2008 BMW 135i vs. 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution MR

BMW's new 1 Series really is just that-the only one in its class. Its smaller stature and lower-cost bar comparisons with the Infiniti G37 and Audi A5/S5-plus, there's the BMW 3 Series for that. Though the BMW is available as a convertible, the 135i's 2+2 seating combination eliminates sports cars and roadsters like the Nissan 350Z and CLK350 (and the Z4 already has those covered.) What's left? We put together a matrix to compare (see sidebar).

There we found the perfect 135i competitor: a 300-horsepower, two-door, four-passenger, rear-drive sports car that comes in at $28,000, but can hit the mid-30s fully loaded.