Well, it was time to say goodbye to my 2006 330i and get a new car.  This time around, there were a lot more cars to choose from and it made the process of picking out a car very difficult. 

The cars that were on my list:

1. BMW 335i Convertible
2. BMW 328i Convertible
3. BMW 335i Coupe
4. BMW 135i Convertible
5.  Nissan 350z convertible
6. Ford Mustang Convertible
7.  Infiniti G37

The above list was narrowed down over the last few weeks.  I eliminated the Infiniti because it was comparable to the 335i Coupe and BMW had special pricing on the 335i to make its monthly payment nearly the same as the G37.  I also like BMWs free maintenance for 4 years.   In reality, I wanted a BMW, but I went to the local dealership and they had very few cars on my list due to 2008 being closed out and 2009 cars coming in October.  I even tried to have them order a car for me and they made it clear that if they ordered it, I was going to pay sticker price and not receive the BMW published incentives.   The sad part is that they could have told me this over the phone, but instead they wanted me to get up early on a Saturday morning to come to the dealership and discuss it with them.   I was not happy when I left the lot and the Mustang looked more desirable.

After a few days, I was researching BMWs on Bimmerfest Forums and decided to send one of their sponsors an email to see if they could cut me a deal on any of the cars on my list.  They did have a 328i Convertible, but it was so loaded with options that the sticker price was $54,445!!  Way too much for a 328i.  Heck, I could get a 335i convertible for that!  Adrian, from BMW/Mini of South Atlanta, did the best he could do and the price was still over my barrier.  The next option was to get a 135i convertible or a 335i coupe.  The choice was a tough one because I love them both.  Also, they have the same turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line six with 300 hp at 5800rpm.

I decided to make a list of my criteria:

1. I had to fit comfortably into the driver seat (not always easy since I am 6'5)
2. The car had to be fun to drive
3. A backseat that would hold my three dogs
4. Had to be in my price range

Since both cars fit my criteria, I had to go with the one I enjoyed driving the most.  The winner was the 135i convertible.  It had more spunk than the 335i coupe.  It also had the added benefit of top down fun.  This made the decision easier.  My 135i is equipped with the "Premium package", "Sports package", and front heated seats.  I would have added Comfort Access (which can put the top up or down at the push of a button on the key fob) if I had ordered it special, but I liked the Sparkling Graphite Metallic paint with the Boston Gray leather that they had on the lot.  The wood accents are also gray.  Apparently, they are discontinuing this paint color due to environmental concerns, so it will make this color even less common (which I like).

BMW 135i - MY REVIEW:

Since I bought the 135i, I obviously like it, but I will discuss some of the things that reviewers have said and whether I agree with them.  I should mention that many of the reviews are for the coupe version of the 1 series, but the coupe is similar to the convertible, so I will address the responses with that in mind.

Exterior looks:

The LA Times nearly always has an opinion that disagrees with my views, however, to see that they also disagree on the 135i is still a little surprising: 

"The new 1-series BMW is ugly. Seriously ugly."

Seriously?? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I believe the 135i looks more sassy than classy.  For my tastes, I prefer the looks of the 1 series convertibles to the 1 series coupes.  However, I like them both. 

 

 

 

 

 

I have some pics below so you can judge for yourself:

 

As you can see from the shots above, the car is squattier and has a more aggressive styling than the 335i.  It is probably less suited for the family man because of its limited backseat leg area than because of its styling.  The funny part is that some people call it "cute" while others say it is "ugly".  Not a lot of middle ground...although, 1 series owners are probably more offended by the "cute" comment. ;-)   The writers of Automobile magazine, seemed to think it was one of the "least tortured" of the current designs:

"Like the 3-series, the 1-series is one of the least tortured of BMW's current designs, although it suffers the Z4-style sow's-belly curve along the bottom of the front doors. Still, the 1 an the 3 both work well as convertibles, with fairly upright windshields that keep the A-pillars out of the driver's and front passenger's faces plus a near-horizontal belt line that preserves the view out for rear-seat riders."

It took me a long time to get used to the new 3 series designs, but I guess that made it easier for me to adapt to the looks of the 1 series.  When I first saw the car, I was at the dealership and thought it was a good looking, smaller version of the 3 series.  I later read that some people thought it was ugly, but I think there are a lot of columnists that have contempt for Chris Bangle (BMW designer), so they come into any new BMW review thinking that the car is ugly before they ever see it.

Priced too high:

It is surprising to me that so many reviewers think the car is priced too high.  The convertible, as I explained above, costs about $4,000 less than a 328i convertible (although, good luck finding a 328 vert on a lot that costs less than $54,000).  The 328i does not have the twin turbos, so plan to spend another $5,000 if you want those on a 3 series.  Seriously, the car has M3 type performance for a lot less money.  Does everyone need a car that can go from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds?  No, but most cars with that type of speed on a BMW chassis are going to cost you some money.  It is not like a Porsche Boxter is a practical car.  However, the 1 series can be a fun track car or it can be used to transport your young children to soccer practice.  The Porsche Boxster, on the other hand, has no practicality whatsoever.

The complaint has more to do with the number 1 falling below the number 3.  BMWs have always priced their cars so that the lower numbers were less expensive (with the exception of the M cars).  In Europe, there are several 1 series cars including some that get great gas mileage while losing some performance.  They should cost less.  However, the 135i  is just short of being an M series and the pricing should be compared on that basis.  In that case, the pricing would be very low in comparison.

It should be mentioned that I have read less about the convertible being over-priced when compared to the coupe.   However, some people just want the added performance of the smaller car and prefer it to a more family sized car. 

Another thing reviewers like to do is compare the price of their test model that has all of the added options with a 3 series without any options.  Yes, if you decide that you can live with a stripped down leatherette version of the 335i coupe, but have to have navigation, leather, heated seats, sports package, premium radio, etc on the 1 series... you can spend more on the 1 series.  However, comparing starting price with starting price you get a nearly a $4,400 difference between models with the same engine.  I could do a lot of things with $4,000 and not all of them would be bad. ;-)  The convertibles are even a larger difference (over $10,000!! difference).

Automatic transmission - Oh No!

Many of the performance oriented owners of the 1 series opt for the manual transmission.  Driving manual obviously gets you more in tune to the car than auto, but the BMW Steptronic is an amazing piece of machinery.   It has a sport mode ("DS") that allows it to stay in the same gear a little longer for faster acceleration.  It also has optional paddle shifters with the sports package that allow you to control it manually via the steering wheel.  Of course, it can also be manually controlled with the automatic gear stick.  For those that do not want to deal with manual on a daily basis, the steptronic can be a lot of fun.   Of course, enthusiasts will frown on not getting a manual, but I could care less.  In stop and go traffic, I prefer to concentrate on music playing and relaxing while my car does the work. 

Notice the paddle shifters below:

In any case, even in the regular "D" mode, the twin turbos can pin you to the seat when you mash down n the accelerator.  However, BMW is not only about going fast.  It is also about near 50/50 weight distribution and maneuvering on twist and turns.  The 1 series gets that feature in spades.

The Interior:

The 1 series convertible is a compact car, so it is a little cozier than the 3 series.  As a result, the driver sits a little closer to the passenger and the backseat is small.  However, the car has unbelievable room for driving.  Below is a chart comparing its interior room to the 3 series convertible (the left side has the 135's data):

As you can see from the chart above, there is actually a lot more headroom in the front for drivers.  This made it feel more roomy to me than a 335 coupe.  You do get less shoulder room and less leg room, but for most people, it really does not make much difference.  Who do you know that has a 41 inch inseam?  Also, while there are tons of complaints about the backseat, it actually has more head room than the 3 series.  Anyone that has had to slouch down in the back of a car knows that it is great to have more head room.  Personally, I will not have very many people back there, but it is not nearly as small as the reviews indicate.  It does have a lot less shoulder room, so keep hulky people up front.:-)

The leather in the car is also something that BMW spent time thinking about.  It has sun-reflective technology that keeps the seats cooler.  While it may keep things cooler, I also bought one of the lighter interior colors just in case (Gray Boston Leather):

The interior has a couple cup holders.  One of them is partially covered by the center armrest, so it will not hold a normal sized cup.  Under the armrest is an aux input for an mp3 player and an outlet for charging it.  The premium package that I ordered includes BMW Assist.  In addition to getting security coverage similar to "Onstar", it covers the owner for 4 years without any additional monthly charges.  BMW Assist includes Bluetooth hands free calling that pairs easily with my Treo phone.

Unlike the typical iPod setup that is usually in the center armrest, I had an iPod adapter added to the glove compartment.  The iPod setup is pretty cool and will allow you to play/shuffle/scan by song, look up an artist, album, genre or playlist. 

Convertible Features:

I have to admit that the most idiotic review of the 1 series convertible was by Jonny Lieberman:

"Unseasonably hot, 97-degree late-April weather be damned.

Within 60 miles, it was clear I was the one who was damned. Perching on leather seats without a roof on a cloudless day is a combination only out-dumbed by a fresh-off-the-plane, no-SPF sojourn at an Australian beach. Sure, I could have pulled over and raised the 128i's lid. But I'm a journalist damn it! Heatstroke is who I am and what I do.

After building the bridge on the river Kwai, I left the 215 in Upland. Could the BMW 128i really be this awful?   Seriously; 60 miles had never felt so tortuous. I could only justify the misery by telling myself that the hot, windy, loud and uncomfortable ordeal was good practice for my upcoming LeMons race. But in reality, there is no way a $100 Volvo could be this bad."

It is one thing to say you don't like the handling or the looks, but to blame the weather on the car is about the dumbest thing I have read.   So, somehow it is the car's fault that they decide to review this car on a day that most non-idiots would have their top up?  Sheesh!  Also, where can I find a $100 Volvo? 

Anyway, the convertible top can be put up or down when traveling speeds under 30 miles per hour.  It takes around 22 seconds to go from top up to top down.  The soft top leaves a lot of room in the trunk. We actually stored two suitcases and a couple smaller travel bags in the trunk while we had the top down on a recent trip to Florida. 

Below are pics of the 135i's trunk with two sets of golf clubs.  If you have an oversized drivers in both bags, it can take some maneuvering to get them both to fit.  Also, as you can see, both of my bags are cloth and one of them is made for carrying.  I think two large leather bags would be a tough fit in this trunk because of its shape.  Also, with my bags, I am still able to get the top down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The climate system comes with a "convertible mode" that is supposed to be adjusted for wind, sunlight, etc..  For those traveling fast, you may want to invest in a wind reflector.    The car can be very windy at speeds of 65 without it.  The soft top is equipped with a glass back window, so it should last longer than the plastic that is included with most convertibles.  It includes a defroster for the back window, so winters will not be such a hassle.  The window is bigger than what you see in most convertibles, but it still offers plenty of blind spots.  The driver of the car will have to contend with the small side mirrors to cover more area.  I also added front heated seats to extend convertible season.

Finally, the 1 series convertible is not for everyone.  If you want to transport around a couple of adults in the backseat for long stretches, look elsewhere.  However, if you are looking for BMW handling, combined with quickness and speed, for less money than an M3, the 1 series may be in your future.  If you want drop top fun when the weather is right, get the convertible and enjoy!  Just try not complain when you decide to put the top down on an oppressively hot day!

A great list of other reviews can be found on the 1addicts forum.

To be fair, there are a lot of great reviews of the 1 series, I just decided to focus on the critical reviews.

 

The upsides:

1. Drop top fun!
2. Fantastic handling
3. Very Fast
4. A backseat for small passengers (my dogs)
5. A usable trunk with the top down
6. Unique.  Not many of these on the road
7. Glass back window with defrost

The downsides:

1. Driver head rest does not tilt (a minor gripe, but I liked the headrest in the 3 series)
2. No fog lights
3. I miss the small grab handles on the door that were available on the 3 series
4. Could use a bigger back window
5. Can't see the stereo display with polarized sunglasses on (hopefully, the fix I read about will alleviate this problem)
5.Third brake light falls off...I read about the problem online, then experienced it myself.