Vehicle Overview

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.

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    System limits
    Be alert Due to system limitations, warnings may be not be issued at all, or may be issued late or improperly. Therefore, always be alert and ready to intervene; otherwise, there is the danger ...

    Braking: One Step Up, Two Back
    There is an aspect of the 5 Series that we do object to, though, and that's the braking. To be clear, the car stops well enough; it's not a safety concern. The problem is the feel of the braking, ...

    Display visibility
    The visibility of the displays in the Head-up Display is influenced by: Certain sitting positions. Objects on the cover of the Head-up Display. Sunglasses with certain polarization filters. ...