RE: Chris Harris video: BMW M135i vs Audi RS3
Discussion
Urban Sports said:
I saw one of these M135i's today...or at least I thought I did. It had all of the trimmings including the wheels and so on, even a badge down the side saying M Performance, looked very tasteful and purposeful until it went past and had a frikkin 116i badge on the back!
FFS
If I had one, I'd badge it 116i. But then, I'm weird. FFS
blearyeyedboy said:
Urban Sports said:
I saw one of these M135i's today...or at least I thought I did. It had all of the trimmings including the wheels and so on, even a badge down the side saying M Performance, looked very tasteful and purposeful until it went past and had a frikkin 116i badge on the back!
FFS
If I had one, I'd badge it 116i. But then, I'm weird. FFS
What Chris failed to comment on was the build quality of each car. After watching this review I immediately went on a mission to buy the m135i..
Now a good number of months into the experience I can only say I've been left feeling totally disappointed. Bargain of the decade. Maybe not..
Very cheaply put together BMW with hooligan power delivery certainly.
Just look at the boot floor to see what I'm talking about. Sound crazy but if they are cutting cost here where else did they cut costs.
Now a good number of months into the experience I can only say I've been left feeling totally disappointed. Bargain of the decade. Maybe not..
Very cheaply put together BMW with hooligan power delivery certainly.
Just look at the boot floor to see what I'm talking about. Sound crazy but if they are cutting cost here where else did they cut costs.
There's always someone dissatisfied. Sell it then and buy an S3 (but not an RS3) then if perceived quality is the be all and end all. I agree that the boot-floor flock and parcel shelf are of noticeably cheap quality but that's just BMW for you - the quality of the boot trimmings in the E60 M5 I had before wasn't noticeably better. For some reason, unless you opt for an estate (or possibly a 7 series – don't know, have never looked in the boot of one), BMW seems to think a cheap flock-lined boot is perfectly acceptable. As for cost-cutting, I'm afraid you'll find they are all at it. Just touch any surface in a VAG product that VAG don't reckon you'll touch regularly and be prepared for quite a difference in quality from the bits they expect you to touch regularly. But over 7 months and 5k miles, I have found no issue with the trim finish or build quality in the rest of the cabin of my M135i and I don't find it feels in any way noticeably cheaply put together after the M5, which generally had a finish befitting a £75k car. Then again, it also depends on your point of view. I don't consider a £30k car an especially expensive car so therefore am not expecting it to possess luxury car levels of fit and finish, particularly not when it is simply the top dog in a range starting below £20k.
Yes, the new A3 has a noticeably nicer interior and Audi at least sees fit to carpet the boot properly but if that was what really mattered in a driver's car, no one would ever buy a Lotus or, for that matter, a Porsche (which until very recently always had remarkably cheap-feeling interiors) at double the price. I tried an RS3 before buying my M135i but whilst it all felt ok-enough screwed together, it was also very dated inside with a sat nav Noah might have been familiar with. No amount of leather makes that feel like the interior of a £40k car, or even a new car. Whereas at £30k, the interior of the M135i is modern, up-to-date tech-wise and looks and feels about right (to me at any rate).
Yes, the new A3 has a noticeably nicer interior and Audi at least sees fit to carpet the boot properly but if that was what really mattered in a driver's car, no one would ever buy a Lotus or, for that matter, a Porsche (which until very recently always had remarkably cheap-feeling interiors) at double the price. I tried an RS3 before buying my M135i but whilst it all felt ok-enough screwed together, it was also very dated inside with a sat nav Noah might have been familiar with. No amount of leather makes that feel like the interior of a £40k car, or even a new car. Whereas at £30k, the interior of the M135i is modern, up-to-date tech-wise and looks and feels about right (to me at any rate).
Wolands Advocate said:
There's always someone dissatisfied. Sell it then and buy an S3 (but not an RS3) then if perceived quality is the be all and end all. I agree that the boot-floor flock and parcel shelf are of noticeably cheap quality but that's just BMW for you - the quality of the boot trimmings in the E60 M5 I had before wasn't noticeably better. For some reason, unless you opt for an estate (or possibly a 7 series – don't know, have never looked in the boot of one), BMW seems to think a cheap flock-lined boot is perfectly acceptable. As for cost-cutting, I'm afraid you'll find they are all at it. Just touch any surface in a VAG product that VAG don't reckon you'll touch regularly and be prepared for quite a difference in quality from the bits they expect you to touch regularly. But over 7 months and 5k miles, I have found no issue with the trim finish or build quality in the rest of the cabin of my M135i and I don't find it feels in any way noticeably cheaply put together after the M5, which generally had a finish befitting a £75k car. Then again, it also depends on your point of view. I don't consider a £30k car an especially expensive car so therefore am not expecting it to possess luxury car levels of fit and finish, particularly not when it is simply the top dog in a range starting below £20k.
Yes, the new A3 has a noticeably nicer interior and Audi at least sees fit to carpet the boot properly but if that was what really mattered in a driver's car, no one would ever buy a Lotus or, for that matter, a Porsche (which until very recently always had remarkably cheap-feeling interiors) at double the price. I tried an RS3 before buying my M135i but whilst it all felt ok-enough screwed together, it was also very dated inside with a sat nav Noah might have been familiar with. No amount of leather makes that feel like the interior of a £40k car, or even a new car. Whereas at £30k, the interior of the M135i is modern, up-to-date tech-wise and looks and feels about right (to me at any rate).
What he said +1 Yes, the new A3 has a noticeably nicer interior and Audi at least sees fit to carpet the boot properly but if that was what really mattered in a driver's car, no one would ever buy a Lotus or, for that matter, a Porsche (which until very recently always had remarkably cheap-feeling interiors) at double the price. I tried an RS3 before buying my M135i but whilst it all felt ok-enough screwed together, it was also very dated inside with a sat nav Noah might have been familiar with. No amount of leather makes that feel like the interior of a £40k car, or even a new car. Whereas at £30k, the interior of the M135i is modern, up-to-date tech-wise and looks and feels about right (to me at any rate).
urquattroGus said:
Wolands Advocate said:
There's always someone dissatisfied. Sell it then and buy an S3 (but not an RS3) then if perceived quality is the be all and end all. I agree that the boot-floor flock and parcel shelf are of noticeably cheap quality but that's just BMW for you - the quality of the boot trimmings in the E60 M5 I had before wasn't noticeably better. For some reason, unless you opt for an estate (or possibly a 7 series – don't know, have never looked in the boot of one), BMW seems to think a cheap flock-lined boot is perfectly acceptable. As for cost-cutting, I'm afraid you'll find they are all at it. Just touch any surface in a VAG product that VAG don't reckon you'll touch regularly and be prepared for quite a difference in quality from the bits they expect you to touch regularly. But over 7 months and 5k miles, I have found no issue with the trim finish or build quality in the rest of the cabin of my M135i and I don't find it feels in any way noticeably cheaply put together after the M5, which generally had a finish befitting a £75k car. Then again, it also depends on your point of view. I don't consider a £30k car an especially expensive car so therefore am not expecting it to possess luxury car levels of fit and finish, particularly not when it is simply the top dog in a range starting below £20k.
Yes, the new A3 has a noticeably nicer interior and Audi at least sees fit to carpet the boot properly but if that was what really mattered in a driver's car, no one would ever buy a Lotus or, for that matter, a Porsche (which until very recently always had remarkably cheap-feeling interiors) at double the price. I tried an RS3 before buying my M135i but whilst it all felt ok-enough screwed together, it was also very dated inside with a sat nav Noah might have been familiar with. No amount of leather makes that feel like the interior of a £40k car, or even a new car. Whereas at £30k, the interior of the M135i is modern, up-to-date tech-wise and looks and feels about right (to me at any rate).
What he said +1 Yes, the new A3 has a noticeably nicer interior and Audi at least sees fit to carpet the boot properly but if that was what really mattered in a driver's car, no one would ever buy a Lotus or, for that matter, a Porsche (which until very recently always had remarkably cheap-feeling interiors) at double the price. I tried an RS3 before buying my M135i but whilst it all felt ok-enough screwed together, it was also very dated inside with a sat nav Noah might have been familiar with. No amount of leather makes that feel like the interior of a £40k car, or even a new car. Whereas at £30k, the interior of the M135i is modern, up-to-date tech-wise and looks and feels about right (to me at any rate).
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