2014 M135i to New Mini JCW?
Discussion
Just canvassing opinion. I’ve done a couple of “which car to buy next” threads but not chopped in the M135 so far as I do still like it.
Anyway, basically, I’m tempted by a brand new Mini JCW, but wondered if it would feel like a step down from the Beemer. Clearly it has less power, but I just wondered how noticeable this would be in every day driving. I rarely touch a motorway nowadays and my commute to work is 6 miles each way through suburbs and a city.
I have seen on some Mini forums that people have swapped M135is for JCWs with mixed outcomes. I just wondered if anyone on here had driven both so could give some comparison.
Practicality isn’t really an issue so the marginal back seats and boot in the Mini are not a problem. I just want something fun to drive that makes a good noise :-)
I will be test driving the JCW on Weds so won’t be going in blind.
Cheers
Anyway, basically, I’m tempted by a brand new Mini JCW, but wondered if it would feel like a step down from the Beemer. Clearly it has less power, but I just wondered how noticeable this would be in every day driving. I rarely touch a motorway nowadays and my commute to work is 6 miles each way through suburbs and a city.
I have seen on some Mini forums that people have swapped M135is for JCWs with mixed outcomes. I just wondered if anyone on here had driven both so could give some comparison.
Practicality isn’t really an issue so the marginal back seats and boot in the Mini are not a problem. I just want something fun to drive that makes a good noise :-)
I will be test driving the JCW on Weds so won’t be going in blind.
Cheers
A4 cabrio said:
Would be a huge step down imo.
Surely the M135i is a fun drive & aren’t there performance exhaust mods for the M car??
Oh it is fun to drive and does make a good noise. I’ve had it 15 months now (a long time for me!) and am finding myself being tempted by other stuff. Surely the M135i is a fun drive & aren’t there performance exhaust mods for the M car??
Thanks for the reply, I don’t want to end up swapping for swapping’s sake.
I don't think it will be a step backwards the only thing you will miss is the 3.0. Interior wise I think the mini is better than the one series, noise wise the mini with the jcw pro exhaust sounds great. With a remap the minis are seeing 300bhp.
The 135i might feel a little more grown up but for short trips the mini will be perfect.
The 135i might feel a little more grown up but for short trips the mini will be perfect.
Not quite the same but I went from my E90 330i to a New F56 Mini Cooper S and I haven't looked back at all. The Mini is much more fun than the boring/heavy 330i, and the interior in the Mini is much more interesting.
Obviously in your case there will be a significant drop in performance, but what I enjoy about the Mini is that you can use all it's performance for most of the time. It's just so much more fun at lower speeds, whereas I find Bmw's only become fun at silly speeds.
Having said that I still wouldn't say no to a M135i/M235i, because I do imagine that they make a great all round car.
Obviously in your case there will be a significant drop in performance, but what I enjoy about the Mini is that you can use all it's performance for most of the time. It's just so much more fun at lower speeds, whereas I find Bmw's only become fun at silly speeds.
Having said that I still wouldn't say no to a M135i/M235i, because I do imagine that they make a great all round car.
I've had an F56 Cooper S for the last year or so and I love it. Mines has been a bit of a lemon but the consensus is that I've been unlucky - I have a sneaking suspicion it may have been accident damaged, so I wouldn't let that put you off.
I test drove a 125i before ending up in the Mini. It was fully loaded with HK, full leather, widescreen nav etc but in all honesty the Mini felt leagues ahead. It has a very different character being much more playful, encouraging you to rag it whenever possible. Can easily coax a bit of liftoff oversteer if that's your thing.
Obviously I can't speak for the 135i having not driven one but the mini inspired much more confidence pushing on than the 125i did. Test drive one if you can and you'll see what I mean.
If you ended up missing the power of the 135i Burger Motorsports do a JB4 which you've probably heard of. Piggyback ecu with multiple maps loaded, can be switched through the standard dash controls. JCWs usually make around 280-290 bhp on map 2 with Vpower or equivalent. If you were left wanting more a custom map flashed onto the standard ECU should net over 300, even more with an uprated intercooler.
Forgot to mention, MPG isn't great. Averaging 29 over the last 5k but I don't use the motorway that often.
I test drove a 125i before ending up in the Mini. It was fully loaded with HK, full leather, widescreen nav etc but in all honesty the Mini felt leagues ahead. It has a very different character being much more playful, encouraging you to rag it whenever possible. Can easily coax a bit of liftoff oversteer if that's your thing.
Obviously I can't speak for the 135i having not driven one but the mini inspired much more confidence pushing on than the 125i did. Test drive one if you can and you'll see what I mean.
If you ended up missing the power of the 135i Burger Motorsports do a JB4 which you've probably heard of. Piggyback ecu with multiple maps loaded, can be switched through the standard dash controls. JCWs usually make around 280-290 bhp on map 2 with Vpower or equivalent. If you were left wanting more a custom map flashed onto the standard ECU should net over 300, even more with an uprated intercooler.
Forgot to mention, MPG isn't great. Averaging 29 over the last 5k but I don't use the motorway that often.
Edited by Hammy98 on Tuesday 6th March 11:27
I did almost exactly what you are contemplating.
I went from an 2015 M135 to an F56 Cooper S with the JCW Pro Exhaust which also includes an ECU upgrade.
I had 3 reasons for getting rid of the 135.
First was mine had the auto box, which while it is a brilliant gearbox and almost without fault, I felt really removed from the driving experience and dare I say it a little bored by it.
Second was when really pushing on the suspension felt like it was tying itself in knots, almost as if each corner had a different weight spring fitted.
Third was I wanted another motorbike. The money saved on the car paid for an S1000R.
Both cars have most of the available options fitted (apart from heated seats in the Mini which I totally forgot about when placing the order!) so both cars have plenty of toys and decent sound systems.
Without the exhaust turned on the Mini is really civilised and quite. Turn the exhaust on though and it is an absolute riot and pretty anti-social in built-up areas.
Even with the JCW Pro upgrade, it is massively lacking in power compared to the 135, but that isn't any surprise, and really does need to be driven hard to get the best from it.
Ride in the Mini is much more `jiggly' than the BMW.
Seats in the BMW are much nicer.
Brakes in the BMW are far far superior. Though I would hope that the JCW brakes are significantly better than those on the Cooper S because they are quite laughable frankly.
In the dry and on the right road the Mini is more fun overall than BMW I'd say.
But ... And this is a very big but ....
The run flats fitted to my Mini are atrocious. In the wet, I have never had less confidence in a car as I do with the Mini.
Obviously, the decision on which car suits you best, for the needs you have is down to you. But for me the Mini is a big step down from the BMW, but it is a compromise I am happy with as I barely drive the car now and have a 1000cc supernaked in the garage.
I went from an 2015 M135 to an F56 Cooper S with the JCW Pro Exhaust which also includes an ECU upgrade.
I had 3 reasons for getting rid of the 135.
First was mine had the auto box, which while it is a brilliant gearbox and almost without fault, I felt really removed from the driving experience and dare I say it a little bored by it.
Second was when really pushing on the suspension felt like it was tying itself in knots, almost as if each corner had a different weight spring fitted.
Third was I wanted another motorbike. The money saved on the car paid for an S1000R.
Both cars have most of the available options fitted (apart from heated seats in the Mini which I totally forgot about when placing the order!) so both cars have plenty of toys and decent sound systems.
Without the exhaust turned on the Mini is really civilised and quite. Turn the exhaust on though and it is an absolute riot and pretty anti-social in built-up areas.
Even with the JCW Pro upgrade, it is massively lacking in power compared to the 135, but that isn't any surprise, and really does need to be driven hard to get the best from it.
Ride in the Mini is much more `jiggly' than the BMW.
Seats in the BMW are much nicer.
Brakes in the BMW are far far superior. Though I would hope that the JCW brakes are significantly better than those on the Cooper S because they are quite laughable frankly.
In the dry and on the right road the Mini is more fun overall than BMW I'd say.
But ... And this is a very big but ....
The run flats fitted to my Mini are atrocious. In the wet, I have never had less confidence in a car as I do with the Mini.
Obviously, the decision on which car suits you best, for the needs you have is down to you. But for me the Mini is a big step down from the BMW, but it is a compromise I am happy with as I barely drive the car now and have a 1000cc supernaked in the garage.
airsafari87 said:
Ride in the Mini is much more `jiggly' than the BMW.
Seats in the BMW are much nicer.
Brakes in the BMW are far far superior. Though I would hope that the JCW brakes are significantly better than those on the Cooper S because they are quite laughable frankly.
The run flats fitted to my Mini are atrocious. In the wet, I have never had less confidence in a car as I do with the Mini.
I specifically ordered my MCS without run flats(17" wheels) because I hate run flats yet the ride is still poor, although I do have confidence in what it's doing. Seats in the BMW are much nicer.
Brakes in the BMW are far far superior. Though I would hope that the JCW brakes are significantly better than those on the Cooper S because they are quite laughable frankly.
The run flats fitted to my Mini are atrocious. In the wet, I have never had less confidence in a car as I do with the Mini.
Agree that the seats are pretty poor(very hard), and the brakes came as a massive shock to me at first how dire they are! The good thing with the JCW though is that the seats and brakes are different to the MCS.
I found the JCW more of a chuckable, hooligan car and being down on power and having a slightly rattly interior didn’t detract from that on the right road, however as an ownership prospect where I want something that can do fun and also soak up the daily grind (and not rattle!) i plumped for the BM.
Enjoy the test drive!
Chris
Enjoy the test drive!
Chris
I can't really talk about an M135i but I had a f20 125i for 8 months before trading it in for an F56 Challenge(factory remap and pro exhaust over a "normal" cooper S). I owned the challenge for just short of 2 years, the F20 was excellent apart from the engine, which was dire.
The F56 I kept on factory runflats as I had adaptive suspension, however most people swop out from them nearly straightaway due to how hard the ride is as standard.
There was a lot of things I liked about the MINI, That it was more BMW than mini, in regards to the trim and general quality of materials/tech which was in the car certainly made it easier to live with daily. The boot was useless and the rear seats had very minimal leg room if you ever took passengers, I think I used my rear seats twice in the 2 years but the lack of boot space was irritating as even with the seats down, I had trouble fitting a mountain bike in the back!
The pro exhaust is hilarious, it does give more power as well(dyno proven) but having the option to switch it off was very useful. I also had the JCW brake kit fitted to my car, the stock Cooper S brakes are ok until you push them a little bit and they seem to just give up, mine did on Hartside pass! The bigger calipers are much better, however a JCW has a bigger master cylinder afaik so its better again under braking.
Running costs on the mini, I got 44mpg on a long run, 38 on average over 39k miles vs 32mpg on the 125i on the same roads/commute.
Personally, if you have an M135i, depending on spec, its probably worth keeping and spending a bit of money towards upgrades/remap for it. On a short commute, I suspect the MINI would be better on fuel, but its still a FWD 4 cylinder hatch.
If you wanted to map a MINI(or M135i), Dervtech in Manchester seem to be getting good results and just posted about a 350bhp mini with a hybrid turbo fitted.
The F56 I kept on factory runflats as I had adaptive suspension, however most people swop out from them nearly straightaway due to how hard the ride is as standard.
There was a lot of things I liked about the MINI, That it was more BMW than mini, in regards to the trim and general quality of materials/tech which was in the car certainly made it easier to live with daily. The boot was useless and the rear seats had very minimal leg room if you ever took passengers, I think I used my rear seats twice in the 2 years but the lack of boot space was irritating as even with the seats down, I had trouble fitting a mountain bike in the back!
The pro exhaust is hilarious, it does give more power as well(dyno proven) but having the option to switch it off was very useful. I also had the JCW brake kit fitted to my car, the stock Cooper S brakes are ok until you push them a little bit and they seem to just give up, mine did on Hartside pass! The bigger calipers are much better, however a JCW has a bigger master cylinder afaik so its better again under braking.
Running costs on the mini, I got 44mpg on a long run, 38 on average over 39k miles vs 32mpg on the 125i on the same roads/commute.
Personally, if you have an M135i, depending on spec, its probably worth keeping and spending a bit of money towards upgrades/remap for it. On a short commute, I suspect the MINI would be better on fuel, but its still a FWD 4 cylinder hatch.
If you wanted to map a MINI(or M135i), Dervtech in Manchester seem to be getting good results and just posted about a 350bhp mini with a hybrid turbo fitted.
cerb4.5lee said:
I specifically ordered my MCS without run flats(17" wheels) because I hate run flats yet the ride is still poor, although I do have confidence in what it's doing.
.
I tried to order without runflats, and I asked and asked and asked until I was blue in the face, but they resolutely refused to supply it without them. This was supposedly due to the wheel choice we made, but I seriously doubt that..
The poor ride I could live with, but the shocking levels of grip in the wet are a huge problem for me. In the dry they are absolutely fine. I have taken it over Hartside Pass a few times in the summer and never really found the car to be lacking in grip.
Thanks for the replies everybody; some useful insights there.
I went for the test drive this evening and absolutely loved the car. It didn’t feel much slower than the Beemer in the real world and the crackles and pops from the exhaust were sublime! The interior quality was comparable, too.
Everything was going great until we got on to talking figures. They always let you fall in love before snatching it all away with big numbers. Alas, we were too far apart. They did offer a car within budget, but with no extras and in a colour I wasn’t too keen on. If it had had sat nav and been the right colour I’d have jumped there and then.
Anyway, I’m off to Carwow to see if I can get a factory order in budget! It’s doubtful though; most dealers only want to shift the unregistered stock cars they have, especially with the facelift on the way.
I went for the test drive this evening and absolutely loved the car. It didn’t feel much slower than the Beemer in the real world and the crackles and pops from the exhaust were sublime! The interior quality was comparable, too.
Everything was going great until we got on to talking figures. They always let you fall in love before snatching it all away with big numbers. Alas, we were too far apart. They did offer a car within budget, but with no extras and in a colour I wasn’t too keen on. If it had had sat nav and been the right colour I’d have jumped there and then.
Anyway, I’m off to Carwow to see if I can get a factory order in budget! It’s doubtful though; most dealers only want to shift the unregistered stock cars they have, especially with the facelift on the way.
steve-5snwi said:
Why not go for a used one, JCW exhaust and an Evolve remap, pro nav, heated seats, head up display, HK, pan roof and heated screen and you have a great car ... oh, thats my spec 
I’ll have a look at nearly new/used ones. I would like to buy approved used if I did this, but BMW/Mini seem to have a fixed interest rate of 10.9% on approved used and won’t flex like they do on new vehicles so it normally ends up being cheaper per month to buy new, bizarrely. If I’m swapping the M135i, I really want something quite a bit newer, with lower mileage if I’m stepping down a theoretical class. The M135 only has about 31k on the clock, so below average as it is. A dealer backed warranty would be nice as well.
The search continues...
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