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#3,641 ·
But the 135i has a not-so-secret weapon that those lighter, earlier BMWs didn't have: a twin-turbocharged, direct-injected straight-6 engine that not only produces 300 hp but also packs a 300 pound-feet wallop of torque from 1,400 through 5,000 rpm.
On the road, the power delivery of the turbo six is so smooth and relentless that it makes the 1 Series fast — very fast — but never furious. This engine simply grunts it out and pulls hard from the bottom of the tach to its redline at 7,000 rpm. And the thrill quotient goes up because all this is happening in a car that's almost 200 pounds lighter than the engine's customary 3 Series package.
So the 1 Series coupe doesn't share the "too fat" problem of the 3 Series.

At the track, the twin-turbo big hammer drove our 135i down the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 104 mph. The 2008 Subaru WRX STI with 5 more hp and 48 fewer pounds does the same time in the quarter-mile, but with a slower 102.4-mph trap speed.

While the STI edges the 135i's 5.0-second acceleration to 60 mph by a fraction thanks to the launch traction afforded by the Subie's all-wheel drive, the BMW ultimately has the legs at the top end and catches the STI at the finish line.

This performance does nothing to dispel our continuing suspicion that the 300-hp rating of the twin-turbo inline-6 is conservative at best.

Sometimes the Small Numbers Are Best
A shorter wheelbase gives the 1 Series a dimension of agility that the 3 Series lacks, and it measures 104.7 inches, some 4 inches less.

The suspension layout of the E82 is similar to that of the larger 3 Series. It still carries front struts with split lower arms and dual lower ball joints, while the rear retains the latest multilink layout. But both ends have been recalibrated for the 1 Series application.

Our 135i coupe came with standard 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza RE-050A run-flat summer tires: 215/40R18s up front and 245/35R18s in the back. We're still deeply skeptical about the performance of run-flats, even after the latest improvements. The mega-stiff sidewalls of the 050As disrupted an otherwise tame ride whenever we encountered abrupt, sharp-edged breaks in the pavement or even pronounced ripples.

We wish BMW would offer us the option of conventional tires or space for a spare. But since the battery resides in the trunk to help achieve a weight distribution of 52 percent front/48 percent rear, a spare has no place to live.

Ultimately, We Drive the Machine
Spirited back-road driving proves the 2008 BMW 135i Coupe can deliver the goods, as it dispatched corners with crisp turn-in, an eager willingness to change direction and impeccable grip, without sacrificing the road-worthy poise of the 335i that we love. On our test track, this translates to a blistering 72.4-mph run in the slalom, easily outpacing the last 335i we tested (69.5 mph) and edging the 2008 STI (72.0 mph). Skid pad figures are a wash, as both BMWs generate 0.89g and the STI makes 0.90g.
Understeer has been rumored to lurk within the 135i, but it didn't rear its head until we hit the road-racing track, where high-speed sweepers at the limit work the outside front Bridgestone mighty hard. Track-day junkies might want to make changes, but we think most everyone else will have no complaints.

Our 135i came with six-piston fixed-caliper brakes and 13.3-inch rotors. These calipers (something we'll see more of, our BMW sources tell us) seem like overkill when the heavier 335i and faster M3 do quite well with rather pedestrian single-piston sliding calipers. But the advantage might come in the form of consistently firm pedal feel over several days of determined street driving and extended track testing. This 1 Series comes to a stop from 60 mph in 109 feet.

It's Nice in Here
Inside the cabin, our 135i includes the Sport package, a $1,000 option consisting of an M-sport steering wheel and Shadowline trim, plus an elevated limiter for top speed. The package also includes terrific eight-way manually adjustable seats that adjust quickly, hold on tight in corners and look great. Why spend the money for optional power seats?

Handsome textured aluminum accents are applied with strategic restraint in the interior. BMW is one of a few carmakers that have figured out that accents that have the dull sheen of hand-worn metal look more upscale than any sort of chrome. And no sunlight gets reflected back into the eyes of the driver, either.

The Bottom Line
The base price for the 2008 BMW 135i is $35,675. After adding the options (including the $1,450 Boston leather upholstery) plus a $400 iPod and USB adapter and the $600 Cold Weather Package, our car's as-tested price is $39,125. And beware, because many high-cost options lurking on the options sheet can drive the price much, much higher.

It's hard to pin down the competition for the 2008 BMW 135i. On price and track performance, this test car matches up quite well with the 2008 Subaru WRX STI we tested, which costs $39,440. It matches up on performance, too. That's not bad company to be in, but at the end of the day, the Subie is no BMW.

Is the 2008 BMW 135i Coupe worth it? It depends. It's easy to go overboard with the options and jack up the price of the 135i so it no longer makes sense.

If you value a high level of steering and handling refinement and outright twin-turbo nirvana in a package that's small enough to toss around, and you can live with limited backseat space, the 2008 BMW 135i is like nothing else.

And it doesn't matter that the pot-bellied BMW 135i isn't the most beautiful car in the world. If you're doing it right, you'll be on the inside, working the steering, pedals and shifter with a huge grin on your face, happier than a pig in, well, you know.
 
#3,644 ·
khronox said:
I'd get a used 335 over the 1 series. Twin turbo inline 6 ftw. You can actually make these N54 engines faster than M3s. ActiveAutowerks = win!
Click to expand...
i would rather buy new then used and the 335's are slower and less agile in every test than the 135i since it ways more but has the same power. plus the 335 had fuel issue problems for the last couple of years.
 
#3,649 ·
but i guess you can do that for that price with a sti also haha converting is looking more and more likly. thou i do really love playing with my si....hmmm

thanks neal for the site its sweet
 
#3,650 ·
alright as of now my choices are 2011 sti (my fav),135i bmw(sweet but not 4dr but i cant seem to care haha),g8 gxp (not made anymore which means no 2011's but will be 4xxhp/4xxtq and 4dr and sweet and cheapest)...can ya'll think of any other good choices to consider? real performance oriented,4dr and 35k or less otd
 
#3,651 · (Edited)
oh and artem neal was right the 135 with just 2k worth of stuff will beat the piss out of the m3 and yes the m3 can come back with a few bolt ons but its also double the price and the 135 can be a 5xxhp monster for under 7k

ps did good shark fishing last night caught a few and kept 2 3ft 7in and a 4ft 2in
 
#3,654 ·
get a used 335i sedan. they come in awd too if you can find one. hard thing is finding a manual. you dont want to see the repair bill for a bmw automatic tranny. :D
 
#3,655 ·
yeah believe me the m3 can become a serious monster. my buddy back in md had an E46 supercharged with the activeautowerkes kit. it was crazy fast. he also had a mint 93 SVT cobra sitting in his barn. Only 8000 original miles on it. He took it to a car show at MIR one afternoon and BAM t-boned by some old douche in a tunderbird. His dad ended up buying the salvage title and totally restored it.
 
#3,656 ·
khronox said:
get a used 335i sedan. they come in awd too if you can find one. hard thing is finding a manual. you dont want to see the repair bill for a bmw automatic tranny. :D
Click to expand...
yeah i have been looking at the maintence issues for all the cars i listed and it seems like

sti
motor blowing(may not honor warranty) only issue found

135i
08's had little stuff but the major problem was with both 335 and 135 since there same drive train is the hpfp

g8
havnt really seen any issues


i love the 135's black,white, blue with coral red leather :dance:

or yellow with black leather

yeah i like the 335's to and the used ones are coming down to the 25-30k range which isnt bad since the wifes friends own a car lot and they always get high milage bmws from auctions they seem to last well past 100k.

i just have to wait and see the sti in person then compare the 135 stacks up so good against the sti and the 335 is so sweet but a sti is still a sti haha gotta love them
 
#3,657 ·
found this on subie sit haha it seems the 135 and 335 make way more power than 300/300 stock which means it will be straight monster with just a lil more




bMW says that this engine makes 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. We were so impressed with its power that we couldn’t help wonder if that was a conservative rating. Wasting no time, I swiped the keys and drove to a local dyno shop to find out.

We used a DynoJet chassis dyno, which measures an engine’s power output at a vehicle’s rear wheels. Because of frictional driveline losses, this number is always lower--generally by fifteen to twenty percent--than the quoted power output from the manufacturer, which is measured at the engine itself.

Here’s what we found:
The non-turbocharged 330i, rated by BMW at 255 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque, puts about 200 hp and 180 lb-ft to the rear wheels. That’s roughly a twenty-percent loss. Since they have similar drivelines, you’d expect the 335i to put down 235 hp and 250 lb-ft.



But it didn’t. It put down a whole lot more: 275 hp and 300 lb-ft. A few quick taps on our trusty calculator shows that this engine is likely putting out closer to 350 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque.

Technical editor Don Sherman’s ears perked up at all this number crunching. With all that power, he wondered, is the 335i faster than the outgoing 333-hp E46 M3? We waved goodbye to the shiny new coupe’s rear tires, and sent him to find out.

Don coaxed the 335i to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds--only 0.3 seconds slower than the M3. The 335i covered the quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds @ 104 mph--again, only 0.2 seconds and 1 mph behind the M3.

So in an all-out drag race, the 335i comes close, but can’t quite match the M3’s blistering acceleration. Those numbers, though, only tell half the story. Have a look at the top-gear acceleration figures. In sixth gear, the M3 needs 14.7 seconds to get from 30 to 70 mph – but the 335i does it in only 12.5.

That, my friends, is the beauty of this engine. At full bore, it’s as fast as an M3. But at moderate engine speeds, it’s even faster. What a great way to keep us all interested until the next M3 comes along.
 
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