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Rating

Verdict BMW’s finest; a long-awaited return to form

It’s not all supercars and Rollers, you know. These are jolly good fun, too. The awful styling of BMW’s 1-series would have been only mildly annoying if it was thrilling to drive and more spacious inside than an art gallery. But it isn’t.

Now, though, BMW has given its baby hatchback a boot to create what it calls the coupé, and frankly that looks like a recipe for even more calamity and disaster. Yet you have only to look at the 1-series coupé to know I’m wrong. It is by no stretch of the imagination a pretty car. But neither is it offensive.

What’s more, the version I tested came with a big 3 litre twin-turbo six under the bonnet. That’s 306bhp, and that’s good too.

I had hope in my heart as I set off; hope that, after 25 years, BMW was back in business making small, fast, simple sports saloons.

It is. The ride is perfectly judged; firm but not so taut that it pops your eyes out on every Catseye. And on a motorway it settles down to be nicely on the right side of comfortable.

What impresses most of all is the engine. It has one small turbo to spin up the instant you apply the power, and then a bigger one that trundles into life later to keep the power coming... in bigger and bigger lumps. This, and there’s no other way of saying it, is a great engine. A masterpiece.

When you leave the motorway and the road gets twisty, it’s like settling into your favourite armchair. The steering, the feel, the way you can adjust your line through the bend with the throttle. There is no other car made today in this sector of the market that comes even close.

The fact of the matter is this. The 135 coupé is the best car BMW makes. I have no hesitation at all, then, in giving this long-awaited return to form the rare accolade of five stars.

Current price £29,745

Price when tested (Dec 2007) £29,745

Engine 2979cc, six cylinders

Power 306bhp @ 5800rpm

Torque 295 lb ft @ 1300rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel 30.7mpg (combined) / 220g/km

Top speed 155mph / 0-62mph: 5.3sec