How does M135i compare to 125i / 125d?
Discussion
Drove a friends automatic M135i today and what an absolutely fantastic car it is. Beautiful noise, great fun.
The car would be an absolute licence loser for me, so I am considering the idea of an auto 125i or 125d instead.
Does anyone have any experience of these cars? How do they compare?
The best answer would be if they were just as fun but slower, or at least make you work a bit harder for the higher speeds.
As an aside, does anyone know if the speed can be limited on the m135i?
The car would be an absolute licence loser for me, so I am considering the idea of an auto 125i or 125d instead.
Does anyone have any experience of these cars? How do they compare?
The best answer would be if they were just as fun but slower, or at least make you work a bit harder for the higher speeds.
As an aside, does anyone know if the speed can be limited on the m135i?
They are in a different league, if you really want an M135i nothing else will compare! I have one and its fantastic! You can set a bong to sound when you hit a certain speed if that helps?
It handles so much better due to the Michelin Pilot Supersport tyres, the lower ride height and amazing engine!
It handles so much better due to the Michelin Pilot Supersport tyres, the lower ride height and amazing engine!
I have a 125d. It is rapid... For a 4 pot diesel. And that is the crux of the matter. The M135i is in a different class of performance, and theatre, because the 125d sounds fruity... For a 4 pot diesel.
Friends who have performance cars (911s, Golf GTIs etc) are generally impressed by the 125d for what it is: A diesel hatch that can do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. But it is not a performance car. It is more of a GT: the turn in is quite gentle, there is very little noise, and it looks like any other MSport 1series (though this can be a good thing). Get a 125i and you get similar performance and handling, and inferior fuel economy as a trade off for a bit more noise.
My 125d has a very effective speed limiter, that only lets you break whatever speed you set by burying your foot in the carpet. It gives me untold peace of mind in average speed camera sections. Surely the M135i will have it as well? There you go, problem solved!
Friends who have performance cars (911s, Golf GTIs etc) are generally impressed by the 125d for what it is: A diesel hatch that can do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. But it is not a performance car. It is more of a GT: the turn in is quite gentle, there is very little noise, and it looks like any other MSport 1series (though this can be a good thing). Get a 125i and you get similar performance and handling, and inferior fuel economy as a trade off for a bit more noise.
My 125d has a very effective speed limiter, that only lets you break whatever speed you set by burying your foot in the carpet. It gives me untold peace of mind in average speed camera sections. Surely the M135i will have it as well? There you go, problem solved!
They all have a speed limiter now (used to be deleted if you added cruise control but now you get both), it's very effective and can be set to whatever speed you like.
I've got a manual M135i which I've had for over 2 years now, it's never missed a beat in that time. If one can restrain oneself and daily driving involves a gentle A-road or motorway run it'll average 33-35mpg quite easily (more if you do a long motorway run and stay under 80mph). Alas I have no self control so I get about 24-26mpg despite my A-road commute!
The problem is once you've experienced the M135i it becomes difficult to envisage what will replace it is the only other cars that would "improve" on it cost twice as much!
I've got a manual M135i which I've had for over 2 years now, it's never missed a beat in that time. If one can restrain oneself and daily driving involves a gentle A-road or motorway run it'll average 33-35mpg quite easily (more if you do a long motorway run and stay under 80mph). Alas I have no self control so I get about 24-26mpg despite my A-road commute!
The problem is once you've experienced the M135i it becomes difficult to envisage what will replace it is the only other cars that would "improve" on it cost twice as much!
Trailhead said:
The car would be an absolute licence loser for me, so I am considering the idea of an auto 125i or 125d instead.
A 125i is hardly 'slow' and isn't going to help you keep your licence any easier. Only that squishy bit between your ears can do that.Trailhead said:
The best answer would be if they were just as fun but slower, or at least make you work a bit harder for the higher speeds.
You're hardly going to have to work a 125i hard to loose your licence 
Trailhead said:
As an aside, does anyone know if the speed can be limited on the m135i?
A 125i is only 6mph slower than a M135, so again, the limit is the squishy bit in your head......try to learn self control, it's a lot cheaper 
I'm three months into my M135 ownership - got a cracking deal on a used example fully loaded with an original RRP of £39k.
I can't comment on comparing it to other 1'ners but the M135i has everything I need - yes its fast and you can hit some big numbers without really pushing hard, but its lovely and sedate for a commute, I have adaptive suspension which I do think helps.
Its not that expensive too run, I part chopped my 2013 Focus ST3 Estate in and its far cheaper to run than that thing. I've had 39 mpg on a very sedate trip from Notts to Norwich..
I couldn't be happier with my M135i, its possibly the only car I have owned that I would 100% recommend without any if's or buts.
Love the noise, love the auto box and the toys.
I can't comment on comparing it to other 1'ners but the M135i has everything I need - yes its fast and you can hit some big numbers without really pushing hard, but its lovely and sedate for a commute, I have adaptive suspension which I do think helps.
Its not that expensive too run, I part chopped my 2013 Focus ST3 Estate in and its far cheaper to run than that thing. I've had 39 mpg on a very sedate trip from Notts to Norwich..
I couldn't be happier with my M135i, its possibly the only car I have owned that I would 100% recommend without any if's or buts.
Love the noise, love the auto box and the toys.
Trailhead said:
Is 37 mpg actually realistic at 70mph on cruise control?
From my experience (and many will disagree) I don't think cruise control makes much difference to mpg......especially in reference to a turbo petrol engine, as the more aggressive nature of the throttle action of the CC when accelerating up incline etc., is less economical than the human brain/foot coordination if you are in 'economy' mode driving mentality. Especially so with an auto, maybe less so with a manual...?That was certainly something I proved to myself when I had an auto Saab 9-5 Aero with CC. I could achieve better mpg driving the same journey's without using CC than with it.
And because I don't now really do many long, long journey where the sole purpose (to me) is the ability to use it to rest the right foot/leg (and why it was invented in the first place) I purposely didn't tick the CC box on the order form of my 135i.
With the 8-speed auto option on a M135 I suspect driven like the Queens chauffeur yes you could get 37mpg ave.
I've not tried the 125d, but my wife had an older 123d, which was pretty good, but the M135i is in a different league - I've had mine for just under 2 years and it's been great.
Think there's a speed limiter, but the cruise should work fine - it does a convincing impression of a good cruiser and with adaptive and the Michelin PSS, the ride is much, much better than the last 1 series.
I would expect you could get 37mpg at 70, but it sounds a bit dull to me ;-)
Think there's a speed limiter, but the cruise should work fine - it does a convincing impression of a good cruiser and with adaptive and the Michelin PSS, the ride is much, much better than the last 1 series.
I would expect you could get 37mpg at 70, but it sounds a bit dull to me ;-)
Don't overestimate the relative frugality of either 2.0l car... my 125d is long term average 42mpg and my brother's F20 125i scores low thirties typically. They are not ~60mpg and ~40mpg cars respectively despite the claims. I should think the M135i driven like the 125i will not be considerably heavier on fuel.
Edited by theboss on Tuesday 28th April 17:35
Trailhead said:
You guys are doing a bloody good job of twisting my arm towards the M135i.
Argh!
Is 37 mpg actually realistic at 70mph on cruise control?
I may try and sort a test drive of the 125d and compare it to my M135i hoon to help the decision along somewhat.
I get better than 37 mpg in mine sometimes:Argh!
Is 37 mpg actually realistic at 70mph on cruise control?
I may try and sort a test drive of the 125d and compare it to my M135i hoon to help the decision along somewhat.
Most of that was 70mph on M-way.
Trailhead said:
You guys are doing a bloody good job of twisting my arm towards the M135i.
Argh!
Is 37 mpg actually realistic at 70mph on cruise control?
I may try and sort a test drive of the 125d and compare it to my M135i hoon to help the decision along somewhat.
http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=67853Argh!
Is 37 mpg actually realistic at 70mph on cruise control?
I may try and sort a test drive of the 125d and compare it to my M135i hoon to help the decision along somewhat.
By the end of that thread you will deffo know what they do MPG M135i
...and here is the 125d MPG http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=72...
General Zod said:
I get better than 37 mpg in mine sometimes:
Most of that was 70mph on M-way.
Damn you!Most of that was 70mph on M-way.
I thought 39 was good.
I get 31 ish for my daily commute, 30 miles, a good few places to give it some beans.
As for a licence looser, most cars are now days, find the right place and at the right time and you can enjoy the car.
I do find for economy the Eco-Mode pretty good - only use it for long journeys.
Edited by Rythmic slapping on Tuesday 28th April 18:50
I haven't driven any of them, but back in 2005 I was looking at buying a nearly new E46 Compact.
Came down to 2 choices, a 320 td and a 325 ti. Sadly I thought I would be doing high business mileage and bought the 320 td without looking at the 325.
Replaced it in 2008 with a 123d, and again did not look at a 130i.
Sold the 123d last year and bought a Z4 Coupe as I always liked the look of the Coupe (never liked convertibles) and it has the same engine as the 130i; it is fantastic!
Then I needed something vaguely practical as well so bought a 325 ti Compact and realised I spent nearly a decade driving diseasals which did the job OK but just do not give anything like the same level of enjoyment!!
So if you have any spirit of PH in you please don't test drive an M135i unless you are in a position to buy one, because after that any 125 just will not even come close.
Came down to 2 choices, a 320 td and a 325 ti. Sadly I thought I would be doing high business mileage and bought the 320 td without looking at the 325.
Replaced it in 2008 with a 123d, and again did not look at a 130i.
Sold the 123d last year and bought a Z4 Coupe as I always liked the look of the Coupe (never liked convertibles) and it has the same engine as the 130i; it is fantastic!
Then I needed something vaguely practical as well so bought a 325 ti Compact and realised I spent nearly a decade driving diseasals which did the job OK but just do not give anything like the same level of enjoyment!!
So if you have any spirit of PH in you please don't test drive an M135i unless you are in a position to buy one, because after that any 125 just will not even come close.
Edited by Mr Tidy on Tuesday 28th April 21:14
I never both with Eco as it doesnt work above 75 lol.
Here's a recent journey in my manual M135i. The average speed would suggest i wasnt necessarily on an economy run.
Came back from a trip to Penzance on Sun (550 mile round trip) with an overall average of 34mpg.
Again, wasnt hanging around. My e46 M3 did 26 for the same trip.
Here's a recent journey in my manual M135i. The average speed would suggest i wasnt necessarily on an economy run.
Came back from a trip to Penzance on Sun (550 mile round trip) with an overall average of 34mpg.
Again, wasnt hanging around. My e46 M3 did 26 for the same trip.
I see on another topic, you're considering a Porsche too. I think you need to decide exactly what you want from a car, since the M135i and the Cayman are very different cars to fulfil very different purposes.
Sadly, the practical side of things means I have an M135i, but if you don't need the extra space that it provides then definitely go for the more fun car (the Porsche).
Sadly, the practical side of things means I have an M135i, but if you don't need the extra space that it provides then definitely go for the more fun car (the Porsche).
I have driven an M135i, owned two 125i (one manual and one auto) and currently own a 125d auto.
I mainly use the car round London with the odd blast. I couldn't stand the 125d when I first got it but 2,000 miles in it has completely changed its personality - much smoother, very impressive torque from quite early on and I get about 35mpg whereas I would get about 25mpg in the 125is. Does sound like a tractor though in comparison to the petrols and this is probably the only reason I regret not sticking with the petrol variant.
Of all the three cars my favorite was the manual 125i (even in London) - the auto was good but not as interactive a driving experience. Here's the crunch factor I'm leading up to though - none of the 3 really felt/feel like driver's cars. They are just quick and expensive A-B hatchbacks. So if you need an 'all-in-one' sports car (which it sounds like you might if you're also looking at a Cayman), there is only one option and that's to pay a tiny bit more and get an M135i.
In summary, buy an M135i but opt for the Speed Limit Display in a bid to save your licence.
I mainly use the car round London with the odd blast. I couldn't stand the 125d when I first got it but 2,000 miles in it has completely changed its personality - much smoother, very impressive torque from quite early on and I get about 35mpg whereas I would get about 25mpg in the 125is. Does sound like a tractor though in comparison to the petrols and this is probably the only reason I regret not sticking with the petrol variant.
Of all the three cars my favorite was the manual 125i (even in London) - the auto was good but not as interactive a driving experience. Here's the crunch factor I'm leading up to though - none of the 3 really felt/feel like driver's cars. They are just quick and expensive A-B hatchbacks. So if you need an 'all-in-one' sports car (which it sounds like you might if you're also looking at a Cayman), there is only one option and that's to pay a tiny bit more and get an M135i.
In summary, buy an M135i but opt for the Speed Limit Display in a bid to save your licence.
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