Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Euro, BMW

A new entry-level car from a premium European brand will be washing up on our shores when the BMW 1-Series arrives carrying a price tag slightly under $30,000. Much the same way as Volvo’s looking to its bobbed-tail C30 to recruit younger buyers into the fold while offering an appropriately flavored confection of a car, the 1-Series has the task of winning customers who would love a Roundel on the hood, but can’t swing the 3-series. Having done the truncated poop deck on the E36 318ti, BMW decided to go with a traditional three-box profile this time around.

Where former entry-level efforts from premium European brands have not inspired drivers, the 1-Series has everyone buzzing. While the 135i gets the 335’s delectable 300-HP drivetrain, good for a 5.1 second run to 60 mph, even the “entry level” 128i will have plenty of snort. The 128i will make do with 230 horses, giving up a second in the accelerative dash, yet taking it about $5,000 easier on your checkbook. We expect that BMW has learned from its 318ti experience, and the interior will not be a cheapened affair when compared to the 3-series, but will carry the same high quality materials, super comfortable seats, and impossibly tight fits. It’s getting to be so you can’t swing a cat without hitting a slightly-sub-30K vehicle with a spiffy emblem on the rump. We like that.

[Source: Auto News - sub req.]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Economy, Etc., BMW

You’ve heard this shtick before, but with oil prices hitting record highs - again - most automakers are making a play at bringing more frugal offerings to market. In the case of BMW though, we’re a bit disjointed on the idea. Sure, the 1-series is the company’s second best seller in Europe, behind the 3-series, and purchasing a 128i when it goes on sale here in the States next year is the best way to get behind the wheel of a Bimmer on the cheap. But if buyers are supposedly so cost conscious, would they really drop the coin on a BMW if fuel consumption were at the top of their priority list? BMW’s cache, in the realm of both driving dynamics and badge-snobber, is largely unmatched, but are buyers bent on a Bimmer really going to downsize their ride when they can surely afford the premium the marque commands? We’re not so sure.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, BMW

Since it’s launch in 2004, BMW has sold 470,000 1-series models throughout the world, and with the upcoming 1-series coupe, the automaker expects those numbers to increase, particularly when U.S. sales begin at the end of this month.

According to a report by Thomson Financial, the coupe alone should account for over 20,000 sales annually and with the addition of the convertible version expected to hit in spring of ‘08, there’s no where to go but up. The primary question that will be answered early next year is who will be buying the new “compact” Bimmer, and whether or not the coupe will draw more buyers into the BMW fold or if it will merely cannibalize sales of the Bavarian’s best-selling 3-series.

[Source: Forbes]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Car Buying, LA Auto Show, Coupes, BMW

UPDATE: Kicking Tires has learned that the 128i will start at a much more reasonable $29,375.

Click the image above for more live pics of the BMW 135i.

Our boy Omar over at eGMCartech passed along a tip yesterday that BMW had a plaque standing next to its 135i listing the available options and price of its turbocharged entrant into the sport compact scene. Finally, all the speculation shall come to rest. After weaseling our way onto the show floor before the doors opened this morning, we made a B-line for the Bimmer booth to check it out for ourselves. The 135i sat on its pedestal, but unlike every other model there, the telltale placard was absent. Five minutes of snooping later, we hit gold behind a wall and you can check out the entire pricing and options list after the jump.

Pricing for the 135i starts at $35,675 — very close to what’s been rumored since its unveiling in Frankfurt. While that’s certainly on the high side of things, it’s not until you start optioning up the coupe that things get out of hand. REALLY out of hand. Tick the box for an automatic, and you’re up another $1,275. Want the paddle shifters? Tack on another $100. The premium package boosts it up another $3,300; navigation with iDrive, $2,100. And on, and on, and on. The only thing missing is the price of the rarified air in the cabin, but BMW was nice enough to provide the windshield for free.

Bottom line: if you MAX-OUT the 135i, your looking at over $52,000. Considering that a base 3-series comes in at around $28k (stripped), you’d better be very confident with your decision to be the first on your block to sport BMW’s new hotness.

Continue reading BMW officially accidentally prices 135i at $35,675*

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, BMW

The 1-Series has officially joined BMW’s line up in the United States, having finally been added to the brand’s official website. Along with its place among the Ultimate Driving Machines online, the 1-Series also gets officially pricing, which turns out to be exactly what we thought it would be. The 135i will have an MSRP of $34,900 plus a $775 charge for delivery and all the whatnots involved with a purchasing a car. The 128i, meanwhile, will start at $28,600 and carry an identical $775 charge for destination and delivery.

The 128i is powered by BMW’s 3.0L inline-six producing 230 horsepower, while the top shelf 135i is motivated by the superlative twin-turbo 3.0L inline-six producing 300 HP. Both are, of course, rear-wheel drive, small, and relatively light weight at around 3,200 lbs. - the purest coupes from BMW we’ve seen in a while. We optioned up a 135i with everything and arrived at an MSRP of $48,995 (that’s it above - how you like the Cashmere Silver Metallic?). Frankly, that’s ridiculously expensive for a car this size, regardless of what wheels are being driven or the engine under the hood. Do you think they’re worth the high asking price? Answer in our poll below.

View Poll

Thanks for the tip, Boris!

[Source: BMW]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments