2008 BMW 135i Cabriolet Test Drive: Top-Down Fun With 300 hp power

MONTEREY, Calif. - The people of BMW keep hammering their new Series 1 as the spiritual successor of the company flagship 2002 model. You remember that one, is it not? It was manufactured between 1968 and 1976 and helped set the small Bavarian company on the map here in the United States.

For us, Series 1 looks more like a second generation 3 Series, which, unlike 2002, originated from a factory convertible. Well, regardless of the model of the Series 1 convertible owes its lineage is Stateside and we are pleased to note that this was pretty good.

Power comes from either a 230-hp 3.0-liter inline Six for the 128i or the 300-hp twin-turbo version of the same engine for the 135i. And as a seducer BMW offers the flavor that so many buyers lust after. The great son is there, as is the control damped feel more Bimmer brand chassis amp feedback from subtle signals at low speed at full intensity that the rate increases.

Despite the small size of the Series 1, there is room for drivers and passengers through the high seat tracks that enable front seats and encroach on the back seat of space. Hey, they are only occasional rear seats, right? Unless you need to pass rear-seat passengers every day, this is the BMW you need, and all the doors that you could want.

A powered soft-top was chosen because it consumes less space than the baggage retractable hardtop. And, of course, it is cheaper to produce. The mechanism is said to erect or himself on the sly about 22 seconds, the vehicle up to 30 mph. We checked, and, of course, it does. BMW claims the trunk is large enough to swallow two golf bags and can be extended when the upper part of the folding up by the storage space out of the way. A password-sac or snowboards for skies are on the list of options.

Availability of the 128i model has been limited to the introduction of the car here, so we conducted manual and automatic versions of the 135i. And the performance of this model is scintillating. After all, he has proven twin-turbo silken sledgehammer under the hood.

BMW 135i says will hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, while the 128i needs 6.1 for the same job. From experience, we know that the company estimates are conservative. Appropriately, our two 135is standard equipment supplied with some performers, like six-piston brake calipers at the front and a body-kit aerodynamics. The optional sport package adds 18-in. Wheels with low-profile, high-performance tires (up to 17-in. Wheels standard), with modernized spring, shock and bar calibrations.

In conjunction with the new double-pivot aluminum before and five link rear suspension designs, sport allows the vehicle dynamics package on an equal footing with many of the best sports cars. The 135i's balance is particularly good during transitions from one direction to another. We understand some stretches of road near Skyline Boulevard outside San Francisco, at a rate that would have made a rally navigator nauseous. And not just once the 135i Cabriolet must use its control system dynamic stability to save our buttocks.

The penalty is a strong enough race, which produces a little more thrill terrain frame of the windshield and the steering wheel. It is not enough to disturb, but you noticed the small lateral moves, and especially since the mirror. If this is a problem, consider removing the package for a gentler sport that configuration does not need to use the body as a reservoir secondary spring. Or, you can simply buy the cup.

But while you miss something special: Sun-protected optional leather upholstery is unique to the ragtop 1 Series car, which is specially adapted to the climate control system. As usual with BMW, there is an exhaustive list of optional equipment. And did we mention that the Series 1 convertible deploying automatic rollbars that pop up behind the rear seats when the car detects an incident of reversal? Well, it's done. And no, we have not tested these.