AutomobileMag Forums

Share your thoughts on the 2008 BMW 1-series here. This car has been talked up by virtually every news outlet for the last year or two and it's finally on the roads. Let us know if you've driven one of these baby Bimmers and how you liked it. Or maybe the 1-series just doesn't do it for you. Either way, we'd love to know what you think.  

The 1 series is going to be a great car. Esspecially with todays gas prices. For someone who needs more room then a MINI but not all the room in a 3 series. Plus it is going to be FAST!!!!! The 135i is going to be amazing. We have a 535i and that thing is absolutely amazing. That engine in a smaller lighter car. Just perfect.  

I bought a 135I in Sedona red with manual transmission. The car is awesome. I am still in the break-in period so I haven't pushed it hard but you can just feel its enormous capability in the steering and chassis response. Going through all those gears (6 total) takes some getting use to but it's much more of a sports car than a sports sedan. Well worth the money!  

It's fast, it's small, and it's fun, but something's still missing. Honestly, the weight bothers me the most.  3300-3500 pounds? That's as much as a first-generation (E23) 7-series. That's a second-generation (E30) 3-series, if you loaded two full-dress touring motorcycles into its trunk. I know modern times require modern amenities--seat heaters and nav systems and a hundred computers all have to weigh something--but the car still seems like overload. I want my small cars to be light, nimble, and fun. The 1-series gets two of those right...  

I agree that the 1-series is definitely too heavy but BMW got the proportions just right. In photos it hardly looks smaller than the 3-series but in person there's no way it can be mistaken for it's bigger brother. It's a blast to toss around and is amazingly quick. If I was a 3-series owner right now and I rarely needed a rear seat to actually seat adult humans, I would trade it in for a 1-series without a second thought.  

I'd like to amend the statements I made above, following a 600-mile road trip across Michigan in our long-term 135i:

It's fast, yes. It's enormously awesome, yes. But A) those rear seats are an impossible pain in the rear to get into, and B) it rides like a buckboard over anything resembling a bad road.

The 1-series is, fundamentally, a great car, but I'm wishing for a bit more usability (read: the five-door hatch that is sold in Europe but not here), and a bit more ride comfort with the 35i powerplant (it's only available in the states with the sport package).  

Ive been doing some comparison shopping myself between the 1 and 3 series. I found what appears to be a very competitive BMW Lease please let me know how this compares with what you have seen out there.........thanks  

its a bit heavy for its size, only something like 300 pounds lighter than the 3 series ... i would totally get it if it had a inline 4 rather the larger 6 cylinder engine. the decrease in weight will help.