RE: BMW M135i | Driven

[Hub]

Burwood said:

How is it £29k. The entry level 116d is £29k. The 135 is 36k plus options.

£29k is cheaper than all hot hatches except maybe the i30N... They'll sell millions!

[scottygib553]

I think the rear looks great but I’d pick a dark colour to minimise the front which is...a bit out there.

[cerb4.5lee]

J4CKO said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

6 pot 1 series owners - hold on to your cars and treasure that engine

Less so the rest of it.

I certainly appreciate honesty from owners of the car like this.

Rather than we all pretend that the 6 cylinder RWD model was some kind of world beater. I really liked that it was different/an alternative for sure, but it was a slightly flawed car.

[Twoshoe]

The speedo is strangely calibrated - the speed difference between the first two pairs of numbers is 10mph, between the next three pairs it's 20mph, and in the final two it's 40mph.

[J4CKO]

cerb4.5lee said:

J4CKO said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

6 pot 1 series owners - hold on to your cars and treasure that engine

Less so the rest of it.

I certainly appreciate honesty from owners of the car like this.

Rather than we all pretend that the 6 cylinder RWD model was some kind of world beater. I really liked that it was different/an alternative for sure, but it was a slightly flawed car.

Yeah, it goes like stink and is a good daily apart from the fuel consumption but despite owning one I do wonder what everyone else sees.

Sometimes it comes alive but there is just too much slop in the suspension and steering, they definitely need an lsd as well. The auto gearbox in mine is superb but it’s like every auto it’s not for keen driving, the paddles sort of work but you miss out on that aspect that is old farts love. A manual with an lsd, and a few choice mods to the suspension could be a pretty good proposition.

but, let’s not get carried away eulogising it, and the M140i, I think they work as a package and gave folk on a lower budget access to performance that was the preserve of supercars not that long ago but a Fiesta ST is more of a drivers car, there is some brilliance in there but it’s viewed through greasy glasses.

I am dying to try one of these and see whether the rest the new one brings is better than losing what is a pretty nice engine. I suspect the new one is a better overall proposition.

I wanted to love it, but I don’t, I like it but they weren’t really as good as the reputation to my mind.

I like the looks of the F20, so nerr !

[anonymous-user]

Had an M140 and then an M3. I cannot even muster a st about this contraption. Might as well be a Ford, Vauxhall or any other thing. No identity in the styling or the spec.

[PorkInsider]

Gopping.

If this really is the way they're going with the front end styling across the range, I've already bought my last BMW.

What on earth are they thinking?

[Court_S]

I think this new car is bloody awful; it looks like a squashed X2, which I think are hateful bloody things. The grille is typically OTT for new BMW’s, too many fussy details and I think their digital dash isn’t as good as the likes of Audi’s. The new seats look good though.

I’m not so fussed about the AWD, but dropping to a four pot is disappointing as is loosing the ZF8 be sure the combo of the B58 and ZF8 works so well. The CarWow comparison video showed his much better the old drivetrain is.

I have an M140, which I really really like. It’s not as big inside as a Golf but the driving position is better and the interior feels like a nicer place to sit to me. I prefer idrive to MMI as well.

The steering isn’t a patch on my old 330, but that’s the joy of EPAS. I think it drives pretty well; it does get a bit bouncy on a back road once the speed picks up. It does feel like that aspect has been blown out of proportion on the internet. It is there, but if you listen to many on forums it can’t be driven enjoyed on anything other than perfect roads. By the time it feels a bit sketchy, you’re travelling at a fair old lick.

[A1VDY]

Pig ugly just like all BMWs and Audis now.
These used to be a premium brand but both the likes of Hyundai and Kia are producing far better engineered and looking cars at considerably lower prices with 7 year plus warranties.
BMW in particular have lost the plot and instead of pride of ownership its now an embarrassing stigma..

[Limpet]

I love my M140i, but putting emotion to one side for a minute, there is so much room for improvement in its steering, damping and ability to deploy its power cleanly, that it’s not hard to imagine this new one being more capable and even more enjoyable on a twisty, unevenly surfaced B-road.

Losing that amazing engine is a blow, mind.

[Maccar]

I get it, I really do. It is 2019 after all. But it doesn’t make me want this over one with six cylinders and a manual box. If that is still allowed...

[anonymous-user]

Limpet said:

I love my M140i, but putting emotion to one side for a minute, there is so much room for improvement in its steering, damping and ability to deploy its power cleanly, that it’s not hard to imagine this new one being more capable and even more enjoyable on a twisty, unevenly surfaced B-road.

Losing that amazing engine is a blow, mind.

For me, I'd prefer the foibles and faults, with character, than something more objectively capable, without.

[Roma101]

I saw one of these in grey at the local dealer today. I must say, I rather liked it. Cliche alert - to my eyes, it is much better looking in the flesh. Or perhaps the darker colour suits it better. Interior is night and day better than old 1 series. And, a tall adult can actual sit in the rear seats!

I have a 140i at the moment btw. The problem with the 140 (for me) is that it has a split personality. One day it feels horrible. The next you get in it, drive it 5 mins and think “ I love this car”.

Would I change? I would certainly have a test drive. But I have turned into a bit of an engine snob nowadays and only want a six cylinder or above!

[eftiem64]

Can’t hold a candle to the M140i in my eyes. The King is dead, long live the King!

[drpep]

Stopped reading at "maximum torque arrives from just 1,750rpm and hangs on until 4,500rpm". Oooh! Well done BMW. You've mirrored the power delivery of a diesel.

I get the why, I'm just disappointed in this, and BMW's general direction. M Division peddling douchebag SUVs (X3,4,5,6 M versions), Massive, pointless grilles, half-ass adoption of electric propulsion...

My 2011 M3 feels like a dinosaur, stepping out of a modern anything, but I don't envisage swapping it for a new M3. Turbos and hifi engine noise vs feedback-brimming steering, linear power delivery all the way up to 8300rpm, and what a soundtrack to go with it.

[Kermit74]

I think you'll find this IS directly replacing the M140i Mr motoring author, unless they are still going to continue to make the old model too....

[DukeDickson]

Kermit74 said:

I think you'll find this IS directly replacing the M140i Mr motoring author, unless they are still going to continue to make the old model too....

It is an S3/AMG 35 in size 11 shoes.

There will doubtless be a 140 equivalent to apparently match the alternatives & it will be there or thereabouts on the power front, but when an RS3 or TT-RS suddenly looks quite attractive, or you prefer the older model, something isn't quite right.

I don't quite get manufacturers giving up their USPs , but they all seem to be desperate to do so.

Next I'll have to buy an iPhone or face death .

[T1berious]

isn't this more a victim of reduced costs and platform sharing rather than BMW scalping a halo model? Truth is the bread and butter 1 series was an entry point and appealing to a younger market. Like every manufacturer they make a "spicy" version and in the M140 created a flawed but unique cult hero.

Alas they now share a platform that due to packaging could never be a big 6 and the rest of that market has gone 4wd years ago.

Be interesting to see what they do with the next 2 series / M2. I hope it doesn't try to mimic the A45 and remains rwd and powered by a turbo 6.

This new car will be a big seller due to the car addressing many of the issues from the previous model, well until the new Golf R comes out.

[Limpet]

Roma101 said:

I have a 140i at the moment btw. The problem with the 140 (for me) is that it has a split personality. One day it feels horrible. The next you get in it, drive it 5 mins and think “ I love this car”.

I completely agree. I alternate between wanting to change it, and wanting to keep it forever on an almost daily basis.

I also know it’s possible to throw cash at the suspension and a diff to make it so much better, but I’ve avoided this, as it then commits you. You would never get that money back, so you really would need to keep it to get any value from the investment. And then there’s the whole insurance headache that goes with a modified car.

[mnk303]

Well I am ever changing my m140i for a car that looks like this, I like some of the tech but the rest is dog ugly.