The rear-wheel-drive BMW 1 Series enters its fifth year on the market with a few visual changes, as well as a new higher-performance version from BMW's M division, dubbed the 1 Series M. At the other end of the lineup is the 128i, which is the least-expensive entry point to BMW's entire lineup. Available as a coupe or convertible, the compact 1 Series occupies a space with few competitors. The Nissan 370Z, Infiniti G37 coupe and top-end versions of Detroit's muscle cars come closest to filling out the competitive slate.

The 135i is covered separately in Cars.com's Research section.