1 Series "The 135 coupe is the best car BMW makes." says Jeremy Clarkson

[Kowalski]

Originally said by Jeremy Clarkson:

The fact of the matter is this. The 135 coupé is the best car BMW makes. I have no hesitation at all, then, in giving this long-awaited return to form the rare accolade of five stars.

Click on the link below to read the whole article:

Jeremy Clarkson BMW 135i review | Driving - Times Online

 

[Deleted member 25]

But it’s the engine that impresses most of all. It has one small turbo to spin up the instant you apply the power, and then a bigger one that trundles into life later to keep the power coming

???

 

[CorpusCallosum]

I believe that is wrong Mr. Clarkson... I thought it was just one turbo per 3 cylinders

 

[Deleted member 25]

I believe that is wrong Mr. Clarkson... I thought it was just one turbo per 3 cylinders

He maybe thought the turbo technology used for the this engine is the the same as the one used on the 3.0d biturbo.

 

[siko]

Sweet... finally JC is exposed for the ignorant **** he is.

 

[Guibo]

 

[SDNR]

He gave this car a fantastic review ...and he made some great points too I think. The 3er has become bloated and "middle aged" ...the true spirit of BMW was has been compromised a little. The 1er is about getting back to basics ....I like that, it is something Mercedes could never do. Fundamentally, BMW is a different kind of car maker to Mercedes ....but over the past 25 years it seems like BMW was trying to be more and more like Mercedes ....the 1er is a type of car that Mercedes could never build ...it is BMW in its most pure form.

 

[cawimmer430]

The 1er is about getting back to basics ....I like that, it is something Mercedes could never do. Fundamentally, BMW is a different kind of car maker to Mercedes ....but over the past 25 years it seems like BMW was trying to be more and more like Mercedes ....the 1er is a type of car that Mercedes could never build ...it is BMW in its most pure form.

Infiniti basically offers you a near BMW driving experience for less money.

Nissan just proved with the GT-R that they can compete on Porsche level.

Lexus is a serious competitor to Mercedes when it comes to luxury.


Basically, if Mercedes wanted to, they could build a car that can play ball with BMW. They just focus on other things namely comfort and luxury. The current C-Class for example has become a very sporty car for Mercedes standards, but it still adheres to traditional MB values which most people who buy a Mercedes expect. The same but quite different expectations can be found in buyers of different brands. Every brand stands for something different and focuses on different aspects moreso than others.

Claiming that _______ could never do this is a little ignorant, isn't it?

 

[Guibo]

Infiniti basically offers you a near BMW driving experience for less money.
Nissan just proved with the GT-R that they can compete on Porsche level.
Lexus is a serious competitor to Mercedes when it comes to luxury.

Claiming that _______ could never do this is a little ignorant, isn't it?

I agree that "never" is a strong word. But I'm not sure he means MB can't technically acheive that. It's a difference of philosophy. In the examples you cited, there is nothing in the philosophy behind those companies that would preclude them from beating the establishment at its own game. In fact, that's what Lexus/Infiniti set out to do from day one.
In the case of BMW, they needed badly to get back to their roots. Their success was founded largely (and particularly in the US) on the 2002. MB had nothing that was a direct competitor to this, just as BMW had no direct competitors to the large V8 luxury cars of MB. And to this day, there seems to be no clamor among the MB customer base to produce such a car.

Basically, if Mercedes wanted to, they could build a car that can play ball with BMW. They just focus on other things namely comfort and luxury.

I have no doubt that if they wanted to, they could. But in head to head tests against the 2-year old 3 Series, the C Class has consistently come up short. They don't even hold an advantage in their traditional strengths of comfort and luxury, unless the two are compared on UK roads and the BMW has the sport suspension. This is most glaringly obvious in tests (so far) between the M3 and C63, which has completely forfeited the ride comfort advantage that the C55 had, while not exactly making good on AMG's promise that "We have left no stone unturned in efforts to provide our new car the necessary qualities to lift it above the competition."

 

[Nikos120i]

Well done Jeremy...glad he liked the 135i Coupe.

 

[NarutoRamen]

WHAT? Jeremy Likes a BMW something other than an M badge on it? Amazing. When I look out my window, I can see a few pigs flying, LOL.

So what happened to BMW fanboys crying fowl whenever Jeremy bashes their cars? LOL. Seriously, this is a good review. Even though I don't like the car for it's price and such, it still doesn't deter from the driving experience this car delivers.

 

[klier]

^ They discover that when he DOES talk good about a BMW, he (Jeremy) has no clue what he is talking about. That's what the BMW fanboys do.

 

[NarutoRamen]

^^Ha ha ha. So true.

 

[Mr Robert]

I'll be damned... I never thaugt I'd see the day the fat man said a nice word about a Beemer. Was this really Clarkson writing or some substitute?

 

[Kowalski]

Clarkson actually had two BMWs.

He owned a classic 3.0 CSL and in 1997 he bought a Z1 Roadster for his wife.

 

[SDNR]

Claiming that _______ could never do this is a little ignorant, isn't it?

You are missing my point Chris. Mercedes buyers expect their cars to be complex and sophisticated ...it is part of the identity of the brand. Mercedes' doesn't do "basic" .....we could argue that the A class is basic ...but it does not have the pedigree of the 135 Coupé. The 135 Coupé is an old school BMW ...it fits with the tradition of the brand -- Of course Mercedes could build something similar ...but it would only be a "me too" effort.

 

[cawimmer430]

I agree that "never" is a strong word. But I'm not sure he means MB can't technically acheive that. It's a difference of philosophy. In the examples you cited, there is nothing in the philosophy behind those companies that would preclude them from beating the establishment at its own game. In fact, that's what Lexus/Infiniti set out to do from day one.
In the case of BMW, they needed badly to get back to their roots. Their success was founded largely (and particularly in the US) on the 2002. MB had nothing that was a direct competitor to this, just as BMW had no direct competitors to the large V8 luxury cars of MB. And to this day, there seems to be no clamor among the MB customer base to produce such a car.

Good explanation.

I have no doubt that if they wanted to, they could. But in head to head tests against the 2-year old 3 Series, the C Class has consistently come up short. They don't even hold an advantage in their traditional strengths of comfort and luxury, unless the two are compared on UK roads and the BMW has the sport suspension. This is most glaringly obvious in tests (so far) between the M3 and C63, which has completely forfeited the ride comfort advantage that the C55 had, while not exactly making good on AMG's promise that "We have left no stone unturned in efforts to provide our new car the necessary qualities to lift it above the competition."

I think the biggest weakness of the current C-Class are its engines. They're not underpowered per se, but they're "underpowered" when compared to the competition. This is a major flaw on paper and in real life. Often, in comparison tests, the C-Class was praised but the engines and to an extent its dynamics prevented it from placing higher, especially when compared to the likes of BMW or Infiniti.

 

[cawimmer430]

You are missing my point Chris. Mercedes buyers expect their cars to be complex and sophisticated ...it is part of the identity of the brand. Mercedes' doesn't do "basic" .....we could argue that the A class is basic ...but it does not have the pedigree of the 135 Coupé. The 135 Coupé is an old school BMW ...it fits with the tradition of the brand -- Of course Mercedes could build something similar ...but it would only be a "me too" effort.

I guess I get it now.

By the way, the A-Class doesn't compete with the 1-Series, nor does the B-Class. These are FWD "family hatches" that totally differ from the major MB philosophy. The A-Class isn't comfortable, but it's quite sporty. The B-Class handles like a boat but is very soft and quite comfortable.