BMW's 128i: the good and the bad

The BMW 128i is a pleasure to drive and offers tight handling, but the overly complicated accessories can be annoying. BMW Imagine you're out on a first date. The person on the other side of the table is accomplished, fun and most certainly goodlooking. But she also snorts when she laughs or he is constantly cracking his knuckles.

Despite all the good qualities, there are one or two irritating little things that drive you absolutely bonkers.

That is what it's like driving the new BMW 128i convertible.

First the good stuff.

The trunk is unexpectedly large and the convertible top is very quiet.

And, most of all, the BMW 128i is fun to drive. The 3-liter inline six-cylinder generates 230 horsepower, and that makes it plenty quick with a 0-60 mph time of about seven seconds. The turbo-charged 135i has 300 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds.

The handling is tight, exactly what you would expect of BMW.

As long as both hands are gripping the wheel, this is a fine car. It's when you take one off the wheel to, say, find a radio station that you wonder if you're up for a long-term relationship.

Much has been written about the unnecessary complexity of the iDrive system used to control the entertainment, climate control, communication and navigation systems of BMW models.

Despite the criticism, designers have not done much to make it any easier to use. Expect to spend hours with the owner's manual.

Sorry, but a car radio shouldn't make you feel stupid. And then there is this: The center console cup holder is inaccessible if the armrest is down.

The 128i starts at $33,100, but it doesn't take too many options to run the sticker price up to $45,000 or so. And at that price range, there are a lot of fun-to-drive cars. Cars that don't snort when they laugh.