Test Drive: 2008
BMW 1
Series Performance The rear-wheel-drive 2008
BMW 135i is powered by the same twin-
turbocharged six-cylinder found in the larger 335i, yet because of its lighter curb weight, the 135i slightly out-accelerates its larger sibling from
zero to 60 mph in a tidy 5.0 seconds. The 335i essentially equals that. Producing 300
horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, this 3.0-liter inline-6 spreads its ample thrust across a broad
range, with highway passing easily accomplished without dropping down a gear. EPA
fuel economy is 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. We
averaged 20.8 mpg and even managed 28 and 29 mpg on a pair of two-hour road trips.
Although most consumers will opt for the
automatic transmission, the six-speed
manual found in our test car is a great match for the
turbocharged engine. The shifter is direct in feel, and although the throws are a tad long, the rubbery feel of past
BMWs has been greatly reduced. Likewise, the clutch has a rather mechanical feel to it, striking a good balance of travel and effort for both around-town and
performance driving. The brakes have a similarly confident feel and produce a 60-0-mph stop in a very impressive 109 feet.
Test Drive: 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport
Road Trip Edition With Touring Package
Small Gets
Better Vehicle Tested: 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport
Road TRIP Ed 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
Pros: Good value, portable navigation system included, lots of headroom.
Cons: Noisy
engine, feels underpowered with
automatic transmission.
In its home country of Japan, Suzuki is the No. 4 automaker and occasionally jumps up to 3rd place above
Honda. And it's always more popular than Mazda,
Mitsubishi,
Subaru and Daihatsu — at least in Japan. But the picture isn't so rosy here in the U.S. However, the tide could be turning. Suzuki says the recently redesigned SX4 is quickly becoming the
company's core product. And with the public's attention shifting to smaller, less expensive
cars, the 2008 Suzuki SX4 may be a worthwhile basket for the
company to place its corporate eggs. Other vehicles from Suzuki, like the Forenza or XL7, are not ultra-competitive in their respective segments, so when the 2008 Suzuki SX4 turns out to be a decent little car that's long on value and short on chintz, it's a nice surprise. In Sport trim, it's also a sharp-looking little sedan, with 17-inch wheels and foglights. But the real feather in Suzuki's cap is the SX4
Road Trip Edition — a car that costs less than $16,000 but includes alloy wheels, ABS and a built-in yet portable navigation system with real-time traffic, local
fuel prices, movie listings and other information thanks to MSN. The navigation system is provided by Garmin, and it basically gives the SX4
luxury car
features at a budget price. Thanks to that nav system, Bluetooth hands-free calling is part of the
package, too.
