BMW Group Malaysia updates 1 Series Coupe & Convertible
The all-new F20 BMW 1 Series hatch may have only been introduced recently, but there’s still plenty of life left for the Coupe and Convertible siblings of its predecessor. BMW Group Malaysia today announced minor updates to both these models for the Malaysian market which should see them through the end of their model cycle.
Generally low volume sellers, BMW Group Malaysia plans to continue its positioning of these cars as premium niche products, as elaborated by Managing Director Mr. Geoffrey Briscoe, “We only delivered over 30 units of the previous edition of the BMW 135i Coupe and BMW 120i Convertible here in Malaysia and our strategy for these cars would remain the same to ensure its distinctiveness in the premium segment.”
The same model mix from before continues unchanged, and the good news is that prices are not hiked. So you can continue to pick between the RM319,800 120i Convertible, or the RM423,800 135i Coupe. The prices are before insurance, but includes BMW Service Inclusive + Repair.
Besides minor styling tweaks – larger air inlets, xenon headlights, LED taillights, and redesigned air dam – the colour pallette has been widened with two new options – Vermilion Red and Marrakesh Brown. BMW is also keen to highlight that the refreshed 1 Series Coupe and Convertible are now bolstered with a wider array of goodies from its EfficientDynamics arsenal to improve fuel consumption.
One such innovation is the Air Curtain, available only on the 120i Convertible. With this feature, air is guided through a slim opening past the outer edge of the front wheels, forming a curtain covering them and reducing air turbulence at the wheel arches, thus improving aerodynamics. Other features include aerodynamic and lightweight design, demand-controlled ancillary components and tyres with reduced rolling resistance. The 135i gets Brake Energy Regeneration as well.
In the respective engine rooms, the 120i continues with the long-serving 2.0-litre Valvetronic four-pot producing 156hp and 200Nm. Quoted figures are 10 seconds for the century sprint and 8.3 litres/100km fuel consumption. Meanwhile, the 135i gets the mindblowing 3.0-litre twin-scroll turbo N55B30 motor good for what we suspect are underdeclared figures of 306hp and 400Nm. It hits 100kph from rest in 5.2 seconds (nearly half the time taken by the 120i), and consumes a reasonable 9.2 litres/100km.
While both models received updates to the interior, those who plonk the extra money for the 135i get more with the added plethora of BMW ConnectedDrive features. The 135i offers USB/audio interfaces that integrate smartphones to the music players in the vehicle. Further to this is the Bluetooth Audio Streaming function where music files can be wirelessly transmitted to the audio system from the mobile phone.
Similar to the Bluetooth Audio Streaming function, the Innovative Office functions enable emails received on Blackberry smartphones to be transmitted to the vehicle and displayed on the on-board monitor via Bluetooth. There is also on-board Internet surfing which facilitates the use of the Internet tethered from the smartphone via 3G or WIFI services.
Pictures: Official BMW release.
