushes that look even further with an "M-inspired" aero body kit featuring heavily sculpted lower rocker panels, a deep front airdam and big 18-inch wheels that effectively fill the aggressively flared fenders.

Right Tech
With a low (for a BMW) base price of around $30K being critical for the 1 Series coupe, much of the high-tech overkill that has plagued other current BMWs is tempered here. "Active Steering" is merely an option on the 135i — not a mandatory curse.

That doesn't mean, however, that the 135i coupe is free of innovation. For instance, there's a USB port that allows an Apple iPod to be directly controlled through the audio system. And the rear differential features "double-helical" ball bearings that keep temperatures down and reduce the amount of necessary fluids.

Any 1 Series coupe ordered with the available navigation system gets a revised version of the much despised iDrive. Six programmable buttons have been added so the driver can customize the system and use the buttons to skip numerous menus and proceed directly to a desired function. Will this silence the iDrive's critics? Probably not.

All-American Coupe
Built specifically to appease Americans who might have balked at the hatchback layout of the European 1 Series, the 135i coupe is a satisfyingly stylish alternative. And with 300 hp driving its compact chassis, it will provide unheard-of performance for a $30K car without a 2-foot-tall wing on the trunk. Sales start in the spring of 2008. — John Pearley Huffman, Contributor