The Car I've Never Driven a Hundred Times Before

By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor


There's a sensation of déjà vu as we bend the BMW 1 Series convertible into one of the hillside hairpins. We change down from 4th to 3rd to 2nd gear while braking hard and blipping the throttle to match revs. The well-oiled shift linkage never fails to find a gear.

With a quick tug on the thick rim of the steering wheel, the car responds eagerly. The front end bites immediately, then gently bleeds into a trickle of understeer. So precise is the car's steering that we can confidently place its front tires within inches of the drainage trough beside the road.

As we roll back into the gas, the weight of the car transfers rearward where — if stability control has been disabled — the inside rear tire begins to lose grip and spin, requiring a gentle but certain amount of opposite lock on the steering to maintain the cornering arc.

We've been here a hundred times, but never before.

Until this day, we'd never driven a 2008 BMW 125i Convertible, nor had we ever turned a wheel on this treacherous Spanish road outside Valencia. Yet this sense of déjà vu and the eerie similarity of this Spanish road to those in Southern California remind us that this European-specification 125i convertible (soon to appear in the U.S. as the 128i convertible) is pure BMW, just like so many BMWs we've driven before.

So That Explains It
Why does the 2008 BMW 125i Convertible feel so familiar? We asked Hubert Rauberger, project manager of the 1 Series, if there were a finite set of measurable dynamic criteria to which every BMW must adhere. He looked at us as if we had just asked him if he utilized oxygen in the same way we did.

"Of course," he said, hardly glancing up from his dinner.

We pressed on. We asked him if there really are prescribed roll and yaw rates, pedal efforts and biometric data used to pre-test each new product to ensure that it fits and feels like a BMW should.

This time, his answer was given with a more emphatic intonation that forced eye contact, and with a single nod he raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes."

So that explains it. There is a genetic sequence to the BMW DNA, and it's inextricably woven into the fabric of the 1 Series just as it is in the other BMWs we've driven. And, just like the secret Coca-Cola recipe, they ain't sharing it.

328i Begat 125i Begat 128i
We're driving the 2008 BMW 125i Convertible and it's powered by BMW's now-ubiquitous 3.0-liter inline-6. It produces 218 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. Tuned for the U.S., this engine's output will be 230 hp at 6,500 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 2,750 rpm, or the same power we've seen in the BMW 328i and BMW 528i.

To be honest, this 218-hp six feels a little overtaxed by the need to propel this 3,500-pound 1 Series convertible up into the hills around Valencia. While the power delivery is smooth and linear, we found the engine didn't really get with the program until its tach needle was more or less pointing at the noonday sun. BMW claims a 6.4-second sprint to 60 mph for this car when it's got a six-speed manual transmission, and a 6.8-second time with the six-speed automatic.

Such performance would be in line with the 6.6-second dash to 60 mph in a 3,800-pound BMW 328i convertible we recorded last year. Preliminary fuel consumption estimates for the U.S.-spec 1 Series convertible are 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway with the manual transmission, and 18/27 with the automatic.

Chassis Werks
Part of the reason the E88 1 Series feels like an E90 3 Series is because the two chassis are related.

Of course the 125i's wheelbase is some 4 inches shorter (quite a lot, actually), and its suspension not entirely made of aluminum, and the floor pan of the 1 Series convertible is a unique combination of an exclusive design and a beefed-up version of its coupe brethren. But everything comes from the same 3 Series lab.

Because the premium compact four-seat rear-wheel-drive 128i convertible ($33,875) is literally in a class of its own (nobody honestly believes a $24,075 Mustang convertible is a competitor), BMW has a lock on the segment. But it also realizes that many prospective buyers, who might also consider a $39,750 Audi A4 Cabrio or $39,240 Volvo C70 convertible would be unfamiliar with the rear-drive dynamics of the 1 Series.

Since BMW expects a lot of new 1 Series owners will be coming from such front-wheel-drive cars, it has built in more understeer in the front-drive style, and you'll notice it. Fortunately the 300-hp twin-turbo 135i will be more able to drive the rear wheels around this understeer in any case.

Light on Tires, Heavy on Comfort
Citing added cost, weight and complexity, BMW has chosen a power fabric top rather than the power hardtop seen in the 3 Series convertible. As a result, the 128i convertible is only 242 pounds heavier than a comparable 128i coupe, instead of the 400-pound difference you might see in a car with a hardtop.

The 128i and subsequent 135i will also be outfitted with the usual complement of safety hardware and software, like dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control, dual front and side airbags, and pop-up roll hoops.

It takes 22 seconds to retract the top, and once it's stowed beneath the rear deck lid, the climate control system defaults to a dedicated program for top-down driving, relying on ambient temperature and sunlight instead of cabin sensors. Though we recommend the optional mesh wind blocker, it isn't totally necessary.

The rear seats are tight on legroom, but thankfully inhabitable. Trunk space is as small as you might expect, but it's surprisingly useful. With the top up, total volume is about 10 cubic feet, and top down, the intrusion of the top shrinks the capacity to 8.5 cubic feet. Nevertheless, BMW demonstrated to us that the trunk is shaped appropriately enough to contain two golf bags and can accommodate either skis or snowboards with the enclosed rear-seat pass-though.

While the standard vinyl seat upholstery is pretty convincing, you must opt for the leather-upholstered sport seats to keep your buns cool. Borrowing technology from the $83,000 650i convertible, these seats have been cured with a proprietary sun-reflective dye that noticeably lowers surface temperatures by as much as 20 degrees F.

As you'd expect, there's quite an array of typical BMW options, including a wide pallet of colors outside and in, satellite navigation, Bluetooth and a dedicated iPod or iPhone connection, premium package (including BMW's emergency response system — also available as a stand-alone) and a new metallic-thread soft top offering a shimmer effect in the sunlight.

In a Class of One
The 2008 BMW 1 Series Convertible offers a compelling combination of expected levels of BMW dynamics and unique solutions for both a convertible's assets and its liabilities.

The price of the U.S.-spec 2008 BMW 128i will start at $33,875 (or $4,500 more than the 128i coupe), and the 135i convertible will run you $39,875 (or exactly $4,200 more than the coupe).

Either way, there isn't anything currently on the market with a competitive price that is as fun to drive or as stylish as a BMW convertible, and the 2008 BMW 128i Convertible feels as much like a BMW as you can get.

The numero-uno forum for all things 1-series got a hold of BMW's brochure for its upcoming line of performance parts, and as suspected, much of the kit originally seen on the tii concept will be available through authorized BMW dealers.

The photos we posted last week of the modified 1-series show the same car displayed in the brochure. Unfortunately, the text is in German, but Google's translation software is here to help.

Aside from some aerodynamic body panels that are visible in the pictures, well-to-do customizers can upgrade the front brakes of their 1-series with six-piston yellow calipers squeezing 325mm drilled and slotted rotors, while two-piston calipers in the rear grab onto 320mm rotors. Three different wheel choices frame those new yellow binders, ranging from 18x7.5-inches all the way up to 19x9 inch rollers, while a new dampers, springs, stabilizer and strut tower bars are available to keep things planted at all four corners.

While we don't see an optional ECU upgrade mentioned in the brochure, BMW will be offering a new intake setup and a full exhaust to ease breathing duties, and a new short shifter supposedly reduces throws by 25-percent over its stock counterpart.

Inside, there's plenty of carbon fiber, aluminum and Alcantara accoutrements that can be applied throughout the interior, and those sports seats we've been drooling over will be available as well. The big question, however, is what's going on with the steering wheel. At the 12 o'clock position is an LCD screen that can be controlled via the two buttons flanking its sides. The display can act as a stopwatch, able to keep track of 10 different laps down to 1/100 of a second, and can record 1/8- and 1/4-mile times, saving them for later viewing, along with keeping tabs on the engine temp, positive, negative and lateral g's.

[Update: Live auto show images added.] After initially unveiling the Concept 1 Series tii at the Tokyo Motor Show, BMW has again pulled the wraps off of its 2002-inspired small sports coupe at the Chicago Auto Show. BMW chose to display the Concept 1 Series tii with a brightly colored vintage 2002tii owned by legendary race car driver Bobby Rahal.

BMW reduced the weight of the Concept 1 Series tii over the standard 1-series — although BMW has not specified just how much — through extensive use of carbon fiber on the hood and several other trim pieces. The tii also wears unique bumpers — front and rear — side skirts and 18 inch wheels. The hood fins are a tribute to the high performance 3.0 CSL of the 1970s. That car, called the "Batmobile" in North America, is highly prized by enthusiasts for its performance.

The interior of the concept features black alcantara contrasted by white accents. The gauge cluster is highlighted by a white-face tachometer, hinting at the high-performance intentions of the Concept 1 Series tii. Light weight materials are used throughout, including very thin seats.

Although many journalists in Chicago speculated that the 2002 on display was the one rebuilt by BMW's in-house vintage parts specialist, Mobile Tradition, during the press conference it was revealed that the Inka Orange classic belongs to Rahal. The race car driver and team owner was on hand to take the wraps off of BMW's American Le Mans Series M3 race car.