I just had a thought...

[MitchT]

Is the forthcoming 1 Series coupe... in fact... in real terms... a 3 Series for the 21st Century? As cars have got bigger and bigger over the years and 'smaller' cars have then been introduced under them within the range, it has reached the point that the smaller car is actually the same size that the bigger car used to be before it developed middle-aged spread! Perhaps those searching for the driving eutopia that the 3 Series once was should look to the 1 Series. Okay, perhaps not, as it'll still be too heavy and overly comnputerized... but you get where I'm coming from!

[bob1179]

Most people here hate it, I quite like the 1 series coupe (well the 135i anyway) the problem is that it's too damn heavy.

If it lost a few (make that a LOT!) of pounds then it would be a true E30 sucessor. As it is, it's too flabby.

I'd love to see an M1 CSL, lose a few hundred kilos then we'd be onto a winner, BMW have said it won't happen though.

Shame.

Edited to say, you are right about cars getting heavier and bigger, though I suppose it's down to th efact everybody wants air con, sat nav, air bags and we have to have all these safety regs. The new 1 series coupe is in fact heavier than my 1985 M535i!

Edited by bob1179 on Tuesday 3rd July 14:53

[CatherineJ]

Well when the 1 series first came out I vowed never to have one. This was confirmed last September when I drove a 120D M Sport which was truly dreadful in the ride department.

So when the Z4C packed up and I couldn't wait to see the back of it, what did I choose.


A 120D M Sport (Facelifft)

The car is a million miles away from the dog I drove last year and I love it to pieces. The car has the 177hp engine and it's great, although as I have now done 2,000 miles in it, it's clear that as a car it can handle much much more power.

[Mr_Sukebe]

As already said, the big issue with the 135i is the sheer weight of it, all 1560kg. IIRC that puts it around 300kg heavier than the E30 M3.

[MitchT]

bob1179 said:

Edited to say, you are right about cars getting heavier and bigger, though I suppose it's down to th efact everybody wants air con, sat nav, air bags and we have to have all these safety regs. The new 1 series coupe is in fact heavier than my 1985 M535i!

Yeah, safety regs. Both customers and the 'powers-that-be' have ever stricter safety expectations, resulting in bigger and heavier cars. With today's engine technology imagine how economical cars would be if they were as light as their predecessors. I suppose the question is, do we save ourselves or do we save the planet? I vote for saving the planet as we'll inadvertantly end up with cars that are much more fun to drive too. Lighter and more vulnerable cars might even encourage people to think more about the standard of their driving if they recognise a very real chance of dying!

An M1 CSL would be fantastic. I bet BMW's decision not to let it happen boils down to the fact that it would seriously embarrass it's much more expensive big brothers. Still, nothing to stop an enterprising race-prepper offering to CSL-ize the 1 coupe!