1 Series BMW 1er E82/E88 Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

[NarutoRamen]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

Out of curiosity, what is your basis for comparison?
"A bit overpriced"...that's the way the premium marques have been for a very, very long time. Objectively speaking, cars like the 2002tii and E30 M3 were piss-poor values in their day. You could often find more spacious, more powerful cars with more features, for less money. But for those few willing to shell out that extra bit, they find the car's retail price is fully warranted (and then some).

My basis for comparison is the fact that I could get a G37 that offers similar performance but with more space and more "options" as standard that than the 135i. Sure, if it's all about performance than the 135i is better, but then again if you have money to burn on a car like the 135 without needing any practicality out of it besides performance then I'm pretty sure you could swing some more dough and buy an Elise or something that is truly trackworthy.

And for the guys who keep on saying that it's great value in europe, I could care less. It might be of great value there, but it's not great value here.

Just_Me. Yes, price/size does matter here in the US. Besides the top 3% of the rich folks in the US, the rest of the people here are very price conscious. There is a reason why so many Honda Accords and Toyota Camry's are sold here. That's because for $22grand you can buy a great car that is perfect for a normal family. This 135i is aimed at the rich crowd and anyone who calls it a bargain in the US is loaded. For the rest of the working class, it's just another overpriced european car.

 

[Zafiro]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

Just_Me. Yes, price/size does matter here in the US. Besides the top 3% of the rich folks in the US, the rest of the people here are very price conscious. There is a reason why so many Honda Accords and Toyota Camry's are sold here. That's because for $22grand you can buy a great car that is perfect for a normal family. This 135i is aimed at the rich crowd and anyone who calls it a bargain in the US is loaded. For the rest of the working class, it's just another overpriced european car.

Then you should be glad you dont live in Europe, many small cars are expensive. Size and price dont go hand in hand here, I guess europeans look differently than americans in this matter. BMW are doing same thing as all other premium brands.
If you think new Mercedes CLC is going to be cheap, just forget about it.
I dont know how it is in USA but where I live a 3-serie and 5-serie arent much in price difference either. So, same case between 1er and 3er.

Im actually surprised you are upset, did you really think its going to be cheap to own a BMW, even if its a small car.
Like I said here in Sweden, new Impreza and EVO cost more than 135i and Audi S3 is just slightly cheaper than a 135i. And Infiniti, the cars arent even for sale but Lexus are and I wouldnt call them cheap cars.

BTW its funny people are calling 1-series a little car when its fact big as 3-series E46 inside and outside.

 

[Guibo]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

My basis for comparison is the fact that I could get a G37 that offers similar performance but with more space and more "options" as standard that than the 135i. Sure, if it's all about performance than the 135i is better, but then again if you have money to burn on a car like the 135 without needing any practicality out of it besides performance then I'm pretty sure you could swing some more dough and buy an Elise or something that is truly trackworthy.

Ruling out the performance advantage sort of obviates a large part of buying these cars in the first place. After all, if you really wanted to maximize objective value, you would do better to compare against lower-brand models. In which an Altima coupe or Accord coupe would fit the bill. No need to include performance. But these two cars come with ~300 hp engines, so we must include the performance factor. And if past tests between the 335i and G37 are any indication, the 135i will soundly beat the Infiniti, and will consume less fuel as well. You don't need to have an Elise-level car to take advantage of the added performance.
More space? Not really. Maybe in front seat headspace and rear seat legroom, but that's it. The figures I have seen for these are as follows:
135i/G37
Rear headroom: 37.1 inches/ 34.5
Front shoulder room: 56.0/53.7
Rear shoulder room: 55.0/52.7
Trunk: 13.0 cu ft / 7.4 cu ft
This is despite the fact that the G37 is over 11" longer and about 3" wider. Space efficiency seems to be on the side of the 135i. This does not come cheap.
As for options, they are both well equipped as standard. Some things do not translate over, option for option. For example, the 135i comes with 6-pot Brembos, runflat tires, rain-sensing wipers, dual-stage active brake lights, intelligent alternator control, pedals that swing away in event of a crash, heated mirrors, heated washer jets, auto-levelling xenon lights with cornering illumination, hill-start assist, brake drying and brake stand-by. A lot of these items, if not optional on the base G37, are not offered on the G37 at all, not even the Sport model. The optional automatic transmission in the 135i has 6 speeds, the one in the G37 is only 5. The 135i comes standard with a power sliding moonroof (a $1000 option on the Infiniti, which will then give a slight headroom advantage to the 135i), and includes roadside assistance and maintenance for 4 years or 50,000 miles (covering fluids and consumables like brake pads and brake rotors). How does the G37 compare to this? The G37 has 54/46 weight distribution. Where is the option for 52/48? The -300lb option? The twin-turbo option?
Based on their relative size (and the 135i's tighter turning circle) and window coverage, it's pretty obvious which will be easier to park as well.

 

[Sunny]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

How about a 350/70z, G35/37, S2000? Just because the 135 is european or a BMW it doesn't automatically make it the best car available for the money. I understand that the 135i offers great performance, but it doesn't offer much else.

None of which offers the same level of performance. And S2000 and 350Z doesn't even have the offer the same level of practicality.

 

[Guibo]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

How about a 350/70z, G35/37, S2000? Just because the 135 is european or a BMW it doesn't automatically make it the best car available for the money. I understand that the 135i offers great performance, but it doesn't offer much else.

The fact that the 135 is European or a BMW almost guarantees that it is not the best car available for the money. This is based on 2 principles:
1. The competitive nature of Japanese products (due partially to favorable yen vs dollar/Euro rates, as the yen is pegged against the dollar and artificially devalued) was touched on in this thread (see cawimmer430's response near the bottom):
http://www.germancarforum.com/internal-combustion/21193-will-bmw-bow-down-nissan-gtr-3.html
Both the yen and dollar are weak, while the euro has been pretty strong.
2. BMW's are hardly ever noted for giving the best bang for the buck, nor the best value for the money. This is the nature of being a premium brand, especially here in the States: part of the appeal of the badge is that not everyone can afford it. Premium marques like BMW, MB, and Audi all play up the qualities that are harder to define objectively. The same is true (and to an even greater extent) with brands like Ferrari. One might think a Ferrari is overpriced, but considering the rule of supply and demand (and the fact that there is a 2- or 3-year waiting list for some models), I'd say they are not overpriced.

Interesting you should mention the 350Z. In a recent Italian comparo, the 135i was only slightly slower (by a fraction of a second) around a 3-minute track. But in areas of ride comfort, quality, practicality, etc, it was better than the Z (obviously). So you have a better-built car, with just as many if not more standard features, offering much more space and practicality, a 2+2 GT with a proper trunk, which is only slightly slower around a track than a more dedicated 2-seat sports car with next to useless trunk on non run-flats...and the Z is the better value? That is a pretty tough case to make. Same goes with the S2000, particularly for daily driving; that car excels in subjective areas, not in an objective value proposition.

 

[NarutoRamen]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

Just Me...Yes, I know that things are different in Europe. If asking for the best bang for my buck (or close to it) is too much, then I don't know what right is. It's always mind numbing to compare what's in europe to what's in the US. Why? because you have no clue what life is like in the US, and I have no clue what life is like in the EU.

Guibo...I'll give you the specs and numbers. But what are you going to do about the fact that I actually want a good looking car or at least something that looks better than the 1er. What about the fact that a lot of the things you listed under the 1-series are options and not standard? Do you think I really give a crap about the pedals moving out of the way in crash? I've been in 5 accidents and I've seem to have made it out fine. There are things that are standard that make sense, which BMW asks money for. I can get Xenons on the G37 as standard, hell I've had Xenons on my '04 TSX free of charge, so now I'm supposed to bow down to BMW because they finally figured it out that making xenon standard is the right thing to do? And the 4 year coverage only makes sense for BMW because the maintenance on the infinity is pretty cheap and is actually do-able at my house. Honestly, how many times do you change your pads and calipers in 50k miles? I have nearly 70K miles on my TSX and I've changed the pads once, cost me $300. You do know that trunk space is almost a moot point in this class of cars right? How about the engine/exhaust noice stock to stock? I've heard the BMW turbo engine, it's nice...The VQ series engine sounds a thousand times better. I live in the suburbs, parking isn't an issue for me either. Not to mention if you know how to handle a car properly you can pretty much park wherever you car can fit.

Sunny...How does the S2000 doesn't offer the same level of performance to the 135?
2006 S2000 - 240hp, 2,855lbs weight.
2009 135i - 300+hp, 3373lbs weight.
If I want performance/handling/fun/track-attack-car...I'll get something lighter and tune it myself. If I want practicality, I'll get something else. If I have to get that caters to both, and just HAVE to get eurpoean THAN the 1er might make some sense. Until then, I can sacrifice the "fun" (very minute) and just pay a bit more and get the 335. Or I can just spend that money and buy myself a second hand M3, which is something I'm more likely to do than get the 1er.


I get the feeling that you all think I hate the 1er or something. I don't, I just hate the price scheme behind it and the fact that people are willing to back BMW on this even though most people around the net are bitching about the same thing I am.

 

[Zafiro]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

you are rigth Nauruto, I dont get you and your way to think about these cars

Anyhow, this is a picture thread where we post pics, not discuss the cars. So everyone, stop the talk we have right now becuase this is the wrong place to discuss this.

 

[Guibo]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

Along the same lines, here is a customized 1/18th scale model with BBSLM-type wheels. Pretty sick!

 

[Deutsch]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

^That 1/18th scale model looks sick, I wonder how they got the custom wheels on there??? I'd definitely do that if I had one of my own.

 

[Bartek S.]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

 

[CorpusCallosum]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

 

[Zafiro]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

 

[Deleted member 25]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

I don't understand how some manage to think thisq car's design is a failure.

 

[vedjo01]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

I don't understand how some manage to think thisq car's design is a failure.

Same here..IMO,1er features so much good aspects of BMW design school that no true BMW fan(or car fan in general) can say that this car is no less than beautifull..1er is sporty,nimble,attractive..pure drivers car..What can you possibly want more from one car ??

 

[Guibo]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

 

[Guibo]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

EuroTuner Magazine's project 135i, with adjustable coilovers:

Originally:

 

[EMpower]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

Is that the LeMans blue?

 

[Zafiro]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

Is that the LeMans blue?

Montegoblue. Lemans and Montego are almost identical. Montego is little bit brighter than LeMAns.

 

[NarutoRamen]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

I'm not sure if my local BMW dealer has this car on their lot or not, but I'm probably gonna go test drive it. What would you guys like me to go test drive, 135i or 128i?

 

[Zafiro]

Re: BMW 1er Coupé/Convertible Picture Thread

I'm not sure if my local BMW dealer has this car on their lot or not, but I'm probably gonna go test drive it. What would you guys like me to go test drive, 135i or 128i?

of course the 135i