Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganthrithor
The back seats on the 1-series are pretty small, but there's definitely a lot more space back there than in the BRZ (you can actually sit behind the driver-- you don't have a lot of room to stretch your legs, but you can sit there comfortably enough for a few-hour roadtrip, where doing so in the BRZ would be absolutely awful). The trunk is also quite big (with the rear seats down we've fit luggage + a bicycle back there in a pinch).
tl;dr: The BRZ is definitely more of a sports car (lighter, less power, less practical and well-appointed), while the 135 is an extremely practical, fairly refined car that you can also squeeze a ton of performance out of. When hammering on the 135 you definitely feel the weight, ... It's also a very relaxed cruiser / around town car because of that torquey engine. It's a real multi-role vehicle, and I don't think you could go terribly wrong purchasing one as long as you can afford to configure it the way you want and keep it maintained.
Obviously the BRZ is a lighter, purer sports car, so if that's what you're looking for you probably shouldn't get a 135. That said, its not like the 135 is a land-yacht-- its only ~3200 lbs IIRC and it's not a big car-- about the size of an older 3-series.
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I test drove a 128i and all this still applies. It's definitely a luxury car first, with capable performance but much less engaging to drive than the BRZ. The 128i tries to detach you completely from the road with an incredibly smooth ride, and although the steering was nicely weighted, it's pretty numb. It has more grip than the BRZ for sure, but when I broke it into a slide it was on 4 wheels with more understeer (didn't mess with SC) and some very crude feedback mostly through the seat. Not as nice as a gently sliding BRZ... Oh and then there's that oddly high seating position in the 128i.
1 series = luxury car that can
go fast;
BRZ = sports car that focuses on
driving spiritedly
From a cost of ownership perspective, a used 135i is still a step above the BRZ and a used 128i is just about on par (as long as you're willing to service/maintain the car yourself). New 1 series are in another bracket altogether...
But then again if you'd consider a used BMW, I don't really see the point to the 1 series when you throw in an early year E46 M3. Tons more grip, more power (compared to 128i), more practical, only ~150 lbs heavier (certainly didn't feel that much heavier when cornering), not as comfortable ride but more than good enough IMO (definitely better than BRZ), while still having the same ownership costs as 128i/BRZ. Now early E46 M3 vs. BRZ, that's a real tough one
They're two completely different beasts and a toss-up depending on what you want.