2008 1-Series offers BMW coupe priced under $30,000

Are you pining for a BMW but put off by starting retail prices that top $36,000?

Pine no longer. BMW's new 1-Series cars arriving now in the United States have starting manufacturer's suggested retail prices, including destination charge, as low as $29,375 for a coupe with manual transmission and $33,875 for a convertible.

This makes the 2008 128i Coupe $6,700 less than the previously lowest-priced BMW car -- the 2008 328i Coupe, with a $36,075 starting sticker price. The 128i Convertible starts $7,300 less than the previously lowest-priced BMW convertible -- the 2008 Z4 with $41,175 base retail price.

In fact, the 2008 1-Series vehicles mark the first time BMW has had a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of less than $30,000 since the 2005 model year, when the 325i sedan started at $29,995.

Better yet, the rear-wheel drive 1-Series share engines, including a powerful, twin-turbocharged six cylinder, and much underlying architecture with the pricier, 2008 3-Series coupe and convertible.

So buyers who aren't particular about what BMW they drive -- as long as it is a BMW -- can feel a bit smug about their "bargain" 1-Series.

What do the new entry-level BMWs lack vis-Ga-vis the 3-Series two-door models?

About 9 inches of overall car length and 1.4 inches of width, which means the 1-Series interior is cozier. There are seats for only four people and not a lot of covered storage space in the passenger compartment.

Standard tires are 16-inchers on the base 1-Series, which is a size smaller than the 17-inchers on the 3-Series.

Because of its slightly smaller size and because the 1-Series Convertible has a fabric roof, not the heavy, removable hardtop of a 3-Series Convertible, the 1-Series cars are lighter weight by some 200 to 300 pounds.

But the roofs on both the 1- and 3-Series convertibles are all power-operated and nicely lined inside.

And the look of a BMW, from round headlamps framing the split kidney grille to high trunk lid, is there on the 1-Series.

So are a good number of standard amenities, including automatic climate control, 10-speaker audio system and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

There's also a lengthy list of safety equipment, including side, seat-mounted air bags, traction control, electronic stability control and a brake drying feature that automatically works to ensure brakes can operate at their maximum even in wet weather.

But as the test 1-Series -- a 128i Convertible -- showed, these entry BMWs aren't just BMW lookalikes. They perform with BMW gusto, too.

The 128i with 3-liter, double overhead cam, inline six cylinder has the same 230 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque at 2,750 rpm that the heavier 328i Convertible has. The lighter car -- the lower-priced 128i -- zips from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds compared with the 6.7 seconds for a comparable 328i Convertible with same six-speed manual transmission.

The power was satisfying without being overdone in the base 1-Series tester, and speed was easily modulated via the six manual gears.

Intriguingly, though, there's only a small loss in fuel economy if someone buys the upper-level 135i with 300-horsepower, 3-liter, twin-turbocharged, inline six cylinder.

Torque in the 135i is directly palpable, peaking at 300 foot-pounds as low as 1,400 rpm, and the 0-to-60-mph time with manual transmission drops to 5.7 seconds.

Yet the federal government's fuel economy rating remains at 18 miles per gallon for both the 128i and 135i convertibles with manual transmission. The rating drops only 1 mpg in highway mileage, to 27 mpg from 28 mpg, for the 135i compared with the 128i.

Premium unleaded gasoline, however, is the preferred fuel for both 1-Series engines, so fill-ups won't be cheap even for a car that's classified as a subcompact.

The 128i tester really showed itself on challenging roads, where it carved through S curves with ease and composure. Body motions were well controlled, steering was solidly on point and braking power was strong and linear.

My big complaint was how low my passengers and I sat in the car. It forced us to stare at the bumpers of higher-riding vehicles, like pickup trucks.

Front seats in the 128i Convertible held me in place snugly and were comfortable for long drives. I just wish the front-seat shoulder belts, which are tethered to the window ledge area near the back seat windows, didn't rub so close to my neck.

I also hated that the metal buckle of the front shoulder belts consistently smacked the side window glass loudly when I unlatched the belts and let them retract on their own.

BMW's gauges are clear and legible. But radio controls take some practice.

Back-seat passengers have to do some maneuvering to climb inside when the top is on, and my passengers and I wound up adjusting front seats on their tracks to better allocate legroom between front and rear seats. If the 1-Series front seats are back on their tracks all the way, there's pitifully little legroom for the rear seats.

Trunk space is better than I expected: 8.5 cubic feet with the fabric top down.

The 1-Series has been sold in Europe for years as a hatchback. But no hatchback is planned for the States.

Neither is a four-cylinder engine, which would provide better fuel economy.