E92 330i to m135 anyone done it? A few questions
Discussion
I've had me e92 330i (n54 engine) for about 1.5 years. It's a good car, but going to need money spending on it, tyres, service, brake replacement etc. Man maths and an influx of m135's coming on the market are giving me itchy feet....
So has anyone done what I want to do and if so give me a rough idea of the following;
Economy, not the biggest worry but it genuinely surprised me at how economical the 330 is. Should I expect similar in the m135.
Engine noise at idle, sounds silly but the 330 sounds rubish at idle (a bit like a diesel) it's one of this daft things that really annoys me so have they solved this issue?
Is harmon karden any good in the 135, I listened to one in an x4 recently which nearly blew my head off with its volume and quality, should I expect the same in a 1series? ( I currently have the standard sound system which is woeful).
Do you feel it's an overall better car, I rarely use the rear seats or boot so space isn't an issue for me.
And finally any concerns regarding reliability, I guess reading a lot about 335's and there turbos giving up is making me question my concern of the turbos.
I plan to look at some in the coming weeks just looking for some long term opinions.
Thanks in advance.
So has anyone done what I want to do and if so give me a rough idea of the following;
Economy, not the biggest worry but it genuinely surprised me at how economical the 330 is. Should I expect similar in the m135.
Engine noise at idle, sounds silly but the 330 sounds rubish at idle (a bit like a diesel) it's one of this daft things that really annoys me so have they solved this issue?
Is harmon karden any good in the 135, I listened to one in an x4 recently which nearly blew my head off with its volume and quality, should I expect the same in a 1series? ( I currently have the standard sound system which is woeful).
Do you feel it's an overall better car, I rarely use the rear seats or boot so space isn't an issue for me.
And finally any concerns regarding reliability, I guess reading a lot about 335's and there turbos giving up is making me question my concern of the turbos.
I plan to look at some in the coming weeks just looking for some long term opinions.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Rich,
I moved from an E46 330Ci manual in April this year to a 2013 M135i (ZF8).
Some observations, which I know aren't all that useful to you since our 3 series are/were running different engines...;
M135i capable of 35mpg+ on motorway runs, my 12 mile A road commute returns 28mpg which is an improvement over the 24mpg of my previous 330Ci (M54 engine). All figures are accurate via the brim to brim test.
I always liked the sound of my engine at idle in the 330Ci, sounded raw but and deep not overly throaty or boomy, I've not heard much of your 330's engine but for it to sound like a diesel is worrying. The M135i sounds good at idle but not overly inspiring, quite quiet in fact! There's an MPE that BMW offer for £600 thank you very much, but it's something I'd not bother with personally. On full chat she sings, and mine is stock.
I had the Harmon Kardon in the E46 and this time round have the advanced speakers. To me, they are clearer than the E46's HK's but the bass is less impressive (only just). This might be down to the age of the E46, I don't know. I had a hire car for a week a few months back, a brand new F31 320d with HK's and they sounded similar to my ears to what I now have in the M135i. I enjoy listening to quality music where I can but bear in mind the F20/21 1 series is not a perfect listening environment to begin with, conversely the HK's do complete the look of the interior.
For the car itself, you will notice the extra (stonking) performance over your current motor. It's just phenomenal how fast it can conquer a road. A bit tricky in the wet mind, you'll get the back end trying to kick out a lot of the time but all good fun. Test drive as much as you can, I tried both the manual and the ZF8, I'm an (almost) fully devoted manual fanatic but fancied a change and you really can't go wrong with the ZF8, it's beautifully smooth and suits the pace of the M135i well.
I bought mine a smidge under 3 years old but direct from a BMW dealer so have secured a years warranty. I wouldn't own one of these out of warranty, certainly not with the ZF8, but even with the manual the engine replacement cost can be down right frightening. For the entire ownership of this car I will not let it leave BMW's warranty, I'll keep it going after this initial year runs out.
Is it a better car? That's for you to decide. You're moving from a coupe design to a hatch which brings about a loss in design and class (IMHO), but it's a modern 'F' designated car and that brings about it's own benefits too. It'll feel a heck of a lot more modern inside, I think that's what you'll notice first (and that'll probably be the lasting impression, too). It's different, that's for sure. I'll say one thing though, it can feel a bit sterile compared to some of BMW's older offerings, but I put that down to the advancements in tech rather than blaming the car itself.
Don't spec one without adaptive suspension or Pro Nav...
I'll try to add more things as I think of them but I hope this has helped.
I moved from an E46 330Ci manual in April this year to a 2013 M135i (ZF8).
Some observations, which I know aren't all that useful to you since our 3 series are/were running different engines...;
M135i capable of 35mpg+ on motorway runs, my 12 mile A road commute returns 28mpg which is an improvement over the 24mpg of my previous 330Ci (M54 engine). All figures are accurate via the brim to brim test.
I always liked the sound of my engine at idle in the 330Ci, sounded raw but and deep not overly throaty or boomy, I've not heard much of your 330's engine but for it to sound like a diesel is worrying. The M135i sounds good at idle but not overly inspiring, quite quiet in fact! There's an MPE that BMW offer for £600 thank you very much, but it's something I'd not bother with personally. On full chat she sings, and mine is stock.
I had the Harmon Kardon in the E46 and this time round have the advanced speakers. To me, they are clearer than the E46's HK's but the bass is less impressive (only just). This might be down to the age of the E46, I don't know. I had a hire car for a week a few months back, a brand new F31 320d with HK's and they sounded similar to my ears to what I now have in the M135i. I enjoy listening to quality music where I can but bear in mind the F20/21 1 series is not a perfect listening environment to begin with, conversely the HK's do complete the look of the interior.
For the car itself, you will notice the extra (stonking) performance over your current motor. It's just phenomenal how fast it can conquer a road. A bit tricky in the wet mind, you'll get the back end trying to kick out a lot of the time but all good fun. Test drive as much as you can, I tried both the manual and the ZF8, I'm an (almost) fully devoted manual fanatic but fancied a change and you really can't go wrong with the ZF8, it's beautifully smooth and suits the pace of the M135i well.
I bought mine a smidge under 3 years old but direct from a BMW dealer so have secured a years warranty. I wouldn't own one of these out of warranty, certainly not with the ZF8, but even with the manual the engine replacement cost can be down right frightening. For the entire ownership of this car I will not let it leave BMW's warranty, I'll keep it going after this initial year runs out.
Is it a better car? That's for you to decide. You're moving from a coupe design to a hatch which brings about a loss in design and class (IMHO), but it's a modern 'F' designated car and that brings about it's own benefits too. It'll feel a heck of a lot more modern inside, I think that's what you'll notice first (and that'll probably be the lasting impression, too). It's different, that's for sure. I'll say one thing though, it can feel a bit sterile compared to some of BMW's older offerings, but I put that down to the advancements in tech rather than blaming the car itself.
Don't spec one without adaptive suspension or Pro Nav...
I'll try to add more things as I think of them but I hope this has helped.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 24th May 21:15
Interesting reading thank you,
A test drive is defiantly in order, hopefully with both the gearboxes. I've done the whole paddle shift thing before and it just took that involvement away from the car but that was an Audi. But saying that I hear great thinks about these newer paddle shift boxes.
The whole playing the engine noise through the speakers does it give an element of fake ness or is it not noticeable?
A test drive is defiantly in order, hopefully with both the gearboxes. I've done the whole paddle shift thing before and it just took that involvement away from the car but that was an Audi. But saying that I hear great thinks about these newer paddle shift boxes.
The whole playing the engine noise through the speakers does it give an element of fake ness or is it not noticeable?
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