BMW recently pulled the wraps off of its hot new 1 Series M Coupe, but this new addition to the automaker’s least expensive range isn’t the only changes on tap for the 2012 model year. Both the coupe and convertible versions of the 128i and 135i receive modest upgrades for 2012, including very, very slight styling updates and a new powertrain for the 135i.
Up front, 1 Series cars equipped with Xenon headlamps (optional on 128i, standard on 135i) receive a new horizontal LED eyebrow to complement the corona running lamps. Out back, newly tweaked taillamps use LED running lamps similar to those on the rest of the BMW product line. The 1 Series also gets a tweaked M Sport package that includes an aero kit (standard on the 135i), increased top speed limiter and more sporting suspension geometry. Additionally, M Sport cars are fitted with sport seats and M-branded interior trim components.
Much like its older brother, the 3 Series, the 135i is now powered by BMW’s N55 3.0-liter inline-six which uses a single twin-scroll turbocharger to produce 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. In addition to the standard row-it-yourself six-speed transmission, the 135i can now be had with BMW’s seven-speed DCT that first debuted in the Z4 roadster. Fitting this new engine means that the 135i Coupe can run to 60 miles per hour in five seconds flat with DCT and 5.1 seconds with the manual (add 0.3 seconds to those respective times for the droptop 135i). The base 128i continues to use the naturally aspirated 3.0-liter mill found in the outgoing model, rated at 230 hp and 200 lb-ft and paired with six-speed manual or Steptronic transmissions.