M135i...my mini review
Discussion
Good afternoon Chaps,
Im sure you're all sick of hearing about this car at the moment, either way I have just bought one so I thought Id show you who might be interested.
I first heard of the car via PH back in 2012 when they had an article up, I remember it sounding great value for money for the performance it had on tap. I didnt think any more of it at this stage, but kept an eye on developments.
Fast forward a year and we decided we need a more practical performance car, we also decided a new car would be the way to go this time. The M135i was the top of my list - New S3 looks too boring and isnt available for ages, Golf GTi is too boring, A45 is too expensive and has a 4 banger - nothing else grabbed my attention.
My car is a 2013 Alpine White 3dr AUTO. It was a UK stock car with pretty much all the toys I wanted - a deal was sealed and about a week later I went to collect.
The Deal - Its true, the talks of 10-20% discount off these cars at the moment is very possible. I think you could easily get yourself into a brand new one for sub 30k. Spec a lot toys and you are looking at low to mid 30's.
The Looks - Lets get this out of the way. This car is not going to win any beauty contests, but then nor would any 3/5dr hatchbacks on the market. I think the car looks smart and fresh. If looks were at the top of my priorities list I wouldn't be looking at a hatchback.
The Drive - This is a seriously quick motor. The offical 0-60 and 0-100 figures are easily achieved time after time.
The gearbox is fantastic, its extremely fast both up and down - put it in Eco mode and paired with a very slow throttle response it will literally cruise around looking for extra MPG. Stick it in drive and it drives, Sport Auto is the same as drive but its just more willing to hold a gear and kick down. The paddles are great, they are comfy to use and do give very quick shifts - I use these anytime I am not cruising around town in traffic as I like to feel at least slightly involved.
Handling wise - the steering is light and a bit lacking of feel, but IMO its no different to any other new car on the market. Sport mode adds more weight, but thats about it. I have spec'd the adaptive suspension, so I can switch between comfort and sport which is handy, although I spend my time in sport as I am used to a heavier feel. The car is very well damped, it works very well on UK roads. When really pushing on a twisty road it could do with being slightly stiffer as the weight gets the body rolling in slower bends, but considering its not an all out B road blaster its perfect. The car comes with Michelin Pilot Super Sports - they are fantastic and much better than the Bridgstone Runflats which are also available.
On a 240mile long run at 80ish she returned 33mpg with only 700miles on the clock - normal driving is seeing about 27-28mpg.
Inside - typical high quality BMW. Feels classy and almost too nice inside for 1 series. Pro Nav and Harmon Kardon options were worth every penny and are a joy to use. Seats are nice, decent bit of support with the adjustable back rest yet comfy enough to save numb bums!
Good Points -
Sheer Grunt, loads of torque (its the opposite of the S2000.)
Gearbox is a treat
Great combination of Performance and comfort
Accurate steering
Bloody good consumption all considering
Brakes pull up nicely
Bad Points -
Not loud enough, dont get me wrong it sounds powerful, but from inside its too muted for a performance model.
Steering is a bit numb
Steering wheel is slightly too big and too chunky - but thats only because I am used to a tiny wheel on the S2000.
Whilst brakes are very powerful the pedal is a bit soft. I like to lean into the pedal hard, where this one has a fair amount of travel.
So overall I think its a great motor and I am extremely satisfied, it ticks all my boxes.
Here are a couple pics.
Whipping around Dartmoor on Friday -
Parked up in Cornwall last week -
With its little brother
Heres the spec if interested
Alpine White
Black Dakota leather
Sport Auto
Adapative Suspension
Michelin Pilot SS
Professional Media Package
Harmon Kardon
Electric Sunroof
Visibility pack
Comfort Pack
Driver Pack
Front and rear sensors
Folding Mirrors
Think that's about it.
Thanks for reading.
Im sure you're all sick of hearing about this car at the moment, either way I have just bought one so I thought Id show you who might be interested.
I first heard of the car via PH back in 2012 when they had an article up, I remember it sounding great value for money for the performance it had on tap. I didnt think any more of it at this stage, but kept an eye on developments.
Fast forward a year and we decided we need a more practical performance car, we also decided a new car would be the way to go this time. The M135i was the top of my list - New S3 looks too boring and isnt available for ages, Golf GTi is too boring, A45 is too expensive and has a 4 banger - nothing else grabbed my attention.
My car is a 2013 Alpine White 3dr AUTO. It was a UK stock car with pretty much all the toys I wanted - a deal was sealed and about a week later I went to collect.
The Deal - Its true, the talks of 10-20% discount off these cars at the moment is very possible. I think you could easily get yourself into a brand new one for sub 30k. Spec a lot toys and you are looking at low to mid 30's.
The Looks - Lets get this out of the way. This car is not going to win any beauty contests, but then nor would any 3/5dr hatchbacks on the market. I think the car looks smart and fresh. If looks were at the top of my priorities list I wouldn't be looking at a hatchback.
The Drive - This is a seriously quick motor. The offical 0-60 and 0-100 figures are easily achieved time after time.
The gearbox is fantastic, its extremely fast both up and down - put it in Eco mode and paired with a very slow throttle response it will literally cruise around looking for extra MPG. Stick it in drive and it drives, Sport Auto is the same as drive but its just more willing to hold a gear and kick down. The paddles are great, they are comfy to use and do give very quick shifts - I use these anytime I am not cruising around town in traffic as I like to feel at least slightly involved.
Handling wise - the steering is light and a bit lacking of feel, but IMO its no different to any other new car on the market. Sport mode adds more weight, but thats about it. I have spec'd the adaptive suspension, so I can switch between comfort and sport which is handy, although I spend my time in sport as I am used to a heavier feel. The car is very well damped, it works very well on UK roads. When really pushing on a twisty road it could do with being slightly stiffer as the weight gets the body rolling in slower bends, but considering its not an all out B road blaster its perfect. The car comes with Michelin Pilot Super Sports - they are fantastic and much better than the Bridgstone Runflats which are also available.
On a 240mile long run at 80ish she returned 33mpg with only 700miles on the clock - normal driving is seeing about 27-28mpg.
Inside - typical high quality BMW. Feels classy and almost too nice inside for 1 series. Pro Nav and Harmon Kardon options were worth every penny and are a joy to use. Seats are nice, decent bit of support with the adjustable back rest yet comfy enough to save numb bums!
Good Points -
Sheer Grunt, loads of torque (its the opposite of the S2000.)
Gearbox is a treat
Great combination of Performance and comfort
Accurate steering
Bloody good consumption all considering
Brakes pull up nicely
Bad Points -
Not loud enough, dont get me wrong it sounds powerful, but from inside its too muted for a performance model.
Steering is a bit numb
Steering wheel is slightly too big and too chunky - but thats only because I am used to a tiny wheel on the S2000.
Whilst brakes are very powerful the pedal is a bit soft. I like to lean into the pedal hard, where this one has a fair amount of travel.
So overall I think its a great motor and I am extremely satisfied, it ticks all my boxes.
Here are a couple pics.
Whipping around Dartmoor on Friday -
Parked up in Cornwall last week -
With its little brother
Heres the spec if interested
Alpine White
Black Dakota leather
Sport Auto
Adapative Suspension
Michelin Pilot SS
Professional Media Package
Harmon Kardon
Electric Sunroof
Visibility pack
Comfort Pack
Driver Pack
Front and rear sensors
Folding Mirrors
Think that's about it.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by russy01 on Monday 9th September 21:04
DS3R said:
Looks good,
When you say UK stock, does that mean the s pec is a fairly common one? Or did it just happen to tick enough of your must haves to buy?
Pure coincidence. I specced the car on the configurator and gave it to my dealer to give me the best price for a new build. But I also asked if they could check to see if they had anything similar which was already built in the UK (so sitting in a showroom or in a BMW warehouse). They checked and this car had just been delivered to BMW storage and was about to go into a showroom up north - so my dealer contacted the other dealer and secured the car for me.When you say UK stock, does that mean the s pec is a fairly common one? Or did it just happen to tick enough of your must haves to buy?
Extremely lucky, it had the exact spec bar one small detail, however I was willing to compromise and save the 6-8 week wait!
As mentioned on the BMW section, nice review. I've also just ordered one in a very similar spec except it's 5-door and has electric seats.
I actually had a new 335d on order to replace the missus's Merc E350 coupe. However, the 3-4 month delay on the 3 series meant I'd have gone off the idea before it arrived so my dealer lent me a M135i for the weekend. I thought it was outrageously good fun.....and swiftly swapped my 335d order!
Awesome drivetrain, tight handling and a screamer of an engine - I know I'll be in the minority here but I think it sounds just fine as it is (but then I do like a bit of refinement). The auto box is phenomenal but I really did struggle with the manual vs. auto choice as I see it almost as a final chance to get a manual in such a car.....in the end, I thought the ZF auto too good to miss out on and the missus preferred it too (had to give her a say in one thing at least
). Even the interior is really decent and it definitely doesn't feel overly build-down to a price (as it shouldn't because it's not a cheap car...but then it is based on a platform that starts at £18k and it definitely feels a good few classes above most £18k cars!).
The only downsides I can see are the busy ride on the motorway (the demo never settled down but it also didn't have adaptive dampers - I'm hoping that specifying those helps improve this) and the looks....well, it's a bit of a munter isn't it! Probably a bit unfair as, like you say, it's not much different to other 'hatches' and it is quite angle dependant - you appear to have cunningly captured some of those better angles in the pics above The M135i certainly sits quite nicely on the road compared to the normal 1 series - the ride height and wheel width gives it a better 'stance'.
All in all, I totally 'get it' about the M135i. The rave reviews appear to be entirely accurate and if people are fed up of reading about such a great little car.....well, you need to drive one to see what all the fuss is about! You know what they say, if you can't beat em.....
I actually had a new 335d on order to replace the missus's Merc E350 coupe. However, the 3-4 month delay on the 3 series meant I'd have gone off the idea before it arrived so my dealer lent me a M135i for the weekend. I thought it was outrageously good fun.....and swiftly swapped my 335d order!
Awesome drivetrain, tight handling and a screamer of an engine - I know I'll be in the minority here but I think it sounds just fine as it is (but then I do like a bit of refinement). The auto box is phenomenal but I really did struggle with the manual vs. auto choice as I see it almost as a final chance to get a manual in such a car.....in the end, I thought the ZF auto too good to miss out on and the missus preferred it too (had to give her a say in one thing at least
). Even the interior is really decent and it definitely doesn't feel overly build-down to a price (as it shouldn't because it's not a cheap car...but then it is based on a platform that starts at £18k and it definitely feels a good few classes above most £18k cars!).The only downsides I can see are the busy ride on the motorway (the demo never settled down but it also didn't have adaptive dampers - I'm hoping that specifying those helps improve this) and the looks....well, it's a bit of a munter isn't it! Probably a bit unfair as, like you say, it's not much different to other 'hatches' and it is quite angle dependant - you appear to have cunningly captured some of those better angles in the pics above
The M135i certainly sits quite nicely on the road compared to the normal 1 series - the ride height and wheel width gives it a better 'stance'. All in all, I totally 'get it' about the M135i. The rave reviews appear to be entirely accurate and if people are fed up of reading about such a great little car.....well, you need to drive one to see what all the fuss is about! You know what they say, if you can't beat em.....
Edited by Palmball on Tuesday 10th September 00:09
Russ!The car looks great and I enjoyed the write-up. Can you post up some interior shots of the car, please?
I'm soooo undecided as to what I would like as my next car. Tried the GT86 and it didn't feel/look special when you're at the wheel.
(Oddly, though, I liked the Fiat 595 Competizione because it has quite a funky dash, adaptive damping and sounded nice!)
5potTurbo said:
Russ!The car looks great and I enjoyed the write-up. Can you post up some interior shots of the car, please?
I'm soooo undecided as to what I would like as my next car. Tried the GT86 and it didn't feel/look special when you're at the wheel.
(Oddly, though, I liked the Fiat 595 Competizione because it has quite a funky dash, adaptive damping and sounded nice!)
Awesome litle review. This car looks like a fantastic all rounder.
There's one thing putting me off though. I went to a local dealers to look at one last month, and when I had a quick squint in the boot, it seemed quite compact. I play golf on a regular basis, and the Mrs is getting towards the stage where she'll be wanting kids during the time I would have the car.
I guess the main concern would be if I could fit a set of clubs in the back? I've read medium sized prams are ok.
There's one thing putting me off though. I went to a local dealers to look at one last month, and when I had a quick squint in the boot, it seemed quite compact. I play golf on a regular basis, and the Mrs is getting towards the stage where she'll be wanting kids during the time I would have the car.
I guess the main concern would be if I could fit a set of clubs in the back? I've read medium sized prams are ok.
S3Graeme said:
Awesome litle review. This car looks like a fantastic all rounder.
There's one thing putting me off though. I went to a local dealers to look at one last month, and when I had a quick squint in the boot, it seemed quite compact. I play golf on a regular basis, and the Mrs is getting towards the stage where she'll be wanting kids during the time I would have the car.
I guess the main concern would be if I could fit a set of clubs in the back? I've read medium sized prams are ok.
Im pretty sure you could get a bag in the back, ill give it a go later I haven't checked mine yet. As for prams etc, well I don't know yet as I have no children but I'm sure you could get a standard pram and bits and pieces in. The boot cant be much different to all the other hatchbacks on the market?There's one thing putting me off though. I went to a local dealers to look at one last month, and when I had a quick squint in the boot, it seemed quite compact. I play golf on a regular basis, and the Mrs is getting towards the stage where she'll be wanting kids during the time I would have the car.
I guess the main concern would be if I could fit a set of clubs in the back? I've read medium sized prams are ok.
russy01 said:
Im pretty sure you could get a bag in the back, ill give it a go later I haven't checked mine yet. As for prams etc, well I don't know yet as I have no children but I'm sure you could get a standard pram and bits and pieces in. The boot cant be much different to all the other hatchbacks on the market?
Currently I can get a bag in the back of my S3 without any trouble, as long as I take the woods out. I just remembered thinking that I would really struggle with the m135i.I'm more concerned about th golf bag tbf, with any luck kids prams etc won't be a concern for a while.
You can spec a through loading option if your golf clubs don't fit. Over on babybmw I've seen posts saying getting a pram in the boot is actually not a problem so that may be ok too.
Regarding the looks of the 1 series, I've been thinking this over. I've decided that it has a quality to it where depending on if you want to, or do not want to like it you will become convinced it is ugly or looks good. Obviously that is true for any car but I think the 1 series is one of those cars where it is true to a much greater extent.
Many people will be critical of the cars looks but I found that as soon as I actually considered buying one a lot of my previous objections to the looks were revealed as essentially me wanting a reason not to like it. Realistically unless you are driving an Alfa I don't think any comparable hot hatch or super hot hatch can objectively claim to be better looking than the 1 series. Even when 1 series owners make comments like "not going to win any awards" or similar I get the feeling that they've said this more to avoid having their opinions on other aspects ignored/rejected by those who don't like the car than because they really think it!
In my opinion from a few angles it looks a bit odd, but that this is true of virtually any car and absolutely true of all the M135i's rivals. From many other angles it really does look good.
Regarding the looks of the 1 series, I've been thinking this over. I've decided that it has a quality to it where depending on if you want to, or do not want to like it you will become convinced it is ugly or looks good. Obviously that is true for any car but I think the 1 series is one of those cars where it is true to a much greater extent.
Many people will be critical of the cars looks but I found that as soon as I actually considered buying one a lot of my previous objections to the looks were revealed as essentially me wanting a reason not to like it. Realistically unless you are driving an Alfa I don't think any comparable hot hatch or super hot hatch can objectively claim to be better looking than the 1 series. Even when 1 series owners make comments like "not going to win any awards" or similar I get the feeling that they've said this more to avoid having their opinions on other aspects ignored/rejected by those who don't like the car than because they really think it!
In my opinion from a few angles it looks a bit odd, but that this is true of virtually any car and absolutely true of all the M135i's rivals. From many other angles it really does look good.
BillTheBear said:
Even when 1 series owners make comments like "not going to win any awards" or similar I get the feeling that they've said this more to avoid having their opinions on other aspects ignored/rejected by those who don't like the car than because they really think it!
In my opinion from a few angles it looks a bit odd, but that this is true of virtually any car and absolutely true of all the M135i's rivals. From many other angles it really does look good.
I said the "not going to win any awards" because I don't think it will. I obviously very much like the way the car looks as I stumped up lots of cash for it. However as I said (and you confirmed) I don't think any other hatch back is pretty - I'll leave prettiness to sports cars. In my opinion from a few angles it looks a bit odd, but that this is true of virtually any car and absolutely true of all the M135i's rivals. From many other angles it really does look good.
I also said it in the hope that it would stop the M135i haters coming on and turning it into a thread about how ugly they think the M135i is!
Overall I think its a fantastic car, Im interested to see what PH put it up against next!
Not long till you get yours bill.
russy01 said:
I said the "not going to win any awards" because I don't think it will. I obviously very much like the way the car looks as I stumped up lots of cash for it. However as I said (and you confirmed) I don't think any other hatch back is pretty - I'll leave prettiness to sports cars.
I also said it in the hope that it would stop the M135i haters coming on and turning it into a thread about how ugly they think the M135i is!
Overall I think its a fantastic car, Im interested to see what PH put it up against next!
Not long till you get yours bill.
All true. And I did use your example but I wasn't directing the comment specifically at you, a "not going to win awards" comment or similar pops up in I think every single mention of the M135i, including by myself in my posts. But thinking back, I said it without meaning it (even if its not going to win awards is this something I would mention on say a GTI thread, or a Focus ST thread? No not really, so I only did it because I expect to get slammed if I didnt say it.)I also said it in the hope that it would stop the M135i haters coming on and turning it into a thread about how ugly they think the M135i is!
Overall I think its a fantastic car, Im interested to see what PH put it up against next!
Not long till you get yours bill.
Apologies for going off topic there. Good review. I get mine in a couple of weeks so I'll feel able to contribute properly then!
Great review, looks like a fabulous car, specced perfectly, and great to see you enjoying it.
I am told by a BMW high-up that a face-lift is being pushed through rather quickly, and that 'that' front end will be sorted as a priority. Another high-up at my local BMW dealer group told me that there has been a material impact on sales as, in his words, a 'significant' number of customers had 'walked' on the basis of the looks.
Fickle lot aren't we?
I am told by a BMW high-up that a face-lift is being pushed through rather quickly, and that 'that' front end will be sorted as a priority. Another high-up at my local BMW dealer group told me that there has been a material impact on sales as, in his words, a 'significant' number of customers had 'walked' on the basis of the looks.
Fickle lot aren't we?
had ham said:
Great review, looks like a fabulous car, specced perfectly, and great to see you enjoying it.
I am told by a BMW high-up that a face-lift is being pushed through rather quickly, and that 'that' front end will be sorted as a priority. Another high-up at my local BMW dealer group told me that there has been a material impact on sales as, in his words, a 'significant' number of customers had 'walked' on the basis of the looks.
Fickle lot aren't we?
Yea I heard about this a little while back, however I'm not worried about it at all (people who paid in cash will be as I'm sure this will have a bad affect on residuals). I personally think the facelift front looks odd on the hatchback and is more suited to the 2 series/coupe. Either way I'm happy.I am told by a BMW high-up that a face-lift is being pushed through rather quickly, and that 'that' front end will be sorted as a priority. Another high-up at my local BMW dealer group told me that there has been a material impact on sales as, in his words, a 'significant' number of customers had 'walked' on the basis of the looks.
Fickle lot aren't we?
As for sales, I can believe it. I personally think the non m sport 1 series looks bloody horrible. However from my recent driving (1300miles in a week) I can say there is still a bloody lot of them on the road, lots of 118d's.
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