SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FAST

One of BMW’s finest cars is their smallest, writes Paddy Comyn who test drives the 135i Coupé

BMW has not quite enjoyed the success that it might have with the 1-Series. The entry-level hatchback started life as a five-door and didn’t quite cause the stir amongst customers as it might have. However, things have started to look up with the addition of the three-door version and this new model – the Coupé.

COMPACT YET POWERFUL

You might question just why BMW would bother with a coupé version of the 1-Series, but for me it makes all the sense in the world. You see, I remember the first generation of the 3-Series, the E30 very well and it was a gorgeous compact size. In fact, I still drive one, a 318iS – and it’s a sweet machine. And with the growth in size of the 3-Series there are those who miss their small dynamic BMW coupes and this car should fill this gap.

I spent the Christmas period in the 135i Coupé and I simply fell in love with it. It is everything that a small performance car of this type should be – compact, light and with the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six it is incredibly powerful. Few buyers will go for this particular unit, with the majority likely to choose from either the 177bhp or 204bhp 2.0-litre diesels. Our car has a far less sensible option in the form of the 306bhp petrol, which in this lightweight car borders on overkill, but the end result is seriously impressive.

FIRST CLASS

The look of the car might not be everyone’s taste, but few would argue with this car’s ability. It is incredibly agile, perfectly balanced and the sort of car that you can have brilliant fun with at various rates of knots. Inside the cabin is thoughtfully laid-out and has the usual cockpit feel that brings with it a welcome snugness. Rear space is obviously a little on the light side, but then few are likely to buy this as a family car. And don’t be fooled into thinking that all this performance comes at the expense of comfort. This just isn’t the case – this car’s ride is first class, despite its dynamic pedigree.

The obviously difficulty in the case of this engine is the price. You might feel very short changed shelling out more than €60,000 for a car this size despite its obvious talents. However those at the lower end of the scale won’t feel so hard done by as the diesel comes in at a much more realistic price.

Published in the February/March 2008 Issue of Irish Entrepreneur