Best Sports Car

Cars in this class are meant to have strong appeal for enthusiasts; cars that, courtesy of their finely honed road skills, bring that grin of satisfaction to a keen driver’s face. The BMW 135i Coupe does this in spades.

Inside the 135i there is seating, trimmed in leather, for four. The front seats give excellent support, side bolstering and adjustability, and even the rear seats are well shaped, although rear space is only fair. Together with a well-laid-out cabin, the 135i scores top marks for comfort and ergonomics.

There's a lengthy list of standard equipment and safety features, including a full complement of airbags, plus advanced stability and traction control systems. An M-Sport package is also standard.

The 135i is a scintillating performer thanks to its 225 kW twin-turbo, direct-injection, 3.0-litre, straight-six engine that has won international awards. They don’t come much sweeter or more willing and there’s a great soundtrack to match. 

The rear-drive coupe has almost ideal 50:50 weight distribution for enhanced chassis balance and nimble handling. Combine this with terrific grip levels and communicative steering and it’s easy for a driver to feel at one with the 135i. 

Unlike many sports cars, ride quality also rates highly and is achieved without detriment to handling, thanks to clever suspension design and tuning.

The high-performance brake system delivers consistently strong retardation.