RE: BMW M135i: Spotted
Discussion
I've heard the "normal" audio back to back with the HK and it's a night and day difference if you appreciate decent audio.
It's not "the best ever", but certainly more than good enough to not have to consider upgrading.
Regarding the pro nav, you can split screen things on it (EG I have my last 32 minutes of fuel economy on the left half and nav on the right half).
Pro nav also includes the extended bluetooth which gives you audio streaming so well worth going for.
The little screen looks horrible in comparison!
It's not "the best ever", but certainly more than good enough to not have to consider upgrading.
Regarding the pro nav, you can split screen things on it (EG I have my last 32 minutes of fuel economy on the left half and nav on the right half).
Pro nav also includes the extended bluetooth which gives you audio streaming so well worth going for.
The little screen looks horrible in comparison!
ManOpener said:
sidesauce said:
That's a pretty good colour combo and the mileage isn't astronomical for the year either. Someone will definitely be enjoying themselves with that!
Same colours inside and out as my 40i. With the older ones like this now out of warranty, I'd be sourcing some Bilstiens or KWs along with the M4 control arms and tension struts, dropping in a Quaife differential, sourcing some nice lightweight wheels and then just enjoying it. That's certainly what I plan to do when the 3 years are up on mine.
Isnt the engine a fairly close relative of the M3/4 unit ? no wonder they detuned it and made it so the chassis doesnt work as well as it could, otherwise it could be a bit too close ?
xjay1337 said:
I've heard the "normal" audio back to back with the HK and it's a night and day difference if you appreciate decent audio.
It's not "the best ever", but certainly more than good enough to not have to consider upgrading.
Regarding the pro nav, you can split screen things on it (EG I have my last 32 minutes of fuel economy on the left half and nav on the right half).
Pro nav also includes the extended bluetooth which gives you audio streaming so well worth going for.
The little screen looks horrible in comparison!
I dont turn it up that loud to really notice, I believe there are actually three levels of audio anyway, so depends if you get the bottom one or middle, when I was looking about one in ten had Pro Nav and HK, plus I find all you can hear is road/tyre noise above forty anyway.It's not "the best ever", but certainly more than good enough to not have to consider upgrading.
Regarding the pro nav, you can split screen things on it (EG I have my last 32 minutes of fuel economy on the left half and nav on the right half).
Pro nav also includes the extended bluetooth which gives you audio streaming so well worth going for.
The little screen looks horrible in comparison!
Mine streams Audio from my phone and does calls, it would be nice to have it but I couldn't be faffed traipsing up and down the country trying to get one with stuff that was nice to have for me, rather than essential, the BMW agent a mile from home happened to have two cars, one a grey 3 door manual with HK and an MPE and an Estoril Blue 5 door auto, after looking at a couple of substandard ones the one I bought felt like a new car, could have spent longer looking but it becomes all consuming checking the classifieds, arranging weekends round viewings and you are into non franchised dealers.
"The little screen looks horrible in comparison" Oh come on mate, you drove round in a stickered up Scirocco for ages so i am sure you could cope with a slightly inferior infotainment screen if push came to shove
Will run it for a couple of years and see how I go, I cant imagine wanting to go much faster, I know they arent the fastest thing around, plenty faster but already end up going too fast too easily.
The basic strengths of the car are the same whatever spec you get, I decided not to get too hung up on stuff, main choices are number of doors, colour and gearbox, the rest is generally garnish, especially, if, like me you dont do huge miles.
Pro-nav wasn't important when searching for mine; the extra features are just fluff (for me anyway, it's all subjective!) and the underlying navigation is the same. I find the nav is crap compared to google maps anyway when factoring in traffic. The business nav screen is big enough and clear enough to my eyes.
My main struggle was finding a passive dampered manual 5 door in blue or orange that wasn't hundreds of miles away! I would've liked the HK, though; the boggo sound I have is fine for radio but doesn't have the depth of sound to properly enjoy music. The interior is refined enough to warrant a decent stereo IMO, especially if you get rid of the silly engine noise over the speakers...
I like my M135i but I don't love it like I've loved lesser cars (on paper) that I've owned in the past. It's a great all round package though and has proven a worthy family vehicle thus far in my year of ownership.
My main struggle was finding a passive dampered manual 5 door in blue or orange that wasn't hundreds of miles away! I would've liked the HK, though; the boggo sound I have is fine for radio but doesn't have the depth of sound to properly enjoy music. The interior is refined enough to warrant a decent stereo IMO, especially if you get rid of the silly engine noise over the speakers...
I like my M135i but I don't love it like I've loved lesser cars (on paper) that I've owned in the past. It's a great all round package though and has proven a worthy family vehicle thus far in my year of ownership.
xjay1337 said:
I've heard the "normal" audio back to back with the HK and it's a night and day difference if you appreciate decent audio.
It's not "the best ever", but certainly more than good enough to not have to consider upgrading.
I had the HK audio in my F56 MINI, assume it's a very similar setup to that in the BMW. Fantastic system IMO, it's nice to be able to sit and enjoy it while on a long drive.It's not "the best ever", but certainly more than good enough to not have to consider upgrading.
J4CKO said:
plus certain key mods like an LSD will add some value, maybe not two grand but it will add something, plus you can perhaps return it to standard (not sure how big a job it is)
Second hand diffs go for not much less than new ones. If you go for the BMWP one, you get the old one back, so you can just turn it back to standard and sell the P jobbie. Only end up losing £2-300 for an enhancement that makes, IMO, an absolutely phenomenal difference.J4CKO said:
Isnt the engine a fairly close relative of the M3/4 unit ?
Kinda loosely related, open versus closed deck design, single versus twin turbo. Unlike the B58, you can get aftermarket turbos and proper custom maps for the N55. The Speedtech Stage 3 kit is apparently good for 750 wheel horsepower (!)bodhi said:
I'm going to regret asking this but.....
Has anyone driven one of these and a 1 Series Coupé, preferably the 125i, who can offer a comparison from behind the wheel?
Not exactly, but I have had a manual 2014 5dr M135i, then a manual E92 (coupe) 325i, and currently have a manual 2006 5dr 130i.Has anyone driven one of these and a 1 Series Coupé, preferably the 125i, who can offer a comparison from behind the wheel?
The M135i was a 2 yr lease. Overall a terrific road car, but the suspension struggles to cope with the torque and it's very easy to spin up the inside rear wheel. The steering was a bit artificial and too light in eco/normal, and too heavy in sport/sport+. I found the gearbox a little notchy and it wasn't keen on being driven from cold, but fine once warmed up. It really was a rapid car and surprisingly economical. The interior was nice but some parts felt cheap.
Once the M135i went back i decided to buy something that addressed some of the issues i had with it, but kept some of the good bits. I wanted N/A rather than turbo'd and wanted something nicer looking. The E92s are a handsome car and a 325i (3.0) came up for decent money. It had pro-nav and as an LCI car it was very similar to the system in the M135i. The interior felt a step up and the whole thing felt special. The downside was that the 325i in 3.0 form uses an N53 engine, which has some reliability concerns and is also lacking any real drama or noise. TBH i just got a bit bored as it wasn't a patch on the M135i's power delivery. And also i found it wasn't practical enough for the kids.
A 130i came up for sensible money with 1 previous owner, 48k miles, full history and having been under warranty from new. I snapped it up within 12 hrs of it being on AT. It's the SE model so doesn't have M-sport suspension or seats (which is a negative as the m-sport seats are nicer). It has no nav (a good thing as that generation is terrible). It has hydraulic steering which is much nicer. And the N52 engine is a peach. It's only 50-60 bhp down on the M135i and a big chunk of torque down too, but somehow i prefer that as it doesn't overwhelm the chassis so much. I plan on keeping it for a very long time indeed. It feels like it gives me plenty of the benefits of the M135i (namely a beast of an engine, RWD, manual, 5 doors), but at a fraction of the cost (well, if you can find a good one!).
HTH
Edited by PTF on Tuesday 24th July 16:13
J4CKO said:
I dont turn it up that loud to really notice, I believe there are actually three levels of audio anyway, so depends if you get the bottom one or middle, when I was looking about one in ten had Pro Nav and HK, plus I find all you can hear is road/tyre noise above forty anyway.
Mine streams Audio from my phone and does calls, it would be nice to have it but I couldn't be faffed traipsing up and down the country trying to get one with stuff that was nice to have for me, rather than essential, the BMW agent a mile from home happened to have two cars, one a grey 3 door manual with HK and an MPE and an Estoril Blue 5 door auto, after looking at a couple of substandard ones the one I bought felt like a new car, could have spent longer looking but it becomes all consuming checking the classifieds, arranging weekends round viewings and you are into non franchised dealers.
"The little screen looks horrible in comparison" Oh come on mate, you drove round in a stickered up Scirocco for ages so i am sure you could cope with a slightly inferior infotainment screen if push came to shove
Will run it for a couple of years and see how I go, I cant imagine wanting to go much faster, I know they arent the fastest thing around, plenty faster but already end up going too fast too easily.
The basic strengths of the car are the same whatever spec you get, I decided not to get too hung up on stuff, main choices are number of doors, colour and gearbox, the rest is generally garnish, especially, if, like me you dont do huge miles.
Haha.Mine streams Audio from my phone and does calls, it would be nice to have it but I couldn't be faffed traipsing up and down the country trying to get one with stuff that was nice to have for me, rather than essential, the BMW agent a mile from home happened to have two cars, one a grey 3 door manual with HK and an MPE and an Estoril Blue 5 door auto, after looking at a couple of substandard ones the one I bought felt like a new car, could have spent longer looking but it becomes all consuming checking the classifieds, arranging weekends round viewings and you are into non franchised dealers.
"The little screen looks horrible in comparison" Oh come on mate, you drove round in a stickered up Scirocco for ages so i am sure you could cope with a slightly inferior infotainment screen if push came to shove
Will run it for a couple of years and see how I go, I cant imagine wanting to go much faster, I know they arent the fastest thing around, plenty faster but already end up going too fast too easily.
The basic strengths of the car are the same whatever spec you get, I decided not to get too hung up on stuff, main choices are number of doors, colour and gearbox, the rest is generally garnish, especially, if, like me you dont do huge miles.
I guess, but to me it does look proper poverty spec having the small screen.
Lucky for me the car I bought belonged to a friend so it was an easy decision, but I was waiting for the right car. For £4k I can compromise on a few things but when I'm spending £17k or so then I want exactly what I want! :-)
I mean essential is just an engine and some wheels? But I wouldn't buy a Lada
ManOpener said:
J4CKO said:
plus certain key mods like an LSD will add some value, maybe not two grand but it will add something, plus you can perhaps return it to standard (not sure how big a job it is)
Second hand diffs go for not much less than new ones. If you go for the BMWP one, you get the old one back, so you can just turn it back to standard and sell the P jobbie. Only end up losing £2-300 for an enhancement that makes, IMO, an absolutely phenomenal difference.J4CKO said:
Isnt the engine a fairly close relative of the M3/4 unit ?
Kinda loosely related, open versus closed deck design, single versus twin turbo. Unlike the B58, you can get aftermarket turbos and proper custom maps for the N55. The Speedtech Stage 3 kit is apparently good for 750 wheel horsepower (!)Its a medium sized hatchback with a little tweak that now is in the ball park of a Lotus Carlton power wise, with less weight, shows how far the game has moved on, modern equivalents of the LC have 600 plus bhp now.
I have an LCI M135i that I've had for about 15 months. I absolutely love it and one of the things that's really made it so good (and its one thing I thought I wouldn't get on a second hand one, as not many have it) is the adaptive suspension. This is a great option that gives a really smooth ride in 'comfort' mode and then in 'sports' mode it stiffens up quite nicely to just give it that sportier edge without being too harsh. It also give a 10mm drop in ride height so the whole car looks a little meaner! Most I tried were the standard passive setup and I must say that the difference is quite amazing. I think for only £550 option most people should have gone for this (and they probably would have if they could have tried it).
Article fails to mention the 130i which was the first 3.0 6 cylinder hatchback 1 series which came out in 2005 and is actually a bloody cracking car and amazing VFM. Not as fast as M135i but from my experience much more fun to drive as you have to rev it out and feels a lot more of a drivers car.
M135i is an unbelievable package though and sooooo much more appealing than the generic VAG 4 pot’s which sound horrendous, the only other hot hatch i’d Have over the M135i/40i is an Audi RS3 as for me the noise a car makes is one of the biggest factors. I’d definitely be sorting out the suspension issues of the M135i to put a bit of feel back into it though, have been on many runs in my car against M135i’s and they always struggle with traction from start
M135i is an unbelievable package though and sooooo much more appealing than the generic VAG 4 pot’s which sound horrendous, the only other hot hatch i’d Have over the M135i/40i is an Audi RS3 as for me the noise a car makes is one of the biggest factors. I’d definitely be sorting out the suspension issues of the M135i to put a bit of feel back into it though, have been on many runs in my car against M135i’s and they always struggle with traction from start
PTF said:
bodhi said:
I'm going to regret asking this but.....
Has anyone driven one of these and a 1 Series Coupé, preferably the 125i, who can offer a comparison from behind the wheel?
Not exactly, but I have had a manual 2014 5dr M135i, then a manual E92 (coupe) 325i, and currently have a manual 2006 5dr 130i.Has anyone driven one of these and a 1 Series Coupé, preferably the 125i, who can offer a comparison from behind the wheel?
The M135i was a 2 yr lease. Overall a terrific road car, but the suspension struggles to cope with the torque and it's very easy to spin up the inside rear wheel. The steering was a bit artificial and too light in eco/normal, and too heavy in sport/sport+. I found the gearbox a little notchy and it wasn't keen on being driven from cold, but fine once warmed up. It really was a rapid car and surprisingly economical. The interior was nice but some parts felt cheap.
Once the M135i went back i decided to buy something that addressed some of the issues i had with it, but kept some of the good bits. I wanted N/A rather than turbo'd and wanted something nicer looking. The E92s are a handsome car and a 325i (3.0) came up for decent money. It had pro-nav and as an LCI car it was very similar to the system in the M135i. The interior felt a step up and the whole thing felt special. The downside was that the 325i in 3.0 form uses an N53 engine, which has some reliability concerns and is also lacking any real drama or noise. TBH i just got a bit bored as it wasn't a patch on the M135i's power delivery. And also i found it wasn't practical enough for the kids.
A 130i came up for sensible money with 1 previous owner, 48k miles, full history and having been under warranty from new. I snapped it up within 12 hrs of it being on AT. It's the SE model so doesn't have M-sport suspension or seats (which is a negative as the m-sport seats are nicer). It has no nav (a good thing as that generation is terrible). It has hydraulic steering which is much nicer. And the N52 engine is a peach. It's only 50-60 bhp down on the M135i and a big chunk of torque down too, but somehow i prefer that as it doesn't overwhelm the chassis so much. I plan on keeping it for a very long time indeed. It feels like it gives me plenty of the benefits of the M135i (namely a beast of an engine, RWD, manual, 5 doors), but at a fraction of the cost (well, if you can find a good one!).
HTH
Edited by PTF on Tuesday 24th July 16:13
I think your post may have saved my bank account and domestic harmony, so thanks for that
I bought an M235i recently (Same as a 1 but with a boot not a hatch)
Stunning bit of kit and fully loaded.
Pro Nav - Essential (IMHO)
Auto - Great for pootling and easy progress - Flappy paddle mode is lovely much faster changing than the manual.
Full Black Panel Display - Does clever things in between the round dials such as sat nav.
Adaptive Headlights - Not essential but rather funky very clever
Adaptive Dampers - Not essential but the first owner paid for that
Sunroof - As above
Blacked out rear windows is on the list of options - Think its called Sun Package
'Butt Plug'
Is an aftermarket part....
The only thing I miss is electric memory seats that were on my previous, E46 330 Coupe (Still for sale BTW)
Stunning bit of kit and fully loaded.
Pro Nav - Essential (IMHO)
Auto - Great for pootling and easy progress - Flappy paddle mode is lovely much faster changing than the manual.
Full Black Panel Display - Does clever things in between the round dials such as sat nav.
Adaptive Headlights - Not essential but rather funky very clever
Adaptive Dampers - Not essential but the first owner paid for that
Sunroof - As above
Blacked out rear windows is on the list of options - Think its called Sun Package
'Butt Plug'
Is an aftermarket part....The only thing I miss is electric memory seats that were on my previous, E46 330 Coupe (Still for sale BTW)
I can't be the only person who thought that the Adaptive was the worst of both worlds, can I? Too hard in Sport, too soft in Comfort. The fixed system isn't brilliant but I felt it was better at either than the Adaptive in any mode, plus it makes upgrading to Birds, KW or similar much easier in the future.
I ran one last year, probably the best car I've ever owned. The performance is phenomenal and it's such a fan car to drive. Definitely a bit of a street sleeper too!
I went for the Auto which I think suits them much better than the Manual 'box. Mine also had Pro Nav, Harman Kardon and Adaptive Dampers which finish it of really nicely. Did take me a little while to find one in that spec though!
I'm hoping the new Z4 M40i which launches later this year will offer comparable performance and be as entertaining to drive, as that could well be my next move. Need a 6-cylinder back in my life
I went for the Auto which I think suits them much better than the Manual 'box. Mine also had Pro Nav, Harman Kardon and Adaptive Dampers which finish it of really nicely. Did take me a little while to find one in that spec though!
I'm hoping the new Z4 M40i which launches later this year will offer comparable performance and be as entertaining to drive, as that could well be my next move. Need a 6-cylinder back in my life
ManOpener said:
I can't be the only person who thought that the Adaptive was the worst of both worlds, can I? Too hard in Sport, too soft in Comfort. The fixed system isn't brilliant but I felt it was better at either than the Adaptive in any mode, plus it makes upgrading to Birds, KW or similar much easier in the future.
Mine is fixed (non adaptive)I find it excellent with the springs, for a standard car.
If you plan to upgrade then it is a lot easier.
I haven't driven adaptive and non adaptive back to back.
Owned mine for about 5 months now and 6,000 miles later I can't get bored of it. I love the throttle response and the noise on gear change (auto box). The suspension's a little bouncy, but I get enough feel from the car to trust it in the corners. It's a comfy car to be in (doesn't feel small from the front seat) and eats the mileage on the motorway..
I recently covered a 1,000 mile trip to the South coast and back and averaged 42 mpg. All my previous performance cars have been generally thirsty however they've been driven, so this came a great surprise.
(I like the looks too).
I keep telling the other half that I'll take her car to work, to keep my mileage down on mine. It's not happened yet.
I recently covered a 1,000 mile trip to the South coast and back and averaged 42 mpg. All my previous performance cars have been generally thirsty however they've been driven, so this came a great surprise.
(I like the looks too).
I keep telling the other half that I'll take her car to work, to keep my mileage down on mine. It's not happened yet.
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