GT86 owners - did you consider/drive a M135i?
Discussion
Interested to know of any GT86 owners who test drove an M135i when considering which car was for them.... Anybody try one? The M135i seems to offer a far nicer interior, a better stereo, better build quality, MUCH more accelerative power, a straight six sound, more practicality - and can still do tail out stuff. The major downside is the looks, but even taking the M135i's slightly greater cost into the equation (£30k new vs 25k), an M135i can be had nearly new for £25k.
So - taking all that into account - what made you still go for the GT86?
So - taking all that into account - what made you still go for the GT86?
No LordGrover I haven't. I suspect the BMW forum would cite all the reasons I listed in order to justify why they didn't consider an '86!
Its interesting to hear that the M135i wasn't even on most people's lists. I wonder if this was simply because it's a hatch and not a coupe? Or due to the £5k price difference?
Its interesting to hear that the M135i wasn't even on most people's lists. I wonder if this was simply because it's a hatch and not a coupe? Or due to the £5k price difference?
Had a drive in a GT86 at the weekend. You know, the usual - accompanied test drive - 30 mins max, so not enough of a drive to form a real opinion on the car. However, here are my impressions.
Engine: As others have stated, it's not the greatest powerplant in the world. The test car had only 500 miles on the clock so the engine was still tight, but you really don't feel you have 197Bhp until you get the car over 4500 rpm. At which point, it revs nicely and picks up. You can pile on some speed surprisingly quickly if you rev it properly. The engine doesn't sound great at all though and the induction noise is piped in to the cabin which means the engine resonates from around your feet/drivers door, rather than from the nose of the car. Sounds weird. Also, sounds artificially "gravelly" as if its doing an impression of how a sports car should sound.
Steering: Lovely pointy, but meaty feeling steering. The car wants to turn and feels positive doing so. That said, there is no "feel" really coming back through the steering - its a fully electric set-up
Chassis/tyres: It was a damp day so an interesting test of the tyres/chassis. I gave it half throttle mid corner on one occassion (with TC fully on) and the back stepped out, needing a very slight correction. You can definitely feel that the car doesn't have a surfeit of grip in greasy conditions and would be an oversteer fest if you're so inclined! I'm sure in the bone dry you wouldn't get this feel and would have to provoke the car more to get it to slide, but it does feel like a car set up for some sideways fun if you have the skills to drive it on the throttle. I'm sure for a few rear-drive novices it might catch the unwary out... S2000 style!
Brakes feel very positive with good bite and a nice firm pedal.
Interior and controls: Great driving position, seats hold you very well but are too bolstered over the shoulder for my liking. Steering wheel feels perfectly sized. The clutch is light and the gearboax is snikety and has a short-ish shift. You can feel that the engineering team have put a lot of time into ensuring the controls have the right weight and feel for a sports car. They just feel "right".
The interior doesn't feel like a £25k car in my opinion. Its nice enough - bit dark and plasticky though (typical of Jap cars), but would feel more appropriate to a £15-17k car. The stereo sounded weak and there was a trim rattle from the centre dash near the windscreen. Not brilliant on such a new car.
The rear seats could actually be used by a person of average height (up to say 5'8). I am 6'1" and sat in the back and my head touched the rear window. A smaller person could probably get away with it for a short journey. Foot/Leg room is a real issue for the rear passenger though unless the person in the front seat jacks his/her seat up from the floor and moves it forward.
The seats can of course be folded flat for taking tyres to a trackday/slotting in a bike with a wheel removed.
Summary: I reckon it'd be a really nice daily driver, capable of providing some fun on track/on a B-road. Those rear seats are actually a bonus and a real advantage over something like a Cayman. The engine is a disappointment though - it feels a bit thrashy and uninspiring, but does rev out smoothly to the red line. The chassis balance is the real star.
Engine: As others have stated, it's not the greatest powerplant in the world. The test car had only 500 miles on the clock so the engine was still tight, but you really don't feel you have 197Bhp until you get the car over 4500 rpm. At which point, it revs nicely and picks up. You can pile on some speed surprisingly quickly if you rev it properly. The engine doesn't sound great at all though and the induction noise is piped in to the cabin which means the engine resonates from around your feet/drivers door, rather than from the nose of the car. Sounds weird. Also, sounds artificially "gravelly" as if its doing an impression of how a sports car should sound.
Steering: Lovely pointy, but meaty feeling steering. The car wants to turn and feels positive doing so. That said, there is no "feel" really coming back through the steering - its a fully electric set-up
Chassis/tyres: It was a damp day so an interesting test of the tyres/chassis. I gave it half throttle mid corner on one occassion (with TC fully on) and the back stepped out, needing a very slight correction. You can definitely feel that the car doesn't have a surfeit of grip in greasy conditions and would be an oversteer fest if you're so inclined! I'm sure in the bone dry you wouldn't get this feel and would have to provoke the car more to get it to slide, but it does feel like a car set up for some sideways fun if you have the skills to drive it on the throttle. I'm sure for a few rear-drive novices it might catch the unwary out... S2000 style!
Brakes feel very positive with good bite and a nice firm pedal.
Interior and controls: Great driving position, seats hold you very well but are too bolstered over the shoulder for my liking. Steering wheel feels perfectly sized. The clutch is light and the gearboax is snikety and has a short-ish shift. You can feel that the engineering team have put a lot of time into ensuring the controls have the right weight and feel for a sports car. They just feel "right".
The interior doesn't feel like a £25k car in my opinion. Its nice enough - bit dark and plasticky though (typical of Jap cars), but would feel more appropriate to a £15-17k car. The stereo sounded weak and there was a trim rattle from the centre dash near the windscreen. Not brilliant on such a new car.
The rear seats could actually be used by a person of average height (up to say 5'8). I am 6'1" and sat in the back and my head touched the rear window. A smaller person could probably get away with it for a short journey. Foot/Leg room is a real issue for the rear passenger though unless the person in the front seat jacks his/her seat up from the floor and moves it forward.
The seats can of course be folded flat for taking tyres to a trackday/slotting in a bike with a wheel removed.
Summary: I reckon it'd be a really nice daily driver, capable of providing some fun on track/on a B-road. Those rear seats are actually a bonus and a real advantage over something like a Cayman. The engine is a disappointment though - it feels a bit thrashy and uninspiring, but does rev out smoothly to the red line. The chassis balance is the real star.
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