Does one lose performance in the 135i Vert vs coupe

[craig66]

I currently have a somewhat underpowered 2006 3.0i Z4 and am counting the days to lease end for my new 135. I love the 135 convertible. I am worried I am giving up some performance for the the 135 convertible over the coupe. The performance numbers in the convertible seem a little lower than in the coupe (probably due to weight and rigidity differences). Does anyone know if these are negligible differences or if there are truly clear differences in the handling and performance of the two cars

Thanks

Craig

[SpeedballTrix]

I test drove an automatic vert before taking delivery of my stick coupe and honestly I noticed a difference for sure.
There is a significant weight difference from the coupe to the vert, and the straight line acceleration (as well as the handling) will suffer accordingly.
If you really must have a vert, wait for the new Z4. It's gonna be pretty badass and, imo, being a purpose built roadster is the only way to go if you want a droptop.

[Mega Man]

The new Z4 looks awesome!

[gtaday51]

I have a 135 Vert and a 135 Coupe and trust me. There is no comparing the two cars at the limit. But quite frankly, for every day driving, even fast driving, your not going to reach those limits. And yes, the Vert is not as stealler of a performer as the Coupe. But it is the most rewarding convertible that I have ever driven and I love it to death.

[MOCKBA]

135 vert feels much faster than my previous Z4si, however loses in handling. I hope 135 coupe handles like Z4. I decide to get 135 instead on new Z4, because 2 extra seats are handy.

[Zuzu]

I have been on a few drive days with fellow 1er's and I must say the coupes allways leave me behind in cornering..
The vert is a little rigid in cornering at speed,but in normal everyday spirited driving the difference is minimal...

I love my vert and wouldnt ever swap it over for the coupe..

[xantdieselx]

I own the the coupe and have driven the convertible. In jumping from one to the other back to back there is a noticable difference in structural rigidity and handling. The vert didn't feel as buttoned down as the coupe but I didn't find it lacking in performance either. There are almost always trade-offs in a vert vs. coupe such as added weight, rigidity etc. It's why you see a lot of manufacturers leaning toward a retractable hardtop config (think 335i, new Z4, Miata PRT...) Go to the dealer and drive them back to back. You'll figure it out.

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by SpeedballTrix

I test drove an automatic vert before taking delivery of my stick coupe and honestly I noticed a difference for sure.
There is a significant weight difference from the coupe to the vert, and the straight line acceleration (as well as the handling) will suffer accordingly.
If you really must have a vert, wait for the new Z4. It's gonna be pretty badass and, imo, being a purpose built roadster is the only way to go if you want a droptop.

I don't think thats a fair comparison. An automatic vs. manual....???? Oh course the automatic seemed slower!!! Your testing method had a big flaw!
There is of course a performance difference between coupe/convert, but I don't think its as noticable as you make it seem! I doubt the average driver could really tell the diff.
I do agree with you on that new Z4...that looks awesome. I can't wait to see one in person.

[craig66]

Thanks all for your help. I do so love bieng able to put the roof down and turn my drive home into a mini vacation. Since I am only a spirited driver and do no track time I think that the trend I am getting is that in daily driving the difference is not worth me giving up the chance to develope a skin cancer. So I will likely proceed with my plans for the Vert

Hey at the end of the day it is a BMW..... A bad Bimmer is still better than some of the best that others have to offer...lol

Craig

[kingnonis]

I disagree. The day I signed for my 135 vert I test drove a coupe (MT) and a Step vert. The ONLY difference was in rigidity and handling on tight corners..and when I say "difference" I mean MINIMAL. You only really will notice it if you plan to go to the track (in which case you might not even be let on with a vert). To hit on the points mentioned above, performance wise, I felt no advantage MT to Step, as the ZF step is quicker 0-62 than a MT being driven by anyone other than an expert MT driver, and the vert' to coupe in accel diff is negligible as well. The diff really, as I said before, is in handling and noticable really only if you will be doing laps on a track. Personally, I chose the vert step over the coupe MT because the vert step felt faster, and nothig IMHO beats hearing the N54's roar with the top down on a sunny day.

[tbird]

I agree. Yes, there is going to be a difference between a coupe and a vert. Yes, there will be a difference between MT and AT. BUT, you buy a vert for a reason. If you must have the ABSOLUTE POSITIVE MAXIMUM performance, then you would want the coupe. If you want to drop the top, buy a topless car.

What the point should be is that no matter what, the 135 is a barn-burner. I have the 135cic, and so far, not one single car can beat me. Shelby Mustang, nope. I had one late night "semi-race" with a Gallardo, where we weren't overtly racing, it was just a point of who was in front of the other on city street. His big ass couldn't get through cars, so I could pass easily and he couldn't. He stayed in my rear-view mirror not due to speed or torque, but because he simply couldn't navigate as well as me.

So, for a perfectionist who lives at the track, go get your MT Coupe. For those of us who are happy with losing a teeny tiny touch of performance so that we can get a host of other creature comforts, and love being able to easily "negotiate traffic", I think the balance is better.

[venom7777]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

The new Z4 looks awesome!

+1

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by tbird

I agree. Yes, there is going to be a difference between a coupe and a vert. Yes, there will be a difference between MT and AT. BUT, you buy a vert for a reason. If you must have the ABSOLUTE POSITIVE MAXIMUM performance, then you would want the coupe. If you want to drop the top, buy a topless car.

What the point should be is that no matter what, the 135 is a barn-burner. I have the 135cic, and so far, not one single car can beat me. Shelby Mustang, nope. I had one late night "semi-race" with a Gallardo, where we weren't overtly racing, it was just a point of who was in front of the other on city street. His big ass couldn't get through cars, so I could pass easily and he couldn't. He stayed in my rear-view mirror not due to speed or torque, but because he simply couldn't navigate as well as me.

So, for a perfectionist who lives at the track, go get your MT Coupe. For those of us who are happy with losing a teeny tiny touch of performance so that we can get a host of other creature comforts, and love being able to easily "negotiate traffic", I think the balance is better.

I hate people who do that in city traffic....weaving in and out as you describe. I guess I sound old, but thats very dangerous. Hope I'm not out on the same roads as you. Enjoy your car but be safe.

[///M1]

There will definitely be a difference in handling #1, and on performance #2. You should also factor some other secondary and perhaps seemingly less important things, such as road noise (I personally find the 135i coupe very noisy relative to other cars I've driven over the last few years, probably mostly due to the runflats), compromised rear seating, smaller trunk space. And of course pricing is at a premium (as well as insurance) relative to the coupe, if that matters at all. To me looks matter a lot, I have yet to see a convertible of any car manufacturer (exotics included) that I can legitimately say looks better than its coupe sibling.

You are in NJ, right, so in theory how many days of the yr will you be exposed to 'skin cancer'? If lucky maybe 100. So at the end of the day you should factor in that as well.

If you are a performance and handling purist, coupe is the way to go IMO. There is just no way to battle the increased weight and lack of rigidity on a convertible. When I was buying my RS4 I considered the convertible, but when I test drove the 'vert I felt it was worse than driving a S4 sedan! All the performance and feline quickness and sharpness of handling was gone. Which perhaps explains why so many of the only 200 RS4 verts inported in America are still sitting brand new in dealer lots given the car has been discontinued 9 months ago (granted it doesn't help that sticker is inflated but those are offered with 20K under stick and still collecting dust)!

So it's a tradeoff, only you can weigh in your pros and cons. Either way you go, you will be assured of having fun.