Edmunds 135i take..your thoughts

[blklacker]

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2...upil.html#more

I think the editor is being a little harsh... your thoughts

[993 911]

Very valid points that I have noticed between the two beasts in my garage. While the dash materials don't really bother me from a quality standpoint, the rattles coming from the dash do.

All-in-all the 1'er is an incredible little car and an awesome value.

[shadowiix]

meh. one more reason we should be happy with our cars. exclusiveness.

[AtomiK]

I don't really think he is being that harsh. His main complaint is about the interior quality. He even mentions that the 135i isn't that bad of a car and it is better than some competitors. Plus, if you purchased the 135i, I am going to venture to say that you bought it for the performance qualities, with less focus on the interior. Either way, you bought the car, so it indicates that you are fine with the quality of the interior, which is all that matters. It is important to realize that people are entitled to their opinions and not everyone is going to like the 1 series.

[creepy coupe]

Interestingly if your car has a black interior, most of these issues go unnoticed, but have stepped out of a 3 series E92 into the 135, I have to say the quality isn't as good in the 1er, but it makes up for it in the amount of kit you get.

[schleppcar]

All comments above - agreed. Everyone is entitled to an opinion natch. The car rocks because it's fun to drive period. I've loved the Miatas I've owned too - and they are not the most cushy machines in the world. It depends what turns you on - if it's a soft yielding dash then great. Idiosyncracies in a car give it character IMHO. If I thought I had paid too much for the car because its interior bugged me - well then I'd need to do something about that. It's great to get a deal but ultimately each person decides if the experience and desire of the automobile are worth the bottom line. If no - then go: and pick another.

[radiantm3]

Unless you are molesting your dash on a daily basis, you don't even notice a real difference. I have a 335i and 135i (both are fully loaded). The 1 doesn't "feel" cheaper to me at all. It just feels sportier. Of course if I press into the dash or intentionally touch the plastics there's a difference, but it doesn't bother me.

[gtaday51]

I like the 1er's interior. Go option up a Mustang GT to 37K (This is possible) and then come back and lets talk interior quality.

[tbird]

Bingo! If there is one thing that is universally true across all the car surveys on the Mustang I have seen, EVERYONE says that the Mustang's interior is ultimate garbage.

As for the 335 vs 135, again, so painfully little difference in comparison it is barely worth mentioning.

There are just so many cars on the market today in which the carmakers scrimped on the interior, it is the #1 bit I notice now. Audi cupholders are too small, MB's leather is painfully thin, weak, and gets VERY dirty VERY VERY quickly, Dodge has way too many buttons and they are all designed to fail from overuse (so they can do a repair and make money). The Americans use way too much plastic and make it painfully thin. The Japs use little plastic "chrome" bits to make their car interior shiny so you are "bedazzled". On and on and on and on and on...............

And someone wants to complain that a compact car is missing a little bit of leg room. Does the phrase "Get over yourself" ring a bell?

The 1Series is what it is, a high quality compact bullet. If that's what you want, it is perfect for you. If you don't, then don't even bother sitting in it.

Nuff said.

[new2the3]

I came from an 06 330i with beige leather and wood trim. The 330i interior was classier and had more trim, but I feel my current coral red and aluminum interior is just as high quality material wise, just uses less trim.

[warmtoes]

If you need to take pictures and mark them for what to look at you are getting down to small differences. The materials may be of "lesser" quality but the design is way better in the 1 in my opinion. The straight dash in the E90's look like a 70's Cutlass.

[Motorsports_3]

I agree with the editor 100%. It was one of the major negative when buying the car. But sine I dont touch those things I said screw it. I never notice them and I am damn happy.

Originally Posted by warmtoes

If you need to take pictures and mark them for what to look at you are getting down to small differences. The materials may be of "lesser" quality but the design is way better in the 1 in my opinion. The straight dash in the E90's look like a 70's Cutlass.

I agree with you. I hate the e90 dash, even though it is better quality.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by warmtoes

If you need to take pictures and mark them for what to look at you are getting down to small differences. The materials may be of "lesser" quality but the design is way better in the 1 in my opinion. The straight dash in the E90's look like a 70's Cutlass.

I agree. The flat dash of the 3er reminds me of my dad's old '86 Chevy Caprice. I was surprised at how much I didn't like it. And I really don't consider the fact that the trim ends 4" short of the door to be a flaw. So what? The design flows nicely, to my eye.

Frankly, I think the wood dash trim looks bad in any car, let alone a Bimmer. What is this -- 1938? Are we still using wood in the car?

[dimeesq]

I actually like the design of the 1 dash better than the 3. I have no real interest in the materials, aside from that aesthetic interest, and spend zero time feeling up my dash to notice if it is hollow, hard, or whatever. One thing I do know, that M Sport stearing wheel in the 135 feels fantastic! Oh, and the 3 series cup holders are just plain stupid.

[dbtheo]

"BMW has been relentless in its pursuit of automotive excellence, and that pursuit has yielded quite possibly the strongest top-to-bottom lineup in the world, 1 Series included."

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by gtaday51

I like the 1er's interior. Go option up a Mustang GT to 37K (This is possible) and then come back and lets talk interior quality.

Ugh, are we going to go there again? My AMERICAN car interior is the BEST I've ever owned. Better than my BMWs, Porsche, Audis, Acuras, et all. People, people. Go look at the latest American luxury and get back to me. Mustang is not a car that you're paying for the interior, you're paying for performance......hmm sound familiar?

With that being said, I think a lot of stuff in that blog is BS. I do agree, however, with the dash ending over the glovebox being weird.

[warmtoes]

Your CTS does have a nice interior. Better than many domestics I've seen lately. Drove one for a week when on vacation in San Diego last year. I would say it is better than the 1 but it's not as good as the A5/S5 or A4/S4 that exist now.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by warmtoes

Your CTS does have a nice interior. Better than many domestics I've seen lately. Drove one for a week when on vacation in San Diego last year. I would say it is better than the 1 but it's not as good as the A5/S5 or A4/S4 that exist now.

Thanks! Just the fact that you are comparing it to the Audi shows how far they've come

Mine is beige, with dark faux leather on the tops of the doors and dash (with real stitching) and genuine wood inlays. They also mix in some aluminum accents. The touch screen NAV/Entertainment system really sets it all off. Every surface is soft to the touch.

I would venture to say that it truly has surpassed the Audi A4 but then again I'm biased

[warmtoes]

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised at the layout, quality and look of the CTS interior. The only thing wrong with it was a loose part where they cap the spot where the NAV would be if it was so optioned but being a rental it didn't have it and I'm sure the car was abused to have that piece loose.

What I couldn't believe about the CTS was the amount of leg room in the back seat and the trunk room. Very nice size wise.

I've only seen pictures of the A4 interior but have sat in the S5 and it's truly nice and all details are well thought out. But, in the end, it's personal preference like how some people think our 1's look like pot belly pigs (morons).

[trfortin69]

let's see a comparably priced 1 vs a comparably priced 3 with same options,
ie Premium, and cold runs 40,675 for the 1er and 46,575 for the 3 coupe, I guess a little less room and a few pieces of plastic make sense to me now. Also we have better perfromance #'s...no brainer take the $5900 and go on vacation.

[ptack]

Jeesh, to get that hung up over does this piece feel as soft as that piece.
Hello? What does it need to be? To me it needs to look good and be built well. If anything, the 1 is a better value because they spent slightly less money on areas that don't contribute to the performance of the car.

The cars I was closest to getting instead of my 135i were Audis. Everyone raves about Audi's interiors and on the A5 it is very very nice, but I was so unimpressed with the performance - I didn't care how nice the interior was. I want to drive the car, not stare at it.

As complimentary as the rest of the article is, I don't get the fixation with the dash.

[blklacker]

Hey guys thanks for your input... like i said in my OP I just felt the editor was being slightly harsh, nit picky etc etc..In the article his points of view were somewhat childish..

Coming from a 3er I just felt the 1ers interior might not be as good as the 3er but the design in the 1er is much better IMO..(especially the dash)