Road Test: 2009 BMW 135i Cabriolet

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Story and photos by John LeBlanc

If the German automaker didn't already use numbers to badge its models, the 135i Cabriolet should be called the "BMW Contradiction."

The first hints of a 1-series coupe and convertible came in the flame-surfaced CS1 concept back in the year (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) 2002, which was aimed at our collective nostalgia for the first successful BMW in North America – the late 1960s to mid-1970s compact 2002.

But the 2009 135i Cabriolet is about two sizes up compared with its historical inspiration. Aging boomers looking for a 2002 redo will find it anything but compact in weight or price.

Instead of a respectful remake of the small, rear-wheel-drive car that invented the term "sports sedan," the 1-series ended up as a shortened rear-wheel-drive 3-series with a shrink-wrapped body.

Checking in at a Rubenesque 1,660 kg, the 135i convertible is about one-and-a-half times the weight of a '74 2002 Turbo – more than a current mid-size BMW 5-series sedan, in fact.

With an as-tested price of $52,325, my 135i Cabriolet tester costs twice as much as another compact convertible, Volkswagen's co-ed-friendly New Beetle Cabriolet.

Granted the six-cylinder BMW's price did include a $3,900 Premium Package (mainly consisting of a heated steering wheel and upgraded leather), $800 sports seats and $425 worth of USB audio integration.

Want to spend more? Fully loaded, you could dole out as much as $62,450 for your "compact" BMW 135i Cab. Almost exactly where pricing for the larger 335i Cabriolet – with its power retractable metal roof and larger rear seating – starts.

What is genuinely "compact" about the 1-series is its interior.

The car is rated for four occupants. But those relegated to the cozy rear seats for trips no longer than a run to the ice cream store will forever be in your debt.

And you'd better pack light. Although more space efficient than the hardware required for a folding metal top, the 135i's cloth version still removes 65 litres of dirty-weekend trunk space from the already confined 370 litres available in the 135i Coupé. With the cloth top down, the Cab's rear trunk space is further reduced, to 260 L.

Okay. Compared to other compacts, the 135i Cab could knock off the third helpings of bratwurst and schnitzel. Or maybe BMW Canada should throw in a free Weight Watchers' membership as an incentive. But the compact Cab's big car motor – and the refined and sporty way it goes down the road – more than makes up for its bubba complex.

As in the 335i (and various other BMWs), the combo of the 135i Cab's twin-turbo direct-injected 3.0-litre inline-six and six-speed manual transmission is a mechanical gem. Your $5 latte should be as creamy as this drivetrain.

The six's 300 lb.-ft. torque rating is equal to its horsepower number, and peaks between 1400 rpm and its 7000 rpm redline. That means, no matter which of the six gears you choose from the slick-shifting gearbox, you'll never feel the car is lacking in forward oomph.

Stepping up from the $39,900 128i Cab to the 135i automatically gets you the "M Sport Tuned" suspension. It's obviously stiffer, with lower profile tires. But there's nary a scuttle shake on bad pavement. In fact, the ride is wonderfully supple and refined.

As you would expect from a car that's based on the much lauded 3-series, the 135i's steering response and accuracy is almost beyond reproach. Those new to the brand, or coming from lighter sports compacts, will find it heavy. Get over it.

One thing that's harder to get over is the surprising amount of initial understeer when pushing hard. It's not limited to the heavier 1-series cabs, either. A 135i Coupé has the same tendencies. The solution: turn off the stability control and get on the gas earlier in the turn.

Another advantage: As much as the 135i Cabriolet does an excellent impression of its big brother 3 on back roads when you're flogging it, the shorter and narrower 1-series has a definite advantage in the cut and thrust of downtown drivers.

Yet another bit of classic BMW niche-marketing, the rip-snorting, doppel-turbocharged 135i ragtop is a bit of an odd duck. A high-performance square peg trying to fit into the compact segment's round hole. Objectively, BMW's small convertible has little or no competition.

As compact-rear-wheel-drive-2+2 convertibles that can post under-six-second 0-to-100 km/h runs go, you're looking at a $38,940 315 hp Ford Mustang GT Convertible, or perhaps the $57,400 325 hp Infiniti G37 Convertible.

Er, that's about it.

You could also step up to the slightly more expensive 328i Cabriolet, or the much less pricey 128i Cab, or, as the pure driver's choice, the lighter, cheaper and quicker 135i Coupé.

Arghh! See what I mean?

Contradiction. Thy name is BMW 135i Cabriolet.

2009 BMW 135i Cabriolet

PRICE: (base/as tested) $47,200/$52,325

ENGINE: 3.0 L twin-turbocharged I6

POWER/TORQUE: 300 hp/300 lb.-ft.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: City 12.4 L/100 km (23 mpg); hwy. 7.7 L (37 mpg)

COMPETITION: Various BMWs, Ford Mustang GT Convertible, Infiniti G37 Convertible

WHAT'S BEST: Ride and handling, steering feel, works well in urban traffic

WHAT'S WORST: Pricing, needs a diet, tight interior, understeering tendencies

WHAT'S INTERESTING: The "compact" 135i Cab weighs 50 kg more than a mid-size 525i sedan

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