Driven: 2010 BMW 135i Coupe - Winding Road Magazine (blog)
The BMW M3 has always been a bit of a performance benchmark. From the old days of the exceptional E30 and E36, to the 333-horsepower E46, and on to the big, 414-horsepower V-8 in the E92, the M3 has grown in size, content, power, and price. It seemed as if BMW lost the plot. Once again, there was a small, fast, maneuverable BMW available. In the 128i , the naturally aspirated 3. 0-liter makes a respectable 230 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. This is okay, but the real fun is to be had in the 135i, the spiritual successor to the E30 and E36 M3s, which BMW had just happened to loan us for a week. The top-dog 1-Series features the same 3. 0-liter I-6, but is also equipped with a pair of turbochargers (For BMWphiles out there, we have a 2010 with the N54 twin-turbo, not a 2011 with the N55 single-turbo). That means our 1-Series makes 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, all while weighing a relatively light 3373 pounds. From our experience with the BMW, oversteer is only ever an issue if the driver asks for it. The suspension is comfortable but still sporting, and despite the short wheelbase, the 135i rarely crashed or shuddered over bumps. Source: www.windingroad.com
