Review: 2008 BMW 135i Coupe
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)
BMW's announcement of the 135i hit us like Pavlov's bell, the one he used to make his dog salivate. Once we got into the 2008 BMW 135i Coupe, all of our expectations were met, and more. BMW threw its best engine into its smallest car, leading to impressive acceleration for a car in this price range. But don't expect BMW engineers to content themselves with this simple concept; no, they tuned the car appropriately, such as making sure its tires would hold the road while being turned by 3-liter, twin-turbocharged power.
You usually have to pay for fast cars with poor gas mileage, but the 135i doesn't extract that penalty. Instead, the price you pay is a smallish back seat. We can live with that. BMW also makes its raft of cabin tech options available in the 135i, including navigation displayed on a pop-up LCD, Bluetooth cell phone integration with voice command, and a premium stereo system.
