i 2dr Rear-Wheel Drive Coupe
2008 BMW 128

BMW 128i Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery BMW's 1-Series does not smirk at you and say "don't hate me because I'm beautiful." No, this small Teut is easy to deride on appearance; one look has you hating it because it's not beautiful while so many of its past brethren have been classically handsome. Whether it suits your taste or not, the 128i convertible we borrowed is unmistakably the work of the wizards of Munich. So, it's definitely a BMW, and it's being described as a reincarnation of the legendary 2002; does it measure up? %Gallery-26270% Photos Copyright ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc. The short answer is no. The 128 is nothing like the 2002. It is, however, reminiscent of the E30, the yuppie-starter-car during the coked up '80s. Comparisons to past greats break down when taking into account what modern consumers expect, and the 128i is loaded up better than an E32 7-series. At nearly $44,000, our 128 was filled right up to the windowsills with gear, all of it adding to the experience in a good way, while adding to the curb weight in a bad way. Wearing the Cold Weather, Sport, and Premium packages leave the driver wanting little, though the additional extras our car wore weren't unwelcome. At roughly 3500 pounds, it's not as bad as the punditry has made it seem, but the 1 series could stand to lose 500 pounds. Heavier and better equipped than its forebears, the 1 can't match those cars in terms of driving purity, but delivers them a sound drubbing in performance and modernity. We had the opportunity to street park the 128 behind an E30 325 droptop, and the cars are comparably sized. The comfortably snug dimensions don't feel claustrophobic, though the older cars like the 2002 feel more scooped-out. Buttoned up inside the 128, door panels actually curve away from you, controls fall at hand without fouling any movement, and space is comfortable, if not generous. Rear seat passengers get stuck with a lack of legroom and a narrow bench, but even with the top up, the upward bow of the roofline affords more headroom than you'd think. This is the size the 3 series should have stayed, obviating the need for the 1 series. Sliding into the excellent sport seats, and snapping the Comfort Access fob into its slot, it's hard not to snicker at the "Year One of the 1" inscription on the bezel as you stab the start button with an insouciant finger. Special touches like that indicate that BMW's trying awfully hard to make this car a prefab legend. We weren't expecting the world - it's very difficult to improve on the slightly larger, possibly cheaper 3 series that this 128 is based on. At best, we thought the 128i would be the New Beetle to the 135's TT. Half a revolution from the 3.0 liter inline six dispelled any notions that this is anything other than a proper BMW. …
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