Auto Review: BMW 135i

I believe I was in 5th grade at the time. I was with a friend of mine on his family's ranch somewhere in east Texas. Along with the occasional chicken and cow, there was also a barn and a dusty dirt road that connected the 19th century Victorian house with a traditional red barn. At this time, my fondness of cars had already taken hold of me.

Rex, my friend, had on this farm a small two stroke gas powered car that looked like a miniature version of a model T. It had the basics, a steering wheel and a bench seat that could accompany a couple of 5th graders. Anyone over 5 1/2 feet tall would have a hell of a time fitting in this thing. Throttle was controlled not by pedals but by a small lever that ran from left to right on the steering column. All the way left meant you were sitting still while all the way right meant you were going at formula one speeds (15mph). Oh yea, and there were no brakes.

All day Rex and I drove down that small dirt road to the barn and back. The total trip took about 45 seconds. Our final journey of the day saw myself behind the wheel of the pseudo model T. I had been warned that there were no brakes, but that did not stop me from sliding the throttle from sane to ludicrous speed. Our 45 second trip only took 30 and ended with the model T embracing the barn door.

Fast forward to today and the new BMW 135i coupe. Bavaria’s latest two door comes equipped with the E92's 3.0L I6 with two snails bolted on. The turbos are small to decrease lag and provide a torque curve you could eat off of. Power stats on the car are impressive: 300hp @ 5800 rpm and 300 ft/lbs @ 1400 - 5000 rpm.

What I like most about the car is the fact that it takes me back to the ranch in east Texas. Sure the little model T wasn't equipped with idrive, bluetooth, or even HVAC controls, but boy was it fun to drive. Handling is predictable although I do wish there was a touch less understeer. However, the Bimmer will wag it's tail with some judicious use of the LOL pedal.

Now, the 135i is not cheep, especially when you start ticking boxes on the options sheet. Base is well under $40,000 however, a fully optioned one will MSRP for over $45,000. That's getting into Boxster territory. Also, there are other cars out there that will perform better at a cheaper price (370z, Evo X), but at a trade off. The Nissan does not have a rear seat or a trunk worth mentioning and the Evo's interior makes me want to take a fork to my eyes. The BMW on the other hand is an all around good car. It can seat four in a pinch, has a proper trunk, and will get you in trouble on public roads rather quickly. It's suspension may not be for the hardcore but that's ok for 99.9% of car buyers. Most times it will not even see a race track, only the daily commute. For those that do see the track on occasion, it's abilities will be more than ample to make you giddy like a school girl.

Dislikes? The part of the dashboard housing the speedo and tach looks like a goofy hat on an otherwise smooth dash, the brakes provided by Brembo seem to have problems of disintegrating when pressed to the max (read 10/10ths on the track for extended periods), and some may dislike the Bangle styling.

That being said, the pluses greatly outweigh the minuses of this car. If you are looking for a pleasant daily driver that will make the boss's Cayman look silly on the track, then the little Bimmer is for you.

Like the model T on the ranch, The 135i takes the small car enjoyment and gives it a shot of steroids, and it even has brakes to prevent you from hitting the barn!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.