About MeOn my website, I mentioned a couple of the bad reviews (one of them being more idiotic than bad), but I should have also linked to the numerous great reviews of the 135i. See below for a little bit of what is out there:
Reviews:
The Good:
Consumer Reports picks BMW 135i as its top-rated sports car - “Consumer Reports has given the BMW 135i an overall score of “Excellent” beating the Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Volkswagen R32, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (which followed the 135i in that ranking order).”
Time Online - Clarkson says “he 135 coupé is the best car BMW makes”
Motor Autority - “When you consider it’s only half a second slower than an M3 to 60mph the 135i is excellent value”
Bimmerfile.com - Gabe writes “After a day in the 135i I came away as smitten by it as I have ever been with an automobile. The new M3 I had driven just 12 hours before was fantastic, but the 135i is just so much more enjoyable in all situations.”
Automobilemag - “What it is, though, is something of a renaissance. In essence, the 135i is BMW doing what BMW does best.”
Cnet - “Our few minor critiques won’t stop us from giving the BMW 135i our Editors’ Choice award.”
Car&Driver 1 series convertible review - “But convertibles aren’t about practicality; they’re about the wind in your hair and sun on your cheeks, and if those are the things that set your heart atwitter, the 1-series convertible begins to look like a steal—so long as you go easy on the options.”
Car&Driver 135i Road test - “Unless the slightly larger size of the 335i is necessary for one’s lifestyle, the 135i provides all the thrills and refinement and will provide the same, if not more, grins than the 335i. See, smaller is better. You’ll notice that we’ve only compared the 135i with its bigger brother. That’s because there really aren’t many other cars on the market that compare with the 135i. Indeed, it’s in a very small class: a class of one.”
Caradvice.com.au - “This 135i receives five stars because it’s the best at doing everything.”
Motortrend - “Says editor at large Arthur St. Antoine, I’m blown away by this little stealth fighter. I can’t recall another car that’s been more surprising to drive; I expected the 135i to offer solid performance, but it’s breathtakingly quick. Refined, too-it’s a bona-fide BMW. Direct and communicative steering feel, bags of grip. An absolute blast to drive.”
Edmunds - “The 2008 BMW 135i cuts right to the heart of what a BMW is meant to be about. You can argue about its appearance and complain about packaging, but in just about every other respect, it delivers a unique and exhilarating driving experience, which is what matters most.”
Automobilemag reviews 1 series convertible - “Even with electric power steering, the 1-series convertible is easily the best drive in its segment. Provided you don’t often carry rear-seat passengers and can live with a fabric roof, it does everything its bigger brother does at a price that’s ten grand less. That’s a package that fits us just fine.” (FYI — they reviewed the 125i and noted that the 135i has the “superb” hydraulic-assist steering)
Windingroad -”Goad to Spring” - “The interior and exterior feel right on the money”
The Bad:
LA Times - “The new 1-series BMW is ugly. Seriously ugly. Ugly with X-wings locked in attack formation.”
Thetruthaboutcars - “The 135i’s steering is a big part of the problem; its ponderousness makes turn-in an unnecessarily onerous chore. The 135i’s manual transmission doesn’t help matters. Like most latter day Bimmers, the clutch is a two-footer that engages with rubbery imprecision. And while the 335i has a most excellent ZF automatic transmission, the 135i does not.” Note: The 135i has the same ZF auto transmission as the 335i. So, in other words, the guy does not do his research. As a side note, the site did not like the convertible version because it was hot outside. (see my webpage for more on that).
Video
Webrides TV - video of 135i convertible in action
WebridesTV - 135i profiled
Roadfly (video at bottome of page) - “If you miss the iconic BMW 2002 or if you just want to get back into a sports car, then the BMW 135i Coupe is perfect for you.”
MSN Cars test drive of the BMW 135i coupe - “The 135i is a revelation!”
More reviews can be found at 1addicts forum.
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And while the 335i has a most excellent ZF automatic transmission, the 135i does not.” Note: The 135i has the same ZF auto transmission as the 335i. So, in other words, the guy does not do his research.
On the contrary, I think you require more research.
The sentence says that the 135i does not have an excellent ZF transmission. It is a logical fallacy to conclude that sentence means the 135i does not have a ZF transmission at all. In this case, it meant the 135i has a bad ZF automatic transmission.
In fact, if you look at the Monroney stickers for both the 135i automatic and 335i automatic, you can see that the countries of origin for the automatic transmissions are not the same. The 135i’s transmission is made in France. The transmission for the 335i is made in Germany.
August 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pmJustin,
Here is your quote:
“135i’s auto feels cheaper and slower-witted than the sublime ZF-equipped 335i.”
You did not point out the the 135i is also equipped with a ZF transmission (sublime or otherwise). Your omission leads one to believe that the 135i does not have a ZF-equipped transmission (much less the same version of the 6HP19 that the 335i is also equipped with). As a result, you look like you do not know what you are talking about or you are intentionally leaving that fact out of your article. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and I believed that you saw the France origin and assumed it was GM. However, if you knew that they were both ZF and made that statement, then you were misleading your readers.
Furthermore, unless the ZF production facility in France has some major problems with their control procedures, it should be the same transmission. Both the 135 and the 335i have been reported to have the same version of the 6HP19 ZF transmission.
To quote Bimmerfile:
“However the single option that defined this particular car’s experience more than anything was the newly released ZF Steptronic 6-speed automatic transmission. As someone who has clearly been defined as a stick-shift snob, I was dissapointed to learn that our test car would be coming with an slush-box. However a lot has been made of this particular transmission since it was released on the 335i last year. It’s shift times, ability to match revs on downshifts and general flexibility has won over many reviewers. And while I can’t quite call it the perfect choice for the enthusiast driver, I can definitely say that it is the best auto I’ve ever driven. Its ability to change gears so quickly is an immediate advantage it has over most torque-converter style autos. And the matching of revs on down-shifts is no less than addicting. It also gives the transmission a tangible sporting character where most autos have none. Even during aggressive driving it was hard to trip up the brains behind it all. In fact it’s hard to imagine being much faster in real world driving with a manual.”
Below is an attachment from 1addicts with the 1 series specs:
BMW spec sheet
edit: I have sent ZF an email for more clarification. From my understanding, they are the exact same transmission (see Bimmerfile quote above) that just happen to be built in separate plants. Unless Germany is sprinkling fairy dust on the 335 ZF, it should perform the same as the French built transmission. I doubt that ZF has its stellar reputation if it does not use the exact same process in separate facilities.
A link to a BMW service bulletin that also states that they have the same GA6HP19Z transmission. Unless someone can provide a better source than BMW for what tranny they are using, I think the case is closed. Either the reviewer got a broken car or he is imagining things…
August 17th, 2008 at 2:09 pm