"The best car BMW makes.." per Jeremy Clarkson

I would tend to agree.

highs: great quality, bmw-prefect styling,
lows: rather pricey, little big on the scales, verdict: this is just what bimmer needs to really start 2008 "fresh".

It can't possibly be the best as BMW can make a larger more practical car for small incremental additional cost. It would be best only where divers are constrained by narrow streets and lack of proper parking spots. Cities that offend drivers this way should be demolished and rebuilt to modern standards.

What really disappoints me about 135 is the weight. It's smaller than my E46 and it's 200lb heavier.... what?

Weight is almost everything. I'd rather see a 3150lb 130 than a 3450lb 135. BMW should stick to its belief of driving, not HP game, especially for an entry level line.

According to 1 series brochure from BMW international, it weighs 1560kg w/o package.

Do your math, I don't know where you hide the 100 lb.

The unladen weight in international brochure is calculated based on EU standard: 90% tank filled, 68kg driver, and 7kg luggage.

Unladen weight of 335i is 1650 kg. The difference is thus 40kg, plus 6.5kg from gas. Final number is 102 lb, no way 200 lb.

Be critical and precise when it comes to data analysis.

You are apparently not a material for engineering. You don't even show how US regulated "Unladen Weight".

I only trust data from BMW German site and I've shown you how to calculate weight, step by step. Maybe you just don't even know how many lbs equals 1 kg?

Once again, be critical and precise when it comes to data analysis. No fast-food style allowed.

Correction to 335 EU unladen weight: 1600kg.

5-stars well-deserved! glad it gets jeremy's endorsement. can't wait to see the video review!

That's only the 3rd ever 5 star score he's given.
First to an Aston DB9, then to a Nissan Murano (for doing absolutely nothing wrong), and now this.

And the Audi R8

It should have a higher final drive ratio. That's why it doesn't feel that fast.

i know. in real life its barely faster then the 130i sport

I'm really surprised by this. I respect his opinions. But I remember him hating the 335i, so I don't understand why he would love the 135i. All the other critics love the 335i, but have commented on the understeering nature of the 135i as a BIG NO NO.

The 3 series has inadequate rear leg room so I can't imagine that the smaller 135i can improve upon that shortcoming.

The 3 series has inadequate rear leg room so I can't imagine that the smaller 135i can improve upon that shortcoming.

hey there, genius, it's a compact coupe. You don't buy them for rear seat room. Complaining about the backseat of a compact coupe is like complaining you're dating the "ugliest" supermodel -- it just makes no sense.

"The 3 series has inadequate rear leg room"

have you been in the current 3-series? i'm 6'3" and i have plenty of headroom and enough leg room.

what compact sport sedan has more? not the A4 or IS as i can't fit in those.

huu:

it's wonderful car. and "best" is just ONE man's opinion. don't take the everything you read so literally.

great car. i'm sure it will be a total blast to drive! classic bmw talents...

"Then you leave the motorway and the road gets twisty and it’s like settling into your favourite armchair. The steering, the feel, the way you can adjust your line through the bend with the throttle. There is no other car made today in this sector of the market that gets even close. If you love driving, this is up there in a class of one.:

I Completely Agree!

http://imgcar.dcinside.com/review/elantra/36.jpg

Surely BMW could have found better inspiration?

As with most BMW's this one is ugly and over priced, but it is quite quick though.

yeah, not nearly as beautiful as the jag s-type (tacky). or the magnificent x-type (ford contour). or the winning last generation xk (just sad). please...

The 135i is an awesome car. I personally think that the 550i is the best car that BMW makes because of the size of the car, the available features, and the engine. The sport package makes the 550i look awesome.

the 550i is great. but i'll one-up you there. i'd have to say the M5 is simply the best of BMW.

The 1 series will be a success in the US, even though it is expensive. BMW will only allocate 11,000 of them (128i, 135i, and convertibles combined) here, and they will all be sold out. It's only successful to BMW if they sold out their intended target numbers/allocations. This is by no mean successful overall in terms of sales number compared to the 3 series, which sells over 120,000 cars in the US each year.

Offcourse

Silly though that in Europe the A3 outsells the 1-series 2 to 1.

Why do you have to bring Audi into every discussion if you are so sure BMW will demolish it. Visit a shrink, please!

Higher price point than the A4, amazinIdiot? I think not......

Anymore subjective arguements by the Idiot?

The 135i has the engine without the fat and it's not to criticize the 335i but the "1" will be more of a driver's car .

Being smaller, lighter, and balanced , while at the same time priced less facing higher gas prices and slower economy I can't see how this car would be viewed as anything else but rational for those who want that BMW growl .

WRX is Toyota's secret weapon!!! HiiiYA! Fan Boys speak volumes here...

Interesting that Clarkson states that BMW's best car is the 135i. For that matter same goes for MBenz, Audi, and Lexus.
C-Class
A3
IS250/350
The premium auto makers spend more on their small car's development than their larger brethren. They have to get those cars right since they're usually the biggest sellers.

Merc's best car is still the S class - always will be.
And I think Audi's best car would either be the R8 or the new A4.

Happy New Year!

I would like to know why some of you think an E46 chassis is superior to the E90 is it just weight? The E90 chassis is much stronger than the E46 and carries a much better suspension especially in the rear of the car. Also to Huu76 Dude get a clue BMW spends more money on R&D than car companies ten times larger. And the WRX and the STI are the same models the Sti is a variation of the WRX. It is quite obvious that you read some about cars however you seem to actually know very little about them.

Ohh and one more thing huu, the Dodge Viper is even with a M-roadster on the track, the only thing is the M-roadster is at a 200hp disadvantage.Jeremy Clarkson did a comparison on these two cars and they were dead even on the track the Dodge had the muscle and iffy handling and the BMW was well a BMW, perfect balance of power, handling and fun.Jeremy was off on the spec's because he used euro hp spec's on a US version car for the M-roadster. What I do want BMW to do is make a bit bigger rear sway bar to get rid of the inherent understeer, they do it for liability sake.