Finally here ‘s part 2 of our 135i Q&A. Questions are in quotes (which are signified by the little red dotted lines) and answers have a big “A ” in front of them. Enjoy.

>my question is How would a 128i stack up to a Mini cooper S both had automatics, sorry, not the greatest with the stick and didnt want one in a big city, going from the performance model of the mini to the base model of the bmw seems like i might be loosing out on alot. so gabe, any insight on how the auto 128i and MCS compare? sry for the long write up. but there is much to be said.

A: Both cars aren ‘t as much fun with an auto in my honest opinion. I ‘d say the BMW is taxed less (and it ‘s character hurt less) with the auto than the MINI however.

>Did you have time behind the wheel with the 128i? If so, what are your thoughts on that car, especially when compared against the Cooper S?

A: Yes. Very very different car. Not as immediate and the there ‘s less steering feel than in the MCS or the 135i. But both are great cars and both offer very different thrills.

>Hey Gabe, how about publishing a quick article giving a simple subjective comparison between the 135i and your JCW MCS? Mostly around handling and performance…?

A: I will do that in a few weeks.

>After driving both cars, and not the exact configurations, but with the same price point ~$30k, would you go for a MINI Cooper S Clubman manual w/some great options (LSD, 17″wheels etc) or a 128i manual with heated seats only?

A: The Clubman has so much more utility than the 1 Series that it really is a different kind of car. And both are fun in very different ways. I guess for me the 128i just doesn ‘t feel as special as the 135i and I would have a hard time settling for it. With the Clubman S on the other hand, it doesn ‘t feel like I ‘d be settling at all.

>am sure you got into the backseat of the Clubman and the 1 series. From the photo’s it looks like there is a touch more legroom in the 1 series and more rear seat headroom in the Clubman. With the 1 series it also looks like the entry into rear seats isn’t nearly as simple as the clubdoor entry on the Clubman. For a family which do you think would be the more usable space?

A: Hands down the Clubman. I think the 1 Series has maybe an extra inch of legroom in the year but the Clubman has way more headroom and is much easier to get in and out of.

>One very specific question… I have an R53 MCS and my FAVORITE part of the car is the steering feel. How was the steering feel of the 135i vs a Mini Cooper S? Could you feel the road just as well?

A: The current MINI generally has better steering feel than the 135i. But there are other intangibles with the 135i that easily make up for that and give it (in some ways) a more satisfying driving experience.

>Oh, and the article was great but now that you’ve had a couple of days to calm down… With a clear head, is the 135i REALLY that good?

A: It ‘s been two weeks and I can definitively answer… yes.