SA Road Tests

Welcome

It struck me one day that people who love cabriolets, convertibles, roadsters, drop-tops, sports cars - call them what you will - are probably less concerned with who made them than with how they make their drivers feel. It's rather like motorcycles; there is an indescribable unity with Nature, a one-ness with the road and a bonding with the elements - the sun on your skin, the breeze through your hair and the living sounds of the open road.

That's why I decided to copy and paste all my cabriolet reports into a single folder where drop-top fans can find them all without having to scrabble through endless menus.

I have to warn you that it took a while to warm to the cabriolet phenomenon - convertibles are mostly loved, hankered after and driven by women, so we guys find them hard to appreciate. For that reason, you may find some of the writing a little tongue-in-cheek, sceptical or even downright chauvinist. What can I say? I'm male and I can't help it. Just bear with me though, because I believe that the stories still contain valid information that will hopefully help you make an informed buying decision.


*To read one of our road tests, just select from the drop-down menu that appears as you hover your cursor over the folder's title.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports, so even if you're looking to buy second-hand, you have an idea of what it cost originally.


We figure out the 2010 BMW 135i a/t convertible

Drop top gorgeous

Interior pic by author. Others by Quickpic

True wisdom is that women dress for other women and any man who believes otherwise is not only trapped on Mars, his home planet, but is locked in a ‘sixties time warp as well.

We know that all it takes to enrapture a man is to pitch up naked with crisps and beer, but to green the opposition with envy, one must dress well.

Much the same can be said for one’s choice of wheels. “As long as it gets me from A to B” is nothing more than propaganda designed to allay masculine fears. What women want, and choose with predictable regularity as their automotive favourites, are top-of-the-range Jaguars and their stable sister Range-Rovers. Luxury, sex appeal and a dash of exclusivity are what count.

Which brings us to the subject of this review, a BMW 135i cabriolet with automatic transmission; not only drop-dead gorgeous in its natural state, but priced to freeze out most wannabes as well.

Powered by an award-winning 2 979 cc straight six fitted with parallel twin turbochargers, its 225 kW of power at 5 800 rpm and 400 Nm of torque produced in an impressive band extending from 1 300- to 5 000 rpm, is designed to add some excitement to the mix. Most manufacturers fit their cabrios with rather ordinary power plants, with even BMW offering 125i and 120i options, but this particular car is made to run with the big doggies should its mistress feel so inclined.

Car magazine tested its zero to 100 km/h time at 5,8 seconds, with maximum speed governed to 250 km/h. The manual version is but one tenth of a second quicker, so we speak of very adequate performance.

Males, who make up the majority of road testers, complain that despite the body stiffening added to make this or any other drop-top rigid, it falls a little short of perfection. It does tremble and shake a bit, especially on rough surfaces and the added weight compromises acceleration and handling ever so slightly. The only available comparator is the coupe version that does the magic sprint two tenths of a second quicker. It is noted that BMW does not offer a 135i version of its lighter hatchback boy-car for direct comparison though.

Those same jealous males will whine that rearward vision with the roof in place is compromised to say the least and that the ultra low profile rubber on the optional sporty 18” wheels makes for bone jarring encounters with Pietermaritzburg speed bumps. Give them that one; choose the comfier tyres on the standard 17” rims.

But we are splitting hairs, for goodness’ sake; it’s not what the car does on the road, it’s what it does for its owner’s image that counts. And the image is beautiful. Not only does it look much better au naturel than with its unflattering powered fabric hood, but the appointments within the cabin have been optimised for open-air elegance as well.

The climate control system keeps you cool even with the top down and the leather seats are coloured with special pigments to reflect UV rays. The technology means the seats don’t get as hot as they otherwise would in our burning African sun, with temperatures cooler by up to 20 degrees. This not only extends material life, but saves bodies and thighs from burning as well.

Sometimes, unfortunately, it gets cold or it rains. For days like that, the roof deploys in about 22 seconds and can be done even at low speeds, such as in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It looks less flattering, but let’s be practical. Red noses are ugly and the purpose of a good hair do is to look magnificent.  After all, after shoes it’s hair, then dress third in order of importance, nicht wahr?

Topless girls may be your average boy’s fantasy, but topless cars are definitely for real women. Get yourself one. You’ve earned it.

The numbers

Price: from R523 700

Engine: 2 979 cc 24-valve six-cylinder, with twin turbochargers

Power: 225 kW at 5 800 rpm

Torque: 400 Nm between 1 300 and 5 000 rpm

Zero to 100 km/h: 5,8 seconds

Maximum speed: governed to 250 km/h

Fuel index: 11,8 l/100 km

Tank: 53 litres

Maintenance plan: 5 years/100 000 km

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

My articles appear every Wednesday in the motoring pages of The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles most months of the year (press cars are withdrawn over the festive season - wonder why?) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police. Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so I do actually exist.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.