I never thought I'd say it, but I like the slower, softer car better. I must be getting old.
I've spent a fair bit of time in our Four Seasons 135i over the past few months and have only two small quibbles: the suspension is too harsh, and the price is too high. The 128i solves both problems and makes the driving experience that much more rewarding since you have to work its 230-hp, normally aspirated 3.0-liter.
It's not exactly the driving-a-slow-car-fast technique that's needed in something truly underpowered, but it's more involving than the mash-the-gas style of driving that the 300-hp 135i invites. You actually have to shift the six-speed to hunt for power.
And then there's the ride. All 135s have sport suspension tuning and come standard with a staggered eighteen-inch wheel-and-tire combo (which looks great, by the way). The 128's suspension is softer and its wheels are seventeens all around. The extra sidewall helps absorb some of the road imperfections that Michigan is known for, and even without the word sport officially describing the suspension, the car still handles like the little roller skate that it is.
This is a classic case of less is more; it's just too bad less doesn't mean less weight for the porky 1-series. For my money, the 128i is all the car I'd need for a daily driver. That said, I'd be happy with either One.
David Gluckman, Web Producer ...next page >>