Saturday Afternoon Bimmerfest
My 7-year-old son Luke and I visited the “BMW store” today to stroll the lot and check out the recent 1-series coupe facelift, pictured above.
It really is a very mild refresh for the coupe, in contrast to the Euro-only redesign of the 1-series hatchback. The headlights have gained subtle “eyebrows,” the taillights have acquired horizontal bands a la E60 refresh, and the body lowers (side skirts and front and rear valences) have been reprofiled. I don’t believe they actually changed any of the sheet metal. The 135i receives the single turbo, 300 hp N55, while the 128i soldiers on with the naturally-aspirated 230 hp N52, same as before.
I was very pleased by the way it looked. The new front valence of the 128i adds distinctiveness and character to what was previously a by-the-numbers goatee. The eyebrows give the eyes a more athletic squint, and the taillights’ striations relieve some of their chunkiness.
If you haven’t already guessed, the 128i 6-speed, as stripped-down as I could option it with the exception of performance bits like 17″ wheels and a limited-slip diff, would be my 1-series flavor of choice. Indeed, if I had to buy a new BMW, it would be the one I’d opt for, being the lightest, most straightforward and “unencumbered” car they currently produce. Why not the more powerful 135i? Well, for starters, call me a purist, but I’m still having difficulty warming to the idea of a turbocharged BMW, as good as the N54 and N55 were and are. The predictability of a naturally-aspirated torque curve is hard to simulate. The biggest reason, though, is the weight difference—the 135i weighs close to 170 lbs more than the 128i, not an insubstantial figure for a small car, especially considering the 128i already weighs more than a car of its size should, at 3208 lbs.
I picked up a glossy brochure on my way out. I told my wife that it was difficult to resist the impulsive mental contortions I embark upon in order to justify the purchase, but there is absolutely no responsible way to reconcile even a used 128i into our family plan at the moment. Maybe I’ll snag one in 5-10 years, if I can bring myself to drive what still basically amounts to a computer on four wheels, with increasingly little for us shadetree mechanics to do in the way of repairs, one of the great joys/frustrations of owning a car. We’ll see.