BMW's have always been heavy. I have a brochure for the 1975 3.0Si that lists it's wet weight at 4100lbs! That is more than my last big Detroit sled, an ex-CHP Dodge Monaco weighed with it's big block 440! One of the reasons I hang on to my trusty 1988 Audi 90 is it's light weight. Only 2800lbs on a certified freight scale. This is essentially the same as a Mini but the 90 has more room inside than even the A4. The light weight combined with great springs and struts makes it exceedingly tossable. It still has a nice direct mechanical feel to it, something lost in modern German cars. Nope, no 1-Series in my garage. Next year will see a V-8 in the 90, and doing so it will loose another 75 lbs. The A8's V-8 block is aluminum where the five banger is cast iron, so the V-8 swap actually makes the car lighter, and the weight loss is on the front of the car. Under 2800lbs and more than 300 hp with four doors and four passenger comfort. How could I pass this up for any BMW?

 

think about it this way evo and sti 30k+ 300hp give or take and now you can put the 135i in that field and personaly if i were in that market right now the 135i would be the way to go

 

All car makers are trying to make low cost even BMW and Mercedes. They are trying to sale their cars in developing and under developing countries. All cars makers are in competition.
__________________________________________________ _______
jerry
Addiction Recovery Kansas

 

as much as i hate bmw's i might have to pick up a 335i in the future, depending on how it matches up with the 2009+ s5/s4. The 335i is really beautiful and quick as dogshit.

 

I think its looks ok but I prefer the 335i 2-door coupe. Much better looking imo.

 

The 335i is sick, as long as you have the m aero package.

 

bmw is not that. audi is all.

 

what?

 

It seems nice, but it is expensive - the most stripped down 1 series will still cost you nearly 30K, appx 3K more than the stripped A3. Between the two, I think the A3 looks better and is more practical. Mechanically, the 1 has ~30 hp and RWD when compared to the A3, but personally, I feel like the Audi would be a better buy in terms of an entry level car.

 

The one series has two turbos to work with, I'd take that any day over an A3.