Wow... I had the opportunity to test drive a 135i yesterday in Germany. The car is amazing! It was a German spec car, but was essentially the same as what we will get in the states. The sales associate gave me and two of my co-workers the keys and said be back in an hour. He even told us where the closest portion of unrestricted Autobahn was, where I eventually got the car up to 240kph! It wasn't even working hard at all, still accelerating. I realize all the car magazines talk about it's understeer, but in real world driving situations it handles great. In addition to handling great, the ride is quite comfortable over different surfaces and road imperfections. The black on black looked phenomenal, or I might just be tired of seeing all the sedona pictures. I am 6'3" and had plenty of room. One of my friends actually sat behind me while I was driving and was relatively comfortable. It is a small car, but bigger than I was expecting. I would say it is very close to my e36 as far as leg room and trunk space is concerned.

One of my friends drives a GX470 and the other a Camry. This was their first introduction to BMW and it made a huge impression, not surprisingly. They both want, and are seriously considering getting a 135i at some point. We'll see...

The differences in euro vs US spec cars are interesting. They get M door sills and a special M shift knob as standard. Also, the brushed aluminum trim inside is different than the aluminum texture trim that is offered in the US. The brushed aluminum looks a lot better! Our 135i's come standard with Xenon's, but this car didn't have them.

I am sure there is a lot more that I am missing. Overall, an amazing car! I don't have enough posts to add pictures, but here is a link to a slide show. Enjoy!

Nick

s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff46/nmbarnes/?action=view&current=0614602a.pbw

Wow the 135i looks great in black, is that Jet black or Metallic? Anyone know if that is leather or leatherette, I can't tell. How would you compare it to your M3 in terms of handling/power?

nice review -- was there more or less rear leg room than the e36?

http://www.s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff46/nmbarnes/?action=view&current=0614602a.pbw

good review

and OMG are those brakes bigger than e36 m3 stock? if so, im soooo upgrading they are sick!!!

It was leather with jet black exterior. It is much faster than my M3. As far as handling, I would say it is as good or better. The windows were also tinted in the back, factory it seems. I am not sure about the size of e36 M3 brakes or the 135i's. One of the best things I forgot to mention was the exhaust note, pretty nice. Much better than my stock M3's. My two friends even commented on how awesome the car sounded. I would say there is actually more legroom in the 135i compared to my M3. I have had average size people in the back seat and had to move forward a little bit. In the 135i, I had my seat set and the same size person was comfortable behind me.

Wow... I had the opportunity to test drive a 135i yesterday in Germany. The car is amazing! It was a German spec car, but was essentially the same as what we will get in the states. The sales associate gave me and two of my co-workers the keys and said be back in an hour. He even told us where the closest portion of unrestricted Autobahn was, where I eventually got the car up to 240kph! It wasn't even working hard at all, still accelerating. I realize all the car magazines talk about it's understeer, but in real world driving situations it handles great. In addition to handling great, the ride is quite comfortable over different surfaces and road imperfections. The black on black looked phenomenal, or I might just be tired of seeing all the sedona pictures. I am 6'3" and had plenty of room. One of my friends actually sat behind me while I was driving and was relatively comfortable. It is a small car, but bigger than I was expecting. I would say it is very close to my e36 as far as leg room and trunk space is concerned.

One of my friends drives a GX470 and the other a Camry. This was their first introduction to BMW and it made a huge impression, not surprisingly. They both want, and are seriously considering getting a 135i at some point. We'll see...

The differences in euro vs US spec cars are interesting. They get M door sills and a special M shift knob as standard. Also, the brushed aluminum trim inside is different than the aluminum texture trim that is offered in the US. The brushed aluminum looks a lot better! Our 135i's come standard with Xenon's, but this car didn't have them.

I am sure there is a lot more that I am missing. Overall, an amazing car! I don't have enough posts to add pictures, but here is a link to a slide show. Enjoy!

Nick

s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff46/nmbarnes/?action=view&current=0614602a.pbw


Im 6'4 1/2 6'5 you think i would have enough leg room from me

Although I don't know what distance you like to sit from the steering wheel, I would say yes. I had a lot of room to move the seat back even more.

I am 6'1" and had the ability to move it back alot more, but this is with the manual. Some people with automatics put the seat way back. I was impressed with the room. All I can say is its by far the best in and out of any car I have ever been able to afford.

Thanks much BMW for buiding this awesome and decent priced car.

I have to say that my favorite part of the 1 series is the simplicity of the interior. It just looks like a comfortable place to drive.

mb

I thought the interior was well designed as well