Discussion
Just started thinking about whether I fancy a change from my very reliable and economical Lexus IS to something that's just a bit more fun 
The usual suspects seem to be the Golf R, S3, Leon FR, A45 and they're either too expensive or just don't do much for me having had a Golf 7 before the Lexus.
I've not got beyond Youtube but the M140i looks and sounds an interesting proposition with decent discounts and almost a bit of a sleeper as I don't see many around here.
1) Anyone got one or tried one?
2) Anyone got one and has come to it from something a bit more relaxed and refined?
The usual suspects seem to be the Golf R, S3, Leon FR, A45 and they're either too expensive or just don't do much for me having had a Golf 7 before the Lexus.
I've not got beyond Youtube but the M140i looks and sounds an interesting proposition with decent discounts and almost a bit of a sleeper as I don't see many around here.
1) Anyone got one or tried one?
2) Anyone got one and has come to it from something a bit more relaxed and refined?
I’d do it before the 1-Series moves to a 4-cylinder engine. I nearly bought a M135i when they came out, but ultimately my children were very young and the 1-Series simply wasn’t big enough for our needs. I’ve regularly driven the M240i with the ZF and it’s a superb car. I really don’t think there is a bad choice these days where hot hatches are concerned, you’ve just got to match them to your specific requirements.
I got mine new in March and it's been my daily ever since, recently clicking over 10,000 miles.
What I like:
B58 engine is a peach. Power everywhere in the rev range, makes a great noise, and will give you 38-40 mpg on the motorway. Works flawlessly with the ZF8 auto.
Terrific, useable performance
Cabin feels well put together. Excellent range of driving position adjustment and comfortable seats. Superb infotainment. A nice place to spend a long journey.
Very smooth and relaxing in Comfort mode with adaptive suspension. Rides well and the exhaust note is beautifully judged in terms of volume.
Subtle. It looks like any other M Sport 1 series to the untrained eye. No massive 20" wheels or spoilers. Much more understated than an S/RS3 A45, FST/RS etc.
Fun handling. PH driving Gods moan about it but I think it's beautifully balanced, and apart from a bit of inconsistency from the open diff, very entertaining to chuck about.
What I don't like:
Bouncy, choppy ride in Sport mode.
Rubbish fuel range. Takes a lot of longer runs and/or self restraint to see much more than 250 miles from the (52 litre) tank
Traction in the cold and wet on Supersports is marginal.
Great daily. I love it.
What I like:
B58 engine is a peach. Power everywhere in the rev range, makes a great noise, and will give you 38-40 mpg on the motorway. Works flawlessly with the ZF8 auto.
Terrific, useable performance
Cabin feels well put together. Excellent range of driving position adjustment and comfortable seats. Superb infotainment. A nice place to spend a long journey.
Very smooth and relaxing in Comfort mode with adaptive suspension. Rides well and the exhaust note is beautifully judged in terms of volume.
Subtle. It looks like any other M Sport 1 series to the untrained eye. No massive 20" wheels or spoilers. Much more understated than an S/RS3 A45, FST/RS etc.
Fun handling. PH driving Gods moan about it but I think it's beautifully balanced, and apart from a bit of inconsistency from the open diff, very entertaining to chuck about.
What I don't like:
Bouncy, choppy ride in Sport mode.
Rubbish fuel range. Takes a lot of longer runs and/or self restraint to see much more than 250 miles from the (52 litre) tank
Traction in the cold and wet on Supersports is marginal.
Great daily. I love it.
Buy one, they are fantastic!
I have previously an M135i, I then moved to an S3, however after 18 months decided I hated it so moved back to that smooth straight 6 engine and bought an M140i.
As a daily it is about as good as it gets!
You will love it, I promise!
I agree with the above comment, it is quite bouncy in sport!
I have previously an M135i, I then moved to an S3, however after 18 months decided I hated it so moved back to that smooth straight 6 engine and bought an M140i.
As a daily it is about as good as it gets!
You will love it, I promise!
I agree with the above comment, it is quite bouncy in sport!
Edited by AAD44H on Sunday 17th December 22:33
i fancy buying one of these next year. they seem like a superb all rounder. will be the family 2nd car and as we dont need buggies anymore i presume it will be adequate space wise. does anyone think that this isnt the case?
in terms of performance, purchase price and running costs they seem pretty unbeatable. can put crossclimates on the 18’s i believe which will make it competent in bad weather too.
in terms of performance, purchase price and running costs they seem pretty unbeatable. can put crossclimates on the 18’s i believe which will make it competent in bad weather too.
Got mine in March and been really pleased with it and have no plans to change it anytime soon. Soaks up long journeys (I specced adapative dampers and auto box) but can be switched to Sport and becomes a hoot when you turn off the motorway onto the back roads and have firmer suspension and use the paddles. I also debadged mine and it's currently running winter steelies so pretty anonymous and gets zero attention which is nice after driving a body-kitted Focus.
Worth checking out TRL on BabyBMW.net who churns out stonking deals - I paid £29.800 for mine with a lot of options ticked, where list was in the region of £38k.
Chris
Worth checking out TRL on BabyBMW.net who churns out stonking deals - I paid £29.800 for mine with a lot of options ticked, where list was in the region of £38k.
Chris
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: Well I've got the Christmas break to take a look.
I'd be interested how much difference the 3L makes as it seems unique in that regard vs. other hot hatches?
Also any thoughts on what else I could/should be looking at? Can't look at everything...
The six cylinder engine and RWD layout not only make it unique, but also represent the end of an era. The next generation of 1-series will have transverse, three and four cylinder engines and FWD / AWD, just like everything else in the class, and this definitely played a part in my choice.I'd be interested how much difference the 3L makes as it seems unique in that regard vs. other hot hatches?
Also any thoughts on what else I could/should be looking at? Can't look at everything...
Impressive as the current generation of four pot engines from VAG and AMG are, they just can't match the smoothness, and sound quality of the BMW six. It adds a level of sophistication to the driving experience that the smaller engines just can't match, and to me, it just makes the whole car feel that bit more special as a result. The RS3's five pot is an amazing engine, but like the A45, it's over ten grand more expensive than the M140i before options, so not really a direct competitor.
As someone said earlier, you can't really buy a bad car in this sector any more. The S3 is probably the closest in terms of philosophy to the M140i, both offering a less focused, and slightly more "grown up" experience than the Focus RS and Civic Type R. I wasn't particularly taken by the S3 personally, but I do see why people like it. It's a very nice car, and the AWD traction gives it all weather ability that you won't get from the BMW. The Civic Type R and Focus RS are much less subtle generally, and more focused as drivers cars. As something to do a load of miles in though, neither appealed as much as the M140i. It depends what you want the car to do.
I was just browsing on Coast 2 Coast and it looks like you can get a brand new car from around £27k which makes it hard to think why you'd look at a used one if it's accurate.
Still racking my brains what else I might want to look at - did find myself searching TTS and S5's yesterday but one of the annoyances is there are so many good cars out there and most of us only get one at a time
I've got the week off so may go do some window shopping.
Still racking my brains what else I might want to look at - did find myself searching TTS and S5's yesterday but one of the annoyances is there are so many good cars out there and most of us only get one at a time
I've got the week off so may go do some window shopping.
Surely test drive your top three, and buy the one you like.
As another poster has said, in the £25-30k hot hatch sector, there aren't any bad cars. There's just cars you personally would like, and cars you personally wouldn't like.
Having said that, there's much to like about the M140i, and not a lot to dislike.
As another poster has said, in the £25-30k hot hatch sector, there aren't any bad cars. There's just cars you personally would like, and cars you personally wouldn't like.
Having said that, there's much to like about the M140i, and not a lot to dislike.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I was just browsing on Coast 2 Coast and it looks like you can get a brand new car from around £27k which makes it hard to think why you'd look at a used one if it's accurate.
That's a good price if they honour it - that was certainly the price for a 3-door in "PCP white" when I bought mine back in March with a generous BMW contribution on offer. TRL tends to be the benchmark for prices and his Q4 prices are here (with a much smaller contribution available): http://www.babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=80&am...Chris
Some of the deals are pretty good. I am seriously considering one. Thinking about downsizing as moving closer to work I don’t think a 10 mile drive one way in a 530d in 20 minutes is a good idea.
Came across an offer for a M140i Shadow Line. 10k miles. £0 deposit. £379 a month. That’s not bad in my eyes.
Came across an offer for a M140i Shadow Line. 10k miles. £0 deposit. £379 a month. That’s not bad in my eyes.
Super_G said:
Some of the deals are pretty good. I am seriously considering one. Thinking about downsizing as moving closer to work I don’t think a 10 mile drive one way in a 530d in 20 minutes is a good idea.
Came across an offer for a M140i Shadow Line. 10k miles. £0 deposit. £379 a month. That’s not bad in my eyes.
That's a 4 year deal though I assume?Came across an offer for a M140i Shadow Line. 10k miles. £0 deposit. £379 a month. That’s not bad in my eyes.
Just came across this https://www.lloydmotorgroup.com/BMW/Current-Offers...
£399 pm x47 , £399 deposit
£399 pm x47 , £399 deposit
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