BMW M140i vs Golf R. Which is best for Britain and tuning?

[JonDerz]

popeyewhite said:

JonDerz said:

Hmm each to their own, personally I find it more fun feeling the back end moving about rather than planting it in awd. I think it might also depend on how much power we’re talking in a rwd. I might think differently in say a pre LCI M4 which are meant to be quite spiky from what I’ve read.

Sure, but how is it fun to need to overtake a couple of cars in the wet and feel the back end moving about? Or need to cut power back to avoid slithering about? Gets tiresome after a while and an awd avoids most of that during winter months. however having a high torque rwd car helps, high revvers like the older M3 are a f'kin nuisance. Heresy i know but there's not much wrong with fwd. Horses for courses.

I think it comes down to how much power you have. 300bhp is the most I’ve had in a rwd car so perhaps I would feel similar in something with a lot more power.

[HM-2]

popeyewhite said:

JonDerz said:

Hmm each to their own, personally I find it more fun feeling the back end moving about rather than planting it in awd. I think it might also depend on how much power we’re talking in a rwd. I might think differently in say a pre LCI M4 which are meant to be quite spiky from what I’ve read.

Sure, but how is it fun to need to overtake a couple of cars in the wet and feel the back end moving about?

Can't say I've ever had issues overtaking even in the soaking wet in my M140i. It's fine as long as you modulate the throttle rather than completely burying it. IMO the torque is a bigger issue than the power, the M140i has only got like 10% less torque than an F80 M3 which it has to get down through skinny 245 profile rear tyres so you really shod expect to have to treat the throttle with a bit of care in the wet.

Edited by HM-2 on Wednesday 26th October 10:25

[liner33]

popeyewhite said:

Sure, but how is it fun to need to overtake a couple of cars in the wet and feel the back end moving about?

Quite a lot really, don't have an issue with a little over 500hp but then I've owned plenty of cars with north of 300hp , its not unusual for the back to move about on powerful cars and bikes wet or dry

[popeyewhite]

liner33 said:

popeyewhite said:

Sure, but how is it fun to need to overtake a couple of cars in the wet and feel the back end moving about?

Quite a lot really,

No, it's a PITA on the winter morning commute cross country. Honestly if you drive like that often please stay away from Cheshire, there's enough loons here already.

[liner33]

popeyewhite said:

No, it's a PITA on the winter morning commute cross country. Honestly if you drive like that often please stay away from Cheshire, there's enough loons here already.

Time and place , on a winter morning I'm more concerned about the front of locking up and moving about than the rear

[Dylanaledhall]

JonDerz said:

Ah okay gotcha. You test drove an m140i didn’t you and liked it? How come you’ve not pulled the trigger if it ticks your boxes? Maybe you should try test driving an m240i and see if that feels a bit more special to you kinda thing.

Yeah loved the 140 can't lie, if it was the right price and right spec I'd have taken it home with me. Would love to drive an M240, just seems to be none around my way currently. I've heard they do feel a bit better on the road but I don't know if that's just a placebo effect of it being a sportier shape or if it genuinely does feel a bit more connected. It does seem to be a heavier car than the 140 though which is surprising

[JonDerz]

Dylanaledhall said:

JonDerz said:

Ah okay gotcha. You test drove an m140i didn’t you and liked it? How come you’ve not pulled the trigger if it ticks your boxes? Maybe you should try test driving an m240i and see if that feels a bit more special to you kinda thing.

Yeah loved the 140 can't lie, if it was the right price and right spec I'd have taken it home with me. Would love to drive an M240, just seems to be none around my way currently. I've heard they do feel a bit better on the road but I don't know if that's just a placebo effect of it being a sportier shape or if it genuinely does feel a bit more connected. It does seem to be a heavier car than the 140 though which is surprising

I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong but the 2 series has a stiffer shell I believe. I haven’t driven either but I haven’t heard the same criticisms being said about the m240i as you get with the m140i such as floaty rear, bouncy etc. Hopefully someone of experience of both can chime in

[liner33]

JonDerz said:

I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong but the 2 series has a stiffer shell I believe. I haven’t driven either but I haven’t heard the same criticisms being said about the m240i as you get with the m140i such as floaty rear, bouncy etc. Hopefully someone of experience of both can chime in

Think it’s already been discussed in this thread but I have driven the 135i and 140i and owned a 235i but it’s a common issue that the rear dampers are pretty poor on all these but imo the 235i does handle better and has a stiffer chassis

[Dylanaledhall]

liner33 said:

Think it’s already been discussed in this thread but I have driven the 135i and 140i and owned a 235i but it’s a common issue that the rear dampers are pretty poor on all these but imo the 235i does handle better and has a stiffer chassis

That's settled then

[popeyewhite]

liner33 said:

Time and place , on a winter morning I'm more concerned about the front of locking up and moving about than the rear

What?

[nickfrog]

liner33 said:

Time and place , on a winter morning I'm more concerned about the front of locking up and moving about than the rear

I agree the critical factor would be the front like on 99.99% of cars. 4wd is never going to change that as it only improves traction rather than lat grip or braking.

I can however totally see why one would prefer to favour traction and go 4wd. I personally would just fit winter tyres and accept the traction limitations of RWD and see smooth throttle modulation as an essential part of driving. But perhaps not on a long commute, which I am glad I don't have to do.

[Dylanaledhall]

Went to view this 240i on the weekend. Seemed quite smart although absolutely no service history forced me to walk away. I definitely prefer the 2 series shape as opposed to the 1 series. They do seem better value in my opinion too. Still very little room in the rear seats. I found this in the M140 too, I'm only 5ft 9 and I think anyone other than children would struggle in the back of either of these cars. However, not an issue to me as I don't plan on carrying anyone other than my partner.

[HM-2]

It won't have service history in the traditional sense- it's all digitised.

[tooslow96]

Golf R but be prepared to wrap the car up in barbed wire and take the engine out before you go to sleep.

[Dylanaledhall]

HM-2 said:

It won't have service history in the traditional sense- it's all digitised.

I thought this too, this was the first thing I asked the dealer (whether it was on the idrive or something) but apparently they can't find anything on there. They even phoned BMW and they apparently have no record of it either. Just seemed a bit shady to me.

[popeyewhite]

I agree the M140 is tiny inside, I find it almost claustrophobic. Went out in a tuned 500bhp car yesterday, stunning performance but the interior like a cockpit. The seats are also ridiculously small/narrow. The M2 is getting cheaper I think?

[Dylanaledhall]

popeyewhite said:

I agree the M140 is tiny inside, I find it almost claustrophobic. Went out in a tuned 500bhp car yesterday, stunning performance but the interior like a cockpit. The seats are also ridiculously small/narrow. The M2 is getting cheaper I think?

Have seen a few people swap M3/4 seats into the M lites. Looks nice not sure if they need coding or what not. When I saw the black M140 (5 door) you would struggle to get a person behind me and I'm really not the tallest guy out there so I'm glad someone else shares the same opinion. M2s are nice but if it was me buying I'd only want an M2 comp (just preference but I'd want my M car to have an S engine such as the S55. Or if I was going down the m lite route; at least a B58.) Maybe it's just me being fussy but it's no secret that the N55 sounds great but doesn't have the characteristics or tunability of the S55 or B58.

[popeyewhite]

Dylanaledhall said:

Have seen a few people swap M3/4 seats into the M lites. Looks nice not sure if they need coding or what not. When I saw the black M140 (5 door) you would struggle to get a person behind me and I'm really not the tallest guy out there so I'm glad someone else shares the same opinion. M2s are nice but if it was me buying I'd only want an M2 comp (just preference but I'd want my M car to have an S engine such as the S55. Or if I was going down the m lite route; at least a B58.) Maybe it's just me being fussy but it's no secret that the N55 sounds great but doesn't have the characteristics or tunability of the S55 or B58.

It's not just you, I'd only go M2 comp as well. Difference is what? 5K?

[jdoubleu]

Dylanaledhall said:

Still very little room in the rear seats. I found this in the M140 too, I'm only 5ft 9 and I think anyone other than children would struggle in the back of either of these cars. However, not an issue to me as I don't plan on carrying anyone other than my partner.

This is Mat Watson in the back of a 1 series. It is a smallish hatchback, but does look like it'd be suitable for more than children.

Edited by jdoubleu on Wednesday 1st February 14:44

[Jamescrs]

popeyewhite said:

It's not just you, I'd only go M2 comp as well. Difference is what? 5K?

Likely more like 10k difference, more if you want an M2 Comp as opposed to an M2 (costs vs 240i).

In relation to the rear seats in the 2 series, I own a 240i and at 6ft4 the rear seat behind me is pretty much useless even for a child. I'm replacing mine next year and as much as I love it i'll be going for probably a 5 series to make it a useable family car, will be going for a 540i though as I have come to love the B58 engine.