New BMW 1-Series

THE BMW 3 Series has taken a page from the Marlon Brando playbook. As the legend increases, it grows more weighty, complicated and expensive.

The sight of a BMW sticker has become as shocking as that first glimpse of Col. Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now": bloated with options, 3 Series coupes approach $50,000, and the convertibles march toward 60 grand. Let's not even mention the new M3, a $56,000 car that some dealers inclined to piracy are marking up to more than $80,000.

And while BMW's new compact 1 Series has moved into the yawning gap below the 3, it is hardly a Hyundai-style bargain. Still, prices that start at $29,375 for the 128i coupe (and $33,875 for the convertible) at least nudge the BMW welcome mat in the right direction.

Just as important, the 1 Series doesn't give off a whiff of impostor luxury, as did the defunct Mercedes C230 coupe or BMW's 318ti hatchback. The four-seat 1 Series looks and feels legit. It shares its terrific engines with its pricier 3 Series and 5 Series brethren: a 3-liter in-line 6 with 230 horsepower for the 128i, a whip-cracking, twin-turbo 3-liter 6 with 300 horsepower for the 135i.

Perhaps leery of the skepticism that often greets entry-level luxury cars, BMW isn't promoting the 1 Series's price, stressing instead its pared-down size and spunky attitude.

BMW has tried to connect the dots between the 1 Series and its renowned 2002, the boxy, big-hearted sport coupe sold here from 1968 through 1976. Executives use the word "distilled" a lot, positioning the 1 Series as a lighter, purer spirit.

After spending a week each in the 128i convertible and 135i coupe, it's clear that this worldly, full-featured duo has almost nothing in common with the bare-bones 2002. Yet these smaller-scale BMWs deliver a wicked performance kick. That's especially true of the 135i coupe, which Car and Driver ran from a stoplight to 60 m.p.h. in 4.7 seconds. That's faster than many pure sports cars, including the Porsche Boxster S and Nissan 350Z.