It's probably the worst kept secret around that I am a Beemer babe. And so it was with great interest and anticipation that I awaited my turn with the new 128i. The two-door four-seater garnered a lot of attention from passersby; some gave it a quick look, while others gave it a good once-over. One Nissan Titan driver kept pace with me for a few miles on the freeway. So for those of you who haven't had a chance to see one in person quite yet, let me just say, it looks good. Its long nose and short rear deck offer a real sports car profile. It has some beefy lines and maintains the classic BMW look. The inside was snappy, outfitted with red leather seats and door panels. I have to admit that I felt pretty good sitting in it. But as always, it felt better driving it. The 3.0-liter engine delivers a solid performance, whether you're cruising through town or flying down the highway. The 6 speed automatic transmission is also well-behaved, and the Steptronic feature allows for manual shifting via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. With 230 horsepower, the 128i stays nimble and entertaining. My test car was outfitted with the sport package, which in addition to some aesthetics, featured 17-inch wheels with performance tires and a sport suspension. I'm thinking the sport suspension would be better matched to the turbo version; in my non-turbo model, the ride often became abusive as you could feel every bump in the road. That being said, the sport suspension does what it's supposed to do, and does it extremely well. It handles the corners with speed and precision, keeping itself firmly planted and level with the ground. The interior of the 128i is small, but not ridiculously so. The backseat would be tight for adults, but unless you're a real estate agent, that shouldn't be a problem. Creature comforts like a moonroof, climate control, and an iPod adaptor come standard. Now if we could just get the BMW guys to make the audio controls more user friendly. My favorite feature was the inscription in the chrome ring around the start button, which read: "year one of the 1." I may be a tomboy, but I'm still a girl - and I thought that was pretty cute. The baby beemer, though small in size, comes loaded with plenty of features to keep its occupants safe. Most notable is its advanced safety system that monitors and adjusts accordingly the various airbags and other passive and active systems. With nearly $10,000 in options the little 1's price tag jumped to just over $38,000. That does cross into 3-series territory, so it's a question of what the 1 means to you. It's a little car that's a lot of fun to drive.
