BMW 1-series

The old American adage goes something like this: pricey German subcompacts don't sell enough in the States. BMW went against the grain with the 318ti compact over a decade ago, and we know how well that turned out.

So it's round zwei with the 1-series, which for years has been a Euro favorite and is now due for our shores. We'll only get the 128i and 135i coupes (no hatches, thank you very much), with a convertible to follow.

It's only a smidge lighter, will cost almost as much and steers less precisely than the 3-series, but who's counting. Every foreign student in Boston will want one, and that adds up to a lot.