BMW 135i Review + Roadster Retrospective
For the last 9 years or so, I've pretty constantly had a convertible of some sort in my garage, for days just such as this. This is the biggest luxury I indulge in, from a monetary standpoint, because it really is unnecessary except for the pleasure it gives me. Most "luxury" cars are really just expensive cars; most people need a car, and so the ownership of one is not a luxury. A third car such as a roadster or convertible* is a true luxury car, even if a particular one is not expensive.
My first roadster was a horrid 1974 Fiat 124 Spider. I bought it for $1,000, and it was broken in the way that most Italian cars of the period are- every. It leaked and burned oil, the top was torn, the transmission was dying and the electrical system was possibly dangerous. At the time, I told myself I would learn to fix this car, and it would be a fun runabout for me and the missus while I taught myself some basic car restoration skills. Oh ho ho, but no. After about 4 months, the gap between my dream and reality was exactly the size and shape of the car itself. I donated it to a local technical college and claimed a $1,000 tax deduction.
Several years later, after moving to Iowa, I found a used NB Miata (NB means it is in the second generation; NA was the first, and the current car is the ND) at a small used car dealership. Low miles and in excellent condition, I took it home for $9,000. This was the car that burned a love of open air motoring into me. There is a saying on car enthusiast websites and forums: "Whatever the question is, the answer is always Miata." I tell you, the legends are true.
Little Mazda, the freckly kid sister to the big Japanese auto manufacturers, has a warm place in my heart (and the hearts of gearheads generally), because they devote their limited resources to keeping alive this brilliant but basic roadster. A ruthlessly profit-driven company would have axed the MX-5 Miata long ago, but to Mazda it is a point of pride and in fact the emblem of the company's values. Well engineered, reliable and fun (if not fast), the Miata offers motoring pleasure in the old ways: a low-slug seating position, compliant suspenion, a very compact size, and one of the easiest manual gearboxes in the business. The fabled connection between man and machine is very real. All of their Zoom Zoom marketing is not a joke, as driving enjoyment is a top priority, even in their regular passenger cars. You may not think that it matters if the CX-5 crossover is actually fun to drive, but Mazda does.
After a couple of years of tootling around with the NB, the siren call of the new (at the time) NC Miata called my name. At the time, the folding hard top seemed like a big improvement- a bit quieter on the highway, and maybe I can drive in the winter? But it turned out the hard top wasn't really worth it. I still only drove in the summer, and the top operation takes a long time compared to the dead-simple manual one for the cloth top. Still, a great car.
All is not wine and roses for a largish American driver, however. The Miata is small. I always found the seats to be comfortable, and there's plenty of legroom, but the top of the windshield was constantly at eye level, and so you end up driving with your head sort of leaned forward all the time. And the other problem with the Miata is how loud it is on the highway, with the top up. Since I live in hateful podunk redneck flyover land, when you want to get to the nice scenery you generally have to drive out a bit, on the highway. And after a while it becomes a chore, all the resonance from the wind and tire noise reverberating in the cabin. I would just drive with the top down, which was loud but in a more agreeable way.
And so finally we arrive in 2015 and the purchase of a new-to-me 2012 BMW 135i convertible. With 3 years of warranty under the Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program, and only 9k miles, the littlest BMW convertible was a sensible choice. And it fit me- being the convertible version of the regular 1-Series sedan meant it was designed for normal adults. The top is insulated so it's actually pretty quiet on the highway. And it has a tiny back seat, enough for a couple of kids in a pinch.
But what sold me the car was the power. 300 horsepower and 300 lb/ft of torque from the turbocharged inline 6 cylinder, it has TWICE the power of my old Miata. Granted, it's heavier by a lot. But a sub-5 second 0-60 time is no joke. It just pulls and pulls. BMW is legendary for their 6's and this one really drives the point home. It sounds great and has a smooth, linear progression.
The 7-speed DCT gearbox is good, fast and accurate in virtually every situation. Pulling the left paddle shifter to drop it a gear for passing on the highway is a joy. Only occasionally in low speed driving (like coasting up to an intersection and then accelerating abruptly) causes it to be in the wrong gear.
You would think the interior quality of the BMW was world's better than the Mazda Miata. And it is better...a bit. Frankly, BMW gave this car a simple interior made from humdrum plastics, which is the case with the Miata as well. Really, only the top is the true standout from a creature comfort perspective, since it is very much quieter than the Miata's.
The suspension is firm, but still this side of livable. What is not livable is the terrible, horrible, no good very bad run-flat tires that BMW persists on fitting to their cars. They are BAD, making the ride rock-hard and noisy. The only significant expense I've had with this car had been buying a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, which resolved my ride problems instantly.
So I've been enjoying the last 3 years with the BMW. It's still a thrill to get it out on the road and blast around. But time, alas, does not stand still, and warranties don't last forever. I have only a few maxims I live my life by, the first one being, "Remember your wallet when you leave the house," but a close second is, "Never own a BMW without a warranty." Repairs on these cars can be costly- not Land Rover costly, mind, but still pretty steep. The Germans feel the need to make everything so complicated, and as such fixing anything is complicated, too. In March, just before my warranty expired, I had the oil pan gasket replaced. This is a common failure on this generation 1-Series, and it's expensive to fix, with a lot of labor hours.
Sadly, it's time for the littlest Bimmer to depart. But taking its place will be a car you never will expect... well, actually you'll totally suspect it.
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* A convertible just means any car that has a folding or removable top. A roadster has traditionally only meant small, rear-wheel drive, two seat convertibles. The classic British roadsters from Lotus, MG and Triumph created the category as we understand it in the 50's, although of course the term roadster was used for decades before. So a Mazda Miata is a roadster, whereas the BMW is not, being really a sedan with a convertible top.
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