2010 BMW 1-Series

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The interior of the BMW 1-Series is both its forte and its curse. On the one hand, it offers more available luxury features than almost any other car in its class. The downside to that is that adding many of the options -- like leather seats ($1,450) or SIRIUS Satellite Radio ($595) -- will seriously jack up the price. Moreover, while the front row seats are both comfortable and supportive, most say that the rear row is too tight in the coupe and even worse in the convertible.

• "The 135i is, officially, smaller than the 3-series coupe: 8.9 inches shorter and 1.4 inches narrower. But that loss of dimension doesn't get you much except a crick in your neck." -- Los Angeles Times
• "The cabin is simple and straightforward, just like in the 3-series." -- Car and Driver
• "It's on par with any BMW, clean and elegant." -- Detroit News
• "It may be the least-expensive BMW sold in America, but the interior treatment of the 1 Series is anything but cheap." -- Kelley Blue Book

Front Seats

The automotive press is generally pleased with the 2010 BMW 1-Series's comfortable and supportive front seats.

• "The 1 Series seats only four, but front-seat passengers enjoy plenty of head and legroom." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "Ample room for adults on comfortable seats with standard height adjustment, though some testers find the seat side bolster overly confining." -- Consumer Guide
• "We found the front bucket seats very comfortable and supportive, with big side bolsters.The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, helping drivers of different shapes and sizes to find the ideal driving position." -- New Car Test Drive
• "From behind the wheel in the spacious front seat-where there's plenty of headroom-the driver isn't aware of the 1-series' shrunken size." -- Car and Driver

Rear Seats

The overwhelming majority of reviewers say the less time spent in the 1-Series back seat, the better. Even though some auto writers chalk the tight quarters up to the car's small size, many say the dimensions are a squeeze even for a coupe. Finding a car in the upscale small car class with a comfortable back seat is next to impossible, so if this is important to you, check out the Lexus ES which is in the upscale midsize car class. Although its ride isn't considered sporty, it has decidedly cushy rear seats, an impressive selection of features and a starting price that's only slightly over $2,000 more than the 1-Series.

• "There's enough headroom and legroom for an average-size adult to sit behind another average-size adult, but any front-seater over six feet tall will delete rear legroom behind them. The cabin is quite narrow, so two adults sit shoulder-to-shoulder. Elbow space is very tight in the coupe and even less in the convertible, as its sidewalls are angled in to make room for the top. -- Consumer Guide
• "We had three folks to go riding but couldn't convince anyone to take a day trip in the back seat." - Boston Globe
• "The losses in rear seat room are a bit more consequential, where shoulder room contracts by nearly a foot. Leg room is reduced by three-quarters of an inch, and head room by little more than a hair (0.1 inch)." -- New Car Test Drive
• "Although the 1-Series is technically a four-seater, the rear seats are best left to children, very petite adults, or, more realistically, groceries or luggage. The convertible offers even less room, but compared with other compact coupes and convertibles, the BMW 1-Series' lack of space isn't particularly out of the ordinary." -- Edmunds

Interior Features

The BMW 1-Series has more available luxury features than some upscale midsize or large cars. The 128i coupe comes standard with features like automatic climate control, rain-sensing automatic headlights and a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel. The 135i coupe steps up even more and offers xenon headlights with adaptive light control and gray poplar wood interior trim. Many of the features that you would expect to be standard for a luxury car though -- like heated front seats ($500) or an iPod/USB adaptor ($400) -- cost extra and some reviewers are annoyed by just how much they raise the price.

Although BMW has upgraded its iDrive navigation system to the more intuitive fourth-generation software, many reviewers remain aggravated. Several say the system makes sense once you've mastered it, but the learning curve is steep. It also isn't cheap. At $2,100, it would definitely be cheaper (and probably easier) to just buy a portable GPS unit and a Bluetooth headset.

If you're willing to spend the extra cash on all of these luxury features, you should definitely take a look at the BMW 3-Series. The base model may end up costing you less than a fully loaded 1-Series and already has many of these features standard. If the extra cost is simply too much but you still want a fully-loaded vehicle, check out the Acura TSX, which offers an impressive list of features a less jaw-dropping price.

• "Rich-looking plastics, lightly padded surfaces, and wood or textured aluminum trim line the interior, and seem in line with prices." -- Consumer Guide
• "The interior treatment of the 1 Series is anything but cheap. The materials have a high-quality feel and the interior design features all the modern style found throughout the rest of the BMW lineup." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "A combination iPod/USB adaptor was $400. That's more expensive than an iPod!" - Boston Globe
• "An improved version of the infamous i-Drive system controls the audio, HVAC, and optional navigation system, and operation is almost intuitive now, though still requiring more clicks, pushes, and twists than a simple direct control system." -- Left Lane News
• "Since you were wondering, we'd rather have our fingernails surgically removed than attempt to work through that system's myriad subtleties." -- Car and Driver

Cargo

The 1-Series coupe has a trunk with 13.1 cubic feet of space while the 1-Series convertible offers 9.1-10.7 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk depending on whether the folding top is up or down. Most reviewers say that is fairly generous for a compact vehicle. In addition, a 60/40 split folding rear seat adds extra room. Be forewarned that the trunk opening is fairly narrow, so although some things may fit once they are inside, you may have a problem getting them in there in the first place.

• "The standard split-folding rear seat extends the already-adequate trunk space." -- Car and Driver
• "The seats fold down in a 60/40 split and provide plenty of room for stuff, as long as the stuff doesn't demand leg room." -- Detroit News
• "Trunks are reasonably sized, but the opening is quite small, and it's narrow at the bottom." -- Consumer Guide