Is this the right place to chat about a M135i?

Is this the right place to chat about a M135i?

Author
Discussion

Superlightdaa

Original Poster:

131 posts

117 months

Saturday 14th November 2015
quotequote all
Proper M car or not? Giving serious thought about buying one.

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Saturday 14th November 2015
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Cast thy false claims to BMW General, heathen!

jimbooo

334 posts

186 months

Saturday 14th November 2015
quotequote all
Superlightdaa said:
Proper M car or not? Giving serious thought about buying one.
Hi, at the risk of attracting abuse I'd say pick and choose between the two forums depending on the question of each post. I've just sold my M135i after two years and 20k of ownership. Any performance related questions do well in here as the clientele of this forum tend to be more of the fast/hard drivers gene pool (they've mostly all got "proper Mcars") so tend to give good advice on performance related queries. For other stuff along the lines of more general ownership info head across the water to bmw general.

However in here brace yourself for plenty of wrong forum comments.

From personal experience it's a fantastic car, ok so not a true Mcar but is it a polished up version of a 118 hell no, I've owned some fast cars in the past, noble m12 GTO to name one example and the M135 was very nearly as quick on the country lanes, handles very well ok so it's no skateboard in terms of body roll etc but it's certainly built to perform.

Do you have any specific questions about the m135? I'll do my best to answer anything you've got on your mind.
I'm not quite an official M owner yet as my m4 is in the build process currently about 3 weeks away from delivery.


Edited by jimbooo on Saturday 14th November 23:29

Superlightdaa

Original Poster:

131 posts

117 months

Sunday 15th November 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the info, appreciate it. It certainly ticks most boxes for me. Can't decide on the best colour though, the blue is common and with black windows it looks more like a max power after market add on, apologies for any offence to blue 135 owners with blue cars and black windows. 😛

jimbooo

334 posts

186 months

Sunday 15th November 2015
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Lol spot on, blue with black Windows. It's sold now so no offence taken

R5YUP

1,128 posts

212 months

Sunday 15th November 2015
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This place will cover everything you need, best resource on the net for the m135i

http://www.babybmw.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=74

Cheers

AlexJ12

161 posts

156 months

Sunday 15th November 2015
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I got one on a 2 year business lease for my wife, cracking bit of kit, I looked at the logic I would never own it I kept the options light Auto/Comfort Pack and something else that didn't cost much extra which escapes me at the moment. Mine is Mineral Grey/Red Leather (we did waver over Valencia Orange/Black Leather) its goes like stink when you change it into Sport/Sport+ more power then you'll ever need in the real world or for pootling around just keep it in comfort around town or on the motorway eco pro is pretty good for impressive mpg.

Go drive one see what you think, The only option that I wished that I added was the adaptive suspension (£500 I believe) we chose ours over a Golf R and A45

As mentioned above the babybmw is a great forum.

bennyboysvuk

3,491 posts

247 months

Monday 16th November 2015
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I think if you regard it to be a very fast normal BMW, then you won't be disappointed. I feel that it really lacks that last 15% of feel and character that full M cars provide. If you're not worried about that though and haven't owned an M car in the past then you'll love it.

Oh, and mine's a 5 dr blue one with dark windows too. It was good to have whilst my son was really young. smile

jimbooo

334 posts

186 months

Monday 16th November 2015
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bennyboysvuk said:
I think if you regard it to be a very fast normal BMW, then you won't be disappointed. I feel that it really lacks that last 15% of feel and character that full M cars provide. If you're not worried about that though and haven't owned an M car in the past then you'll love it.

Oh, and mine's a 5 dr blue one with dark windows too. It was good to have whilst my son was really young. smile
id agree with that. i had the 5 door as well. easily fit a 5yr old and 2yr old in the back, pushchair in the boot (just about) and handy hooks on the side of the boot for the nappy bag/shopping. it works just about as a family car and when youve dropped them off at school, engage sport+ and hammer it to remind yourself that your life isnt over and you can still have fun.

i too lacked the adaptive suspension and wished i had it. ive not actually driven one with it but felt the standard set up was a tiny bit "soft" for my liking. not in the realms of a normal 1 series, its far harder than that but the option to go full scate board mode would have been nice.

ive a mate with an M5 (the last version not the current model). obviously on the straights it would eat me and spit me out like a corgi toy but on the country lanes he couldnt get close to me. I have a very amusing go pro video from the perspective of my bonnet and his bonnet that proves the capabilities of the car against a formidable opponent. however i shall never be putting that online for obvious reasons! in the range of 15 to 60mph on the twisties theres not a lot that can leave you behind.

shoestring7

6,138 posts

245 months

Monday 16th November 2015
quotequote all
My post on the Golf R vs 135i thread:

"Unlike a few here I've driven both. I own an M135i and recently put 650 miles on a manual Golf R in 24hours.

Plus points for the Golf are a more spacious interior and boot, natural steering feel, a fantastic chassis that gives grip and confidence whether driven like a IAM bore or a hooligan, and a motor that delivers the goods throughout the rev range. It also gave a bit over 30mpg driven through Wales and back again about as fast I could make it go. Like all the best Gtis of old, it makes the daily grind easy but has the ability to turn the occasional thrash into something quite special. Downsides are the motor's acoustics (uninspiring at best), notchy gearbox, the inevitable over-servoed brakes, the lack of std equipment, dull generic VW interior, poxy electric handbrake.

In the 135's favour is that lovely smooth punchy engine, better std. equipment levels (leather, nav) perfect driving position, great engine note, interior which is a grade above the Golf's, proper old-skool hand-brake, great ride quality in daily use, and the pleasure of running that motor hard from 1500rpm to 7000rpm as often as you can. However, the chassis isn't up to job and the car can't be flung around like the Golf's. A bit of on-demand tail out action is fine on a roundabout, not at 80mph on a dark B road as you crest a rise on the power in 5th gear. The 'Servotronic' steering is a complete abortion; really hard to feel for front end grip, absurdly non-linear response to movement of the rim, and too light at speed in 'Comfort' mode. Things improve in Sports mode, but feel is still horribly lacking. Visibility out is poor, boot space is limited and leave wide welted size 11 brogues at home; the footwell is also small.

I chose the 135i for several reasons; I figured that in a few years time it won't be possible to buy a manual 6-pot rwd car for sensible money, I'm happy driving around the chassis' limitations in poor conditions (in my day any car with >300bhp had to be treated with plenty of respect), the interior of mine (dark red leather, dark wood trim) feels pretty special, and I can forgive BMW a lot for that engine.

The kicker was price and the dealers. For the deal I wanted, the Golf was around a third more per month, whereas I was offered a discount of more than 22% on the BMW. And the only way I finally managed to get hold of a Golf (after I'd ordered the BMW) was by writing a stinking letter to VAG UK, as none of the four VW dealers I tried over the course of two months could rustle up a Gti for me to test drive, let alone a Golf R. The two BMW dealers I dealt with (Dick Lovett Bristol, Berry's Brentford) were attentive, responsive and professional."

HTH

SS7

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Monday 16th November 2015
quotequote all
Cars like this all appeal I think, ignoring preferences between them, think of it as a great used buy in a few years. Sensible running costs, practical and genuinely quick, not just 'a bit nippy'.

bennyboysvuk

3,491 posts

247 months

Tuesday 17th November 2015
quotequote all
jimbooo said:
id agree with that. i had the 5 door as well. easily fit a 5yr old and 2yr old in the back, pushchair in the boot (just about) and handy hooks on the side of the boot for the nappy bag/shopping. it works just about as a family car and when youve dropped them off at school, engage sport+ and hammer it to remind yourself that your life isnt over and you can still have fun.

i too lacked the adaptive suspension and wished i had it. ive not actually driven one with it but felt the standard set up was a tiny bit "soft" for my liking. not in the realms of a normal 1 series, its far harder than that but the option to go full scate board mode would have been nice.

ive a mate with an M5 (the last version not the current model). obviously on the straights it would eat me and spit me out like a corgi toy but on the country lanes he couldnt get close to me. I have a very amusing go pro video from the perspective of my bonnet and his bonnet that proves the capabilities of the car against a formidable opponent. however i shall never be putting that online for obvious reasons! in the range of 15 to 60mph on the twisties theres not a lot that can leave you behind.
Thanks to the M135i, my 2 yr old now says things from the back seat like "go faster". biggrin If I back off, he says "more". It is certainly tight as a family car, but it does do the job. I do wish I'd gone for a 4dr E92 M3 instead though since I really miss the engagement of that last 15%.

rosino

1,346 posts

171 months

Tuesday 17th November 2015
quotequote all
shoestring7 said:
My post on the Golf R vs 135i thread:

"Unlike a few here I've driven both. I own an M135i and recently put 650 miles on a manual Golf R in 24hours.

Plus points for the Golf are a more spacious interior and boot, natural steering feel, a fantastic chassis that gives grip and confidence whether driven like a IAM bore or a hooligan, and a motor that delivers the goods throughout the rev range. It also gave a bit over 30mpg driven through Wales and back again about as fast I could make it go. Like all the best Gtis of old, it makes the daily grind easy but has the ability to turn the occasional thrash into something quite special. Downsides are the motor's acoustics (uninspiring at best), notchy gearbox, the inevitable over-servoed brakes, the lack of std equipment, dull generic VW interior, poxy electric handbrake.

In the 135's favour is that lovely smooth punchy engine, better std. equipment levels (leather, nav) perfect driving position, great engine note, interior which is a grade above the Golf's, proper old-skool hand-brake, great ride quality in daily use, and the pleasure of running that motor hard from 1500rpm to 7000rpm as often as you can. However, the chassis isn't up to job and the car can't be flung around like the Golf's. A bit of on-demand tail out action is fine on a roundabout, not at 80mph on a dark B road as you crest a rise on the power in 5th gear. The 'Servotronic' steering is a complete abortion; really hard to feel for front end grip, absurdly non-linear response to movement of the rim, and too light at speed in 'Comfort' mode. Things improve in Sports mode, but feel is still horribly lacking. Visibility out is poor, boot space is limited and leave wide welted size 11 brogues at home; the footwell is also small.

I chose the 135i for several reasons; I figured that in a few years time it won't be possible to buy a manual 6-pot rwd car for sensible money, I'm happy driving around the chassis' limitations in poor conditions (in my day any car with >300bhp had to be treated with plenty of respect), the interior of mine (dark red leather, dark wood trim) feels pretty special, and I can forgive BMW a lot for that engine.

The kicker was price and the dealers. For the deal I wanted, the Golf was around a third more per month, whereas I was offered a discount of more than 22% on the BMW. And the only way I finally managed to get hold of a Golf (after I'd ordered the BMW) was by writing a stinking letter to VAG UK, as none of the four VW dealers I tried over the course of two months could rustle up a Gti for me to test drive, let alone a Golf R. The two BMW dealers I dealt with (Dick Lovett Bristol, Berry's Brentford) were attentive, responsive and professional."

HTH

SS7
This is a very good summary. I come from a Golf GTI as a daily driver and have had a variety of exotics.

Positives : engine is a peach. Auto box is pretty good in aggressive driving whilst still not at the same level of the best DSGs. Toys in the car are nice, nav, phone and telematics all top notch.
Negatives : the steering is plain horrendous. Being RWD especially they fuc##d it up completely. Such a massive let down. The electric steering of my Mk6 GTI was miles better. Not to mention all my other cars. This side of Fiat rentals this is the worst steering I have ever had. And for me it does get in the way of driving pleasure. Not sure how you can argue otherwise. Suspension is floaty in my EDC car. In comfort almost incomfortably so, I even had passenger asking if it was normal. Some say that eibach springs improve things but have not tried yet. Traction is also a bit iffy.. But I have LSD so need see how it behaves when driven in anger on open roads.

I disagree that this is a 8/10th M. For me the chassis and steering are such a let down that I would put it at 6/10th. If I were to do it again I would listen to Birds BMW and get a passive suspension car and upgrade springs and dampers to quality items. Replacing ARB is also an option but very labour intensive apparently for the rear. I might just use springs to begin with coupled maybe with M4 LCA which apparently improve steering.

Or I just get an M3 and get on with it... :-)

Blackpuddin

16,410 posts

204 months

Tuesday 17th November 2015
quotequote all
Is it worth mentioning that the BMW is now available for under £25k through a broker? Or was on 7 Nov at least.
http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/deal-day-bmw-m135i...

bennyboysvuk

3,491 posts

247 months

Tuesday 17th November 2015
quotequote all
rosino said:
Or I just get an M3 and get on with it... :-)
The M3 is a significantly bigger car though. The M2 might just be the sweet spot.

RossP

2,523 posts

282 months

Tuesday 17th November 2015
quotequote all
jimbooo said:
i too lacked the adaptive suspension and wished i had it. ive not actually driven one with it but felt the standard set up was a tiny bit "soft" for my liking. not in the realms of a normal 1 series, its far harder than that but the option to go full scate board mode would have been nice.
The adaptive suspension is not harder than standard - it only goes softer - and as you say that's pretty soft anyway. So save your money!

As others have said, consider it as a fast beemer and you'll be OK. An M Car it isn't.

rosino

1,346 posts

171 months

Tuesday 17th November 2015
quotequote all
bennyboysvuk said:
The M3 is a significantly bigger car though. The M2 might just be the sweet spot.
That's why I have one on order biglaugh

Superlightdaa

Original Poster:

131 posts

117 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
Well right place or not to chat about a 135, I looked at all the info and finally bought one. White with black interior. Slightly used, Sept 2015, LCI auto with lots of spec, adaptive suspension, adaptive LED's. Even has a reversing camera. First impressions are its awesome!

jimbooo

334 posts

186 months

Monday 8th February 2016
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congrats on the new car. have fun with it.

andrewfield23

21 posts

97 months

Monday 8th February 2016
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Is there really much of a performance difference/gap between a m135i / m235i and say an e92 m3 or a 'true' m product??