Pretty much every car in their line up that isn't the 128 is higher than a 135 .
Only pretentious pricks who buy cars for their image look at BMW's line up and associate the higher series with being a better car. A true car enthusiast looks at the type of car they are looking for and the numbers that go along with each car. Sure the higher the number generally gives you a bigger car, more tech, and better quality materials, but they also give you less performance in general. But BMW is about the driving experience and the higher you go, the less fun the car is to drive. I've had my car over at Dinan HQ quite a few times to get work done and they all say the 135i is the most fun car to drive that they have. And they have highly modded M3's and M5's in their stable.
My 135i MSRP was at $50k. Hardly bottom of the barrel even for BMW. I could have hopped into a base 5 series for less than that. But I don't buy cars to show off to my neighbors. I buy cars based on what I want to drive. Truth is, the 135i is the sportiest (best performing) coupe in BMW's lineup aside from the M3. I'm pretty sure it's also the lightest car in BMW's current lineup (although I could be mistaken). I also have a 335i sedan, and my second car could have been the 335i coupe, but the 135i has the same motor in a lighter and more performance oriented package. It has all the same options you can get in the 3 series. So for me (and my driving habits), the 135i is clearly the better car.
Anyways, that's the only post I felt I needed to defend. My friends have EVO's and STi's. All amazing cars in their own right. The EVO is definitely a better performer than the 135i on a track. Same goes for the STi and 370z for that matter. But the 135i is just as quick and in some cases, quicker in everyday driving and has tons of potential if you like to mod cars. It also is a lot more luxurious than those other guys and you get a lot more technology. Then again, you are paying quite a bit more for it anyways.
Back on topic. Here's the latest photo of my 1:
According to Dinan, it's rated around 390hp/420lb.ft of torque at the crank. Take that E46 M3's!
(Kidding).