Year One of the 1

The 1 Series' compact styling makes it somewhat of a spiritual successor to BMW's classic 2002 coupe.

The 2009 BMW 1 Series is available as a compact coupe and a soft-top convertible. Both come in 128i and 135i trim levels. Standard equipment on the 128i includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, leatherette premium vinyl upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel and a 10-speaker stereo with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. All coupes come standard with a sunroof

Safety
Antilock disc brakes (with brake drying and standby feature), traction and stability control and start-off assist for manual-equipped cars are all standard on the 2009 BMW 1 Series. Front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags are standard on the coupe

Driving
The 2009 BMW 1 Series' handling is simply superb. Precise steering combined with a well-balanced chassis makes the coupe and convertible feel right at home on a freeway or a serpentine road. Body roll is minimal, and overall grip feels excellent.

Performance & mpg
The BMW 128i is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-6 that produces 230 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. In our testing, the 128i coupe sprinted from zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.
Fuel economy for a 128i coupe with the manual transmission is rated at 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined;