2008 135 vs. 2010 128

[esses]

So my 135 is broken, and I've been driving a 2010 128 for the last week. The 128 had 900 miles on it when it was loaned to me. Though having your own car out of comission for more than a week sucks, its pretty much as close to a back to back comparo of real world day-to-day driving you can ask for. Some of this is really a comparison of options available on any model 1 since the 128 is pretty much a stripper/auto.

Side view mirrors.
Holy shit, what was BMW thinking? The mirrors are taller, but not wider. When properly adjusted to eliminate blind spots and used as side view mirrors they offer zero increased visibility. When improperly used as rear view mirrors (which, unfortunately, most drivers do) they do provide increased visibility but do nothing to minimize blind spots. When looking at a corner exit or any other time you are looking out your side windows they completely block your usable view of the road! That is just unsafe. Also, they hang below the connection to the car which makes them look like mismatched parts. My advice to 2010+ owners -> retrofit!

Power.
The 128 has a great engine with solid power delivery. I definitely agree with all the 1addicts who have said it has more than enough 'around town' power. I took a detour yesterday evening - this thing screams around canyon corners, lots of fun.

Step transmission.
I know the 128 does not have the ZF Step that the 135 has. The 128's step is terrible. Just terrible. DS mode keeps it at 6k RPM way too long once you are off throttle, and has jerky upshifts at WOT. Auto-manual mode is this: click to shift, count to 3, car shifts.

Leather vs. leatherette.
Night and day. No way I would ever, ever confuse the two. The steering wheel with leatherette feels like plastic. I have a metal and rubber steering wheel I use for simulation games that feels better.

Nav+iDrive vs. standard radio.
This is a close call. I listen to CDs and flash drives with mp3s. No am, fm, or sat radio. The nav+idrive had a learning curve of a few days, but so did the radio (used the radio for a week and am just getting fast with it now). I find scrolling through thousands of songs to be easier on the nav screen, of course, but the radio makes it faster to switch between album, artist, and genre view. The decision maker for me is that I can close the nav and have zero light coming from the center console, which is nice at night.

18'' stock wheels + RFTs vs. 17'' stock wheels + tires vs. 19'' aftermarket wheels + tires.
Its been a while since I had my stock RFTs on my 135 but I still have the same commute that I spent the last week making in a 128 with the 17'' wheel package. The 17s are much more forgiving over bumps that were bone-jarring in the RFTs. There is an area of my drive that they screwed up and has severe tramlining. I think the 17''s gave me more feeling than the RFTs. The 19''s feel and communicate better than both, but keep in mind the rubber I have on the 19''s is much better too. I still think 18''s are the right size for a track.

Comfort access.
I have become addicted to CA. I simply cannot fathom my 1er's doors not opening in my presence or having to insert some sort of "key" before pressing start. Absurd.

Xenon.
Is this really a question? Spend the money, get the xenons and the halos.

The horn.
Is different! Really, it is. My 135's horn isn't all that tough, but this 128's horn is squeaky. It sounds like Minny Mouse on Prozac. I just let people cut me off rather then cause an accident because every driver in earshot is buckling over in laughter at the sound of my horn.

I cant think of any other differences that I noticed. Yeah, I like the 128. But dammit, I want my 1 back.