Not Exactly Ultimate
BMW 128i Coupe Review
Forget the race-ready performance of the M-Series BMWs. Forget even the power and comfort of the BMW models powered by the 3.5L powerplant, like the 335is or 535is. Instead, let’s ask what you get at the very bottom rung of the BMW ladder. Let’s take a look at the base-spec, 4-seat, 128i.
It’s still a BMW, which means it’s still supposed to be the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. But, is it?
How it looks
If you stop by any random BMW dealership, you’ll end up paying about $31,000 for a base-spec 128i, if you can find one. For that, you don’t get much in the way of options. No sat-nav. No Tiptronic paddle shifters on the steering wheel. No electric seat controls. Not even a manual transmission to help you wring a little extra performance out of the 3.0L naturally aspirated inline-6 motor. You get a radio and CD player, along with air conditioning. That’s about it.
You do get a few things though. The gearshift does have a manual mode, so you can bump it up and down a gear. There’s Bluetooth and USB connectivity. The steering wheel, which doesn’t telescope but is height adjustable, has a couple of buttons to operate the radio or answer the phone. There is a tachometer in the driver’s instrument cluster. Other than that, the 128i gives you a pretty distraction-free driving environment.
There’s not a lot of luxury-car feel to the interior. The seats and dash are swathed in luxurious vinyl pleather, and there’s a plastic strip of fake wood or fake aluminum on the dash. It’s a base model, and the inside looks it. The only thing that tells you that you’re sitting in a car made by one of the premier luxury automakers in the world is the BMW roundel in the middle of the steering wheel.
Outside, the 128i’s styling is…controversial. It’s certainly unconventional. There’s something about the proportions that are a little…off. Seen from the front, the 128i seems a bit tall and narrow. It looks better from the side, with the long nose and short trunk. It looks nice enough, in my opinion, but the style has been polarizing.
How it drives
But it’s supposed to be the “Ultimate Driving Machine” not the ultimate looker. Moreover, BMW wants the 1-series to hark back to the old BMW 2002 from the 1970s. As such, it’s supposed to be a small, unassuming coupe with a surprising degree of performance. And, the performance is actually pretty good, if not blindingly fast. The 230 HP powerplant pushes it to the 0-60 mark in under 7 seconds.
The 128i shines in the corners. There’s a hint of body roll, but only the tiniest hint. The suspension is taut and firm, and the chassis is stiff, so the BMW pedigree really shines through. On city streets, the ride is comfortable, though, and not overly stiff, nicely insulating you from bumpy pavement. Steering is a standout in the 128i, too. It’s well-weighted at speed, precise and quick.
It’d be a pretty good car to have, except for one thing. It’s not fun. It drives well, and it’s fairly powerful. But it’s just…boring. You see, here’s the thing: You have a lot of choice for $35,000 performance cars today, and the 128i isn’t that much better than any of them. In fact, considering the utter lack of options you get compared to what’s available at the same price for other cars, you can make the argument that, for the price, the 128i is considerably worse.
What’s good about it
The driving dynamics are good. It’s comfortable. It’s relatively powerful. It’s a good car, with great breaks, a willing engine, and the agility of a good suspension and chassis.
What’s bad about it
It’s not a good value. For such a basic car, it simply costs too much, and isn’t significantly better than other cars you could buy.
Conclusion
What made the 2002 so amazing in 1970 was that it drove so much better than anything else available at the time. Sure, at $3,500, it cost the same as a Cadillac Coupe de Ville, but it could drive rings around a Cadillac—and pretty much everything else except the Datsun 240Z. It was a sports car hidden in a sedan body, while its competitors’ cars were huge, wallowy barges, or tiny, powerless econo-boxes. The 2002 was fantastic, and there was little that could touch it in terms of driving dynamics in 1970.
In 2013, however, the 128i is a very good car, but there are a lot of very good cars available for 35 grand. If you want outright performance, there’s the Ford Mustang GT, Chevy Camaro SS, or Dodge Challenger, all of whom offer big-bore V-8s with 400+ horsepower. If you want road-carving capability, there’s the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo or Subaru WRX STi. If you want power and practicality, there’s the VW Golf R, Ford Focus ST, or the Mazdaspeed3. And let’s not forget the Nissan 370Z, or Hyundai 3.8 Genesis Coupe. And this is just a partial list of performance cars available at that price.
All things considered, a higher-spec BMW with the 3.5L engine makes sense at the $45,000+ range. For instance, I’ve seen a BMW 135is beat a Porsche Cayman around a track. But if I had only $35,000 burning a hole in my pocket, and a need for speed, a BMW dealership isn’t where I’d spend it.
