135i owners......

[Big E 118]

Hi, I'm currently knocking round in an e92 325i Coupe and have been looking at a few cars for an upgrade. The list includes 911 C2 (not that impressed for the cost), GTR (wow, but £££ to run), M3 Coupe (v nice but looks too similar to current car), XFR (massive engine, I'm not 40 yet).

Anyway the other day I had a very brief go in a colleagues 135i and wow, that has got real performance for the price level! I'm tempted to go for a few tests of these but really know very little about them so any owners that can give me some pros and cons would be very helpful!

Also, anyone got the DCT gearbox? Anyone used any of the BMW performance upgrades available, i.e intake/brakes/exhaust, not steering wheel with lights on!

Thanks for any feedback guys.

[aeropilot]

I'm also looking at them (as well as a M3 and a XKR) ...... but they are few and far between used, so will have to consider new....which is what you'd have to do to get the DCT, as that's only been available for a few months.

There's a few guys with DCT 135i over on here http://www.babybmw.net/forum/index.php so worth asking questions there.

[Big E 118]

aeropilot said:

I'm also looking at them (as well as a M3 and a XKR) ...... but they are few and far between used, so will have to consider new....which is what you'd have to do to get the DCT, as that's only been available for a few months.

There's a few guys with DCT 135i over on here http://www.babybmw.net/forum/index.php so worth asking questions there.

Yeah have noticed there's very few around but as they're cheaper than the other options I was looking at I could consider new.

Thanks for the link!

[greygoose]

I've got the normal manual gearbox with none of the performance parts yet.

Pros:

Excellent performance and good handling
Brakes are very good
More comfortable ride than previous Z4C
Car isn't as bulky as a 3 series
Lots of torque if you're feeling lazy with the gears
Seats 4 in reasonable comfort

Cons:

Tyres are pricey (you can change from RFT if you want)
Looks are a bit challenging from some angles
Standard stereo is a bit lame, but that is easy to rectify.

This is a good site too for modifications etc 1addicts

[RobM77]

I looked at these before buying my Z4 Coupé:

pros:
Good handling.
nicely engineered turbos with barely perceptible lag and they give a really nice delivery to the engine.
Really nicely judged suspension setup - not too sloppy, but the ride is fine.
four seats, boot, roof rack etc.
quite quick in a straight line.

cons:
Awful throttle delay on the car I drove. It put me right off.
Not the best looking car out there.
Nearly as big and as heavy as a 3 series (check the weights and dimensions), which has a better driving position, more space, and less challenging looks.

[pilchardthecat]

RobM77 said:

I looked at these before buying my Z4 Coupé:

pros:
Good handling.
nicely engineered turbos with barely perceptible lag and they give a really nice delivery to the engine.
Really nicely judged suspension setup - not too sloppy, but the ride is fine.
four seats, boot, roof rack etc.
quite quick in a straight line.

cons:
Awful throttle delay on the car I drove. It put me right off.
Not the best looking car out there.
Nearly as big and as heavy as a 3 series (check the weights and dimensions), which has a better driving position, more space, and less challenging looks.
Engine has great mid-range, but fizzles out over 5,500 rpm. If you're one of those people who gets used to the performance of a car quickly, you will get bored of it in a week or two.

you missed one

[RobM77]

pilchardthecat said:

RobM77 said:

I looked at these before buying my Z4 Coupé:

pros:
Good handling.
nicely engineered turbos with barely perceptible lag and they give a really nice delivery to the engine.
Really nicely judged suspension setup - not too sloppy, but the ride is fine.
four seats, boot, roof rack etc.
quite quick in a straight line.

cons:
Awful throttle delay on the car I drove. It put me right off.
Not the best looking car out there.
Nearly as big and as heavy as a 3 series (check the weights and dimensions), which has a better driving position, more space, and less challenging looks.
Engine has great mid-range, but fizzles out over 5,500 rpm. If you're one of those people who gets used to the performance of a car quickly, you will get bored of it in a week or two.

you missed one

I'm not really interested in straight line pace, so that doesn't bother me.