[CrustyNoodle]

I currently have a 135i and an Audi Q5. Sure, they are hardly in the same segment but I'll compare anyhow.
Compared to the Q5, the 1er feels very cheap and under done. After driving the Q5 for a while, I find it hard to believe that the 1er could possibly be considered a luxury brand car - the Q just feels far more of a premium product and the build quality and overall finish put the poor 1er to shame. In saying that, I'm sure that if you were to compare the new X3 with the current 1er, then you'd come to the same conclusion.

But I didn't buy the 1er for its "premium" pretentions, i bought it for its understated performance - and I love it!

As someone else alluded, it's really horses for courses and depends a lot on the product life cycle at the time you buy. If I was looking to replace my current cars, I'd be looking very seriously at the new X3 to replace the Q5 and the new Audi RS3 (the 2.5lt 5 cylinder one) to replace the 135i.