135i DCT Review - First thoughts
Discussion
Well, after 6 happy years, it’s finally goodbye to the 130i. After procrastinating for months and months, I’ve finally done it. Goodbye to a car that took us all over the country and all around Europe, up to 155mph on an airfield, lugged windsurfing equipment down to the coast, moved house, carried our first child, blasted round the Nurburgring, mixed it with supercars on the Bedford Autodrome and even did a few trips to the dump!. Cracking car.
I bid it a fond farewell last week, having tearfully handed over the keys to its new owner (OK, there were no tears, but I was genuinely sorry to see it go). I really struggled to find a suitable replacement as it was just such a brilliant all rounder. The beauty of the 130i is that it felt special every time you started up (owing to its rich, classy, expensive sounding straight six), went like a bat out of hell, but as it was a hatch, was still practical enough day-to-day to do the practical stuff.
Still, I’m more than happy with its replacement........a 2011 model year 135i DCT!
I spent months and months deciding on what to replace my 130i with. The test drive list was long and varied. I drove an 06 Cayman S, an 08 313Bhp 350Z, a 2005 M3 CS, a 2009 Mx5 Sport Tech, an 08 R32 DSG, an 08 MINI JCW, a Clio Sport 200 Cup, and a Honda S2000. After much deliberation I decided the next car had to be rear drive, comfortable on the motorway (which struck the 350Z off my list as tyre roar at speed was phenomenal!), well built, have an Auto/Dual Clutch Gearbox (as I spend a lot of time in heavy West London traffic), sound good, not cost the earth to run, insure and maintain, have a decent stereo and standard specification, and above all, be fun to drive.
So, after months of research, I’ve ended up with a 2010 BMW 135i DCT Coupe. It’s in Space Grey metallic, has Leather, heated seats, Xenons, Pro Navigation, Bluetooth, DAB stereo, BMW Assist, BMW Online, Cruise Control, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, iphone integration, USB socket etc etc! It really is stacked with tech.
1st impressions are that it rides better than the 130i, stops better (with its 6 piston Brembo sourced callipers), goes a LOT faster and changes gear like a race car. It’s a mini GTR! Put your foot down and the exhaust makes a very fruity V6-like blare, and off you go, surfing a huge wave of torque that (according to Car and Driver magazine) punts you from 0-60 in 4.9 and 0-100 in 10 seconds. I can't get over how different the N55 135i DCT sounds to my old 130i. On start up it sounds a lot throatier and under hard acceleration it snarls and gargles away - sounding much more aggressive than the creamy smooth 130i. The best thing is that if you back off after accelerating, the exhaust pops and burbles on the over-run. I didn't think I would, but I prefer the sound to that of my old 130i.
Now to the gearbox. The DCT box is the best compromise currently available if you don't want to lose the control of a manual but 90% of the time want the convenience of an auto. If you leave the car in Full Auto mode, the car will behave just like a traditional torque-converter automatic. Gear changes are smooth and seamless, but I do find that there is a little bit of dead travel in the throttle when moving away from standstill and throttle response is a little tardy in full auto mode. It's best used when you just want to waft along with the traffic. This tardiness can be improved by pressing the Sport button (which sharpens throttle response), or better still, by moving to full Manual mode, or Sport Auto mode. Sport Auto mode means the engine will maximise acceleration for you by dropping down the gears and holding onto them for longer under hard acceleration. Full Manual mode leaves you in control of when you change gear. The final and most brutal mode is full manual, with the Sport button pressed, which really slams the gears home and you get a bit of a kick in the back on each upshift.
I find full manual, without the Sport button pressed is the best for fast smooth driving and seems more mechanically sympathetic than full manual with sport button pressed.
I've only experienced two disappointments with it. 1. The gearbox will change up for you - even in full manual mode - if you hit the redline 2. The other day I was in full manual, dropped from 5th to 3rd for a fast overtake, pressed hard down on the throttle and the box kicked down to 2nd (without me asking it to) in order to give me maximum thrust. I guess there's always a computer in the background trying to interpret your commands, rather than the direct interface between man and machine that a clutch and stick give you.
All in all though, it's a great box and a perfect compromise for everyday driving.
The ride is also a really pleasant surprise. It's so much better than the 130i. My car is on non-run flats, which may have something to do with it, but the suspension in the 135i feels much better resolved and deals with bumps with aplomb rather than crashing around. The 130i with Goodyear NCTs felt like it had lead weights attached to each corner sometimes! The 135i is still firm, but is absorbent too.
I'm also very impressed with the 6-piston Brembo brakes. They are powerful and progressive with instant bite from the top of the pedal. I think they'll stand up to hard use better than those on the 130i.
I'm chuffed to bits with the 135i - it's a great upgrade from the 130i. In fact, I think its the best all round "sleeper" performance car available right now. I love the fact that it's a bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing compared to an M3, - it looks fairly innocuous, yet it has the pace to keep up with a lot of far more expensive, supposedly more exotic, machinery.
The final icing on the cake is that my car came with BMW's 5 year, 60000 mile maintenance package - so no more servicing costs for me for the next few years I'm really looking forward to life with the 135i DCT - I'm sure we'll have many adventures, just as I did with the 130i. I know I made the right choice for me and look forward to sharing my experiences with you over the coming months/years!
I bid it a fond farewell last week, having tearfully handed over the keys to its new owner (OK, there were no tears, but I was genuinely sorry to see it go). I really struggled to find a suitable replacement as it was just such a brilliant all rounder. The beauty of the 130i is that it felt special every time you started up (owing to its rich, classy, expensive sounding straight six), went like a bat out of hell, but as it was a hatch, was still practical enough day-to-day to do the practical stuff.
Still, I’m more than happy with its replacement........a 2011 model year 135i DCT!
I spent months and months deciding on what to replace my 130i with. The test drive list was long and varied. I drove an 06 Cayman S, an 08 313Bhp 350Z, a 2005 M3 CS, a 2009 Mx5 Sport Tech, an 08 R32 DSG, an 08 MINI JCW, a Clio Sport 200 Cup, and a Honda S2000. After much deliberation I decided the next car had to be rear drive, comfortable on the motorway (which struck the 350Z off my list as tyre roar at speed was phenomenal!), well built, have an Auto/Dual Clutch Gearbox (as I spend a lot of time in heavy West London traffic), sound good, not cost the earth to run, insure and maintain, have a decent stereo and standard specification, and above all, be fun to drive.
So, after months of research, I’ve ended up with a 2010 BMW 135i DCT Coupe. It’s in Space Grey metallic, has Leather, heated seats, Xenons, Pro Navigation, Bluetooth, DAB stereo, BMW Assist, BMW Online, Cruise Control, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, iphone integration, USB socket etc etc! It really is stacked with tech.
1st impressions are that it rides better than the 130i, stops better (with its 6 piston Brembo sourced callipers), goes a LOT faster and changes gear like a race car. It’s a mini GTR! Put your foot down and the exhaust makes a very fruity V6-like blare, and off you go, surfing a huge wave of torque that (according to Car and Driver magazine) punts you from 0-60 in 4.9 and 0-100 in 10 seconds. I can't get over how different the N55 135i DCT sounds to my old 130i. On start up it sounds a lot throatier and under hard acceleration it snarls and gargles away - sounding much more aggressive than the creamy smooth 130i. The best thing is that if you back off after accelerating, the exhaust pops and burbles on the over-run. I didn't think I would, but I prefer the sound to that of my old 130i.
Now to the gearbox. The DCT box is the best compromise currently available if you don't want to lose the control of a manual but 90% of the time want the convenience of an auto. If you leave the car in Full Auto mode, the car will behave just like a traditional torque-converter automatic. Gear changes are smooth and seamless, but I do find that there is a little bit of dead travel in the throttle when moving away from standstill and throttle response is a little tardy in full auto mode. It's best used when you just want to waft along with the traffic. This tardiness can be improved by pressing the Sport button (which sharpens throttle response), or better still, by moving to full Manual mode, or Sport Auto mode. Sport Auto mode means the engine will maximise acceleration for you by dropping down the gears and holding onto them for longer under hard acceleration. Full Manual mode leaves you in control of when you change gear. The final and most brutal mode is full manual, with the Sport button pressed, which really slams the gears home and you get a bit of a kick in the back on each upshift.
I find full manual, without the Sport button pressed is the best for fast smooth driving and seems more mechanically sympathetic than full manual with sport button pressed.
I've only experienced two disappointments with it. 1. The gearbox will change up for you - even in full manual mode - if you hit the redline 2. The other day I was in full manual, dropped from 5th to 3rd for a fast overtake, pressed hard down on the throttle and the box kicked down to 2nd (without me asking it to) in order to give me maximum thrust. I guess there's always a computer in the background trying to interpret your commands, rather than the direct interface between man and machine that a clutch and stick give you.
All in all though, it's a great box and a perfect compromise for everyday driving.
The ride is also a really pleasant surprise. It's so much better than the 130i. My car is on non-run flats, which may have something to do with it, but the suspension in the 135i feels much better resolved and deals with bumps with aplomb rather than crashing around. The 130i with Goodyear NCTs felt like it had lead weights attached to each corner sometimes! The 135i is still firm, but is absorbent too.
I'm also very impressed with the 6-piston Brembo brakes. They are powerful and progressive with instant bite from the top of the pedal. I think they'll stand up to hard use better than those on the 130i.
I'm chuffed to bits with the 135i - it's a great upgrade from the 130i. In fact, I think its the best all round "sleeper" performance car available right now. I love the fact that it's a bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing compared to an M3, - it looks fairly innocuous, yet it has the pace to keep up with a lot of far more expensive, supposedly more exotic, machinery.
The final icing on the cake is that my car came with BMW's 5 year, 60000 mile maintenance package - so no more servicing costs for me for the next few years I'm really looking forward to life with the 135i DCT - I'm sure we'll have many adventures, just as I did with the 130i. I know I made the right choice for me and look forward to sharing my experiences with you over the coming months/years!
Cracking car. Very very jealous!
Perfect colour combo as well.
In your 130i garage entry you said :
'The next car has to...do north of 35mpg'
Are you seeing that so far? I *think* the 2011 MY has the single twinscroll turbo over the older twin turbo setup and BMW do quote that figure as being attainable?
Perfect colour combo as well.
In your 130i garage entry you said :
'The next car has to...do north of 35mpg'
Are you seeing that so far? I *think* the 2011 MY has the single twinscroll turbo over the older twin turbo setup and BMW do quote that figure as being attainable?
No - not seeing that so far. The car seems to average about 33mpg on the motorway but in mixed driving, so far my first tank of fuel was 26mpg. I don't think I'll be getting 35mpg+ as BMW quote a combined average of 33mpg. If I average 29-30 I'll be happy 
It's difficult to stay away from the loud pedal though!
It's difficult to stay away from the loud pedal though!Do the early 135i's with the N54 suffer with the same HPFP, injector and coil issues like the N54 335i's do? I also understand that the N55's don't quite have the same tuning capacity due to the single turbo. I suspect that you'll be leaving the car stock to maintain the warranty anyway! Just out of interest did you mod the 130?
Cracking choice there....
The wifes 1M with mixed driving is currently returning just a smidge over 30MPG. My 35iS (dct) is returning 32mpg (39-40mpg on an extended eco run). This is on boggo 95 fuel as where we live you can't get any higher than 97 and even that's hard to come by.
I know it depends on where you drive but 35mpg should be achievable.
Also with the changing down when you floor it. Try and avoid hitting the kickdown button under the go pedal.
HPFP issue seems to have been sorted with the new part. No failures since the Z4iS was released (that i've heard) and all HPFP on earlier cars are being covered for an extended period.
The wifes 1M with mixed driving is currently returning just a smidge over 30MPG. My 35iS (dct) is returning 32mpg (39-40mpg on an extended eco run). This is on boggo 95 fuel as where we live you can't get any higher than 97 and even that's hard to come by.
I know it depends on where you drive but 35mpg should be achievable.
Also with the changing down when you floor it. Try and avoid hitting the kickdown button under the go pedal.
HPFP issue seems to have been sorted with the new part. No failures since the Z4iS was released (that i've heard) and all HPFP on earlier cars are being covered for an extended period.
Edited by V8A*ndy on Wednesday 25th January 21:40
Crackie said:
Enjoyed the review............
Wow ~ C&D managed 60~100 in 5.1 seconds !! 210Hp per T cars should not ( imho can't ) do that even with a DCT box.
Rated power vs what they actually generate though?Wow ~ C&D managed 60~100 in 5.1 seconds !! 210Hp per T cars should not ( imho can't ) do that even with a DCT box.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 26th January 00:55
Probably making more power...
Dave
Mr Whippy said:
Crackie said:
Enjoyed the review............
Wow ~ C&D managed 60~100 in 5.1 seconds !! 210Hp per T cars should not ( imho can't ) do that even with a DCT box.
Rated power vs what they actually generate though?Wow ~ C&D managed 60~100 in 5.1 seconds !! 210Hp per T cars should not ( imho can't ) do that even with a DCT box.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 26th January 00:55
Probably making more power...
Dave
I do appreciate BMW are conservative with their standard N54/N55 figures ~ the N54 in my 335i was good for 316Hp and 338 lb-ft of torque.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 26th January 11:07
Crackie said:
250+ per ton ( power and torque ) would achieve 60-100 in 5.1 ~ that would mean a standard 135i had 390~400 of each which, I think is, unlikely.
I do appreciate BMW are conservative with their standard N54/N55 figures ~ the N54 in my 335i was good for 316Hp and 338 lb-ft of torque.
Don't believe the car and driver figures. That magazine gives absurdly quick figures for many, many many cars; seems to be incomparable to what all the UK magazines achieve with identical cars. I'd go with an Autocar or Evo figure I do appreciate BMW are conservative with their standard N54/N55 figures ~ the N54 in my 335i was good for 316Hp and 338 lb-ft of torque.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 26th January 11:07
. (edit: a quick google shows them figuring the c63 and with a 0-60 of 3.7s. Right. http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2012-merce...I like the car, looks good, in fact I'm considering. Put off by the dodgy sounding ride on early cars though. Also, is it possible to get a wood interior rather than the silver trim, I just don't like the silver 'aluminium' and am not too hot on fake carbon fibre either.
Edited by Pentoman on Thursday 26th January 11:30
Pentoman said:
Crackie said:
250+ per ton ( power and torque ) would achieve 60-100 in 5.1 ~ that would mean a standard 135i had 390~400 of each which, I think is, unlikely.
I do appreciate BMW are conservative with their standard N54/N55 figures ~ the N54 in my 335i was good for 316Hp and 338 lb-ft of torque.
Don't believe the car and driver figures. I do appreciate BMW are conservative with their standard N54/N55 figures ~ the N54 in my 335i was good for 316Hp and 338 lb-ft of torque.
daveknott5 is clearly enojying his new car, it looks great and I enjoyed his review too. I was just trying to employ some tact pointing out the unrealistic performance figures.
Edited by Crackie on Thursday 26th January 14:28
Thanks Dave. Very interesting write up.
I've had my 130 for nearly four years now and I've no plans to change at the moment; but in an idle mind I do wonder what next, and without ever having driven one, this would probably be near the top of my list. The only thing which puts me off is the lack of rear doors, given that I have a family - any thoughts on that?
While I could afford M3s and M5s, the costs far outweigh the benefits when compared to a 130. The 130 is really fast enough, it costs peanuts to tax, insure and service; with careful use it will also do more than 30mpg.
135 is also quite discreet and rare, which appeals.
I've had my 130 for nearly four years now and I've no plans to change at the moment; but in an idle mind I do wonder what next, and without ever having driven one, this would probably be near the top of my list. The only thing which puts me off is the lack of rear doors, given that I have a family - any thoughts on that?
While I could afford M3s and M5s, the costs far outweigh the benefits when compared to a 130. The 130 is really fast enough, it costs peanuts to tax, insure and service; with careful use it will also do more than 30mpg.
135 is also quite discreet and rare, which appeals.
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