practical 3 litre £12k 300bhp: S4 B8 2010 vs m135i

[leepox]

Hi all, I'm looking for a 300+bhp practical car and it's basically come down to these two (It would have been M140i if I can extend my budget but I cannot justify the premium).

Not really looking for a handling king since I already have a 944 and an MX5 NC 3.5 (with a BBR 200 kit) that fills that void. So I'm really just after lower end torque and power for long road trips, and still be able to give a lot of smiles when you hit the B roads nearer to your staycation destination. I've never owned an Audi and the general gist for quattros have been their understeery nature. On the other the M lites are well known to have an unconnected wayward feeling of what the front wheels are doing. Basically in both cases they're not confidence inspiring when pushing on.

The other thing to note is ideally if they can hit 35-40mpg sitting between 65-70 on a motorway cruise that would be ideal (I know the M140i can easily achieve these numbers).

Any thoughts or experience from someone who have owned/driven both?

[hunt123]

No experience of those cars sorry, but can say a mk7 Golf R is 300bhp, practical, can do 40mpg on a run at 60-70mph. Might need a couple of grand added on your budget though.

[leepox]

hunt123 said:

No experience of those cars sorry, but can say a mk7 Golf R is 300bhp, practical, can do 40mpg on a run at 60-70mph. Might need a couple of grand added on your budget though.

Thanks - the S3 and Golf R are on the wildcard list, only reason they're not the third option is because of the 2.0L engine... and they're pseudo quattro cars i.e. they feel more FWD than RWD due to the front biased Haldex as opposed to the S4's 40F:60R bias (especially with the sport diff option?)

Edited by leepox on Thursday 20th July 17:08

[sunnyb13]

If you can’t afford the m140i then the m135i might be in budget

[CG2020UK]

I’d recommend the M135i over the S4.

The S4 will be faster A to B but it’s more a heavyweight cruiser while the M135i is more mini muscle car.

Realistically 35mpg will be a challenge in both cars. I’d say expect 30mpg tops and you won’t be disappointed.

In theory an M140i will do 40mpg in isolation but any I’ve drove have been ~28mpg long term.

[clockworks]

If you want practical and 300bhp, look at the Skoda Superb 280.
OK, 280 isn't quite 300, but it's basically a slightly detuned Golf R with a lot more space.

[popeyewhite]

The M car is tiny inside, even for a small car. If that makes sense.

[BenB91]

Practical to me, means estate car.

How about a 535i touring?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/16246412...

[Macron]

clockworks said:

If you want practical and 300bhp, look at the Skoda Superb 280.
OK, 280 isn't quite 300, but it's basically a slightly detuned Golf R with a lot more space.

Surely that would have to be big miles at £12k?

[Diderot]

We had a M135i from new back in 2014. Great car, but make sure you get the adaptive suspension. Low 30s on a cruise is very achievable. Rear legroom is tight, but space up front is good.

[pb8g09]

I get 28mpg in my same-engined M235i and I mostly use it on the same A/motorway twice a week. 40mpg is dreamland unless you want to drive at 60mph on cruise with no overtaking- which ultimately defeats having the car.

If I had a BBR MX5 then I’d go for a car that could lug more things in as a second car like an S4 estate.

[popeyewhite]

Diderot said:

but space up front is good.

It's considerably less than a Mini. The seats are smaller and the roof lower. I wonder what your metric is for judging space.

[AshyS4]

I've got a 2012 B8 S4 Avant

To be honest I got bored quickly with the 333bhp so had it mapped which brought 430bhp to the table along with the gearbox map which improved the shifts no end.

still get 32mpg on a decent motorway run, unfortunately it only 20 max around town.


Comfy quick and understated thing which you can throw everything in the boot.

[Yomamaisasnowblower]

Not 300 bhp, but I hear the BMW 430i isn't a bad steer, the smaller, lighter engine makes it a bit sharper in the corners which makes up a little for the lack of outright power compared to the 440i. Decently practical and cheapish to run. Approx 250bhp.



http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023021442...

[ZX10R NIN]

When it comes to practicality & being a good steer it's hard to look past one of these:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306299...

[leepox]

Update - test drove the m135i today and it feels crashy (had no adaptive) and very vague steering at speed. It's also feels very cramped inside!

[ZX10R NIN]

No surprise there, you should try a 335i Touring:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301123...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307039...

[leepox]

I'm a bit wary of the N54 engines? Don't like the idea of a grand for a fuel injector haha. I'm test driving a Jag xf tomorrow.. it has the same engine as an f type

[HiAsAKite]

There's a B8 S4 thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Owned one for a year now. Mines prefacelift, manual box avant. Unmodified.. so c330-340 bhp
Very practical, family of 4 holiday on the continent for 2 weeks.
Extremely competent, and quicker than it feels, and easily quick enough for our roads, and overtaking.
Very comfortable and stable at 250kph on the autobahn.

Compared to my a6 2.7T I had before (the v6 biturbo), felt it lacks the low down torque. But I suspect this a symptom of the lack turbo lag/rush that the biturbo had, as the 3.0 supercharged v6 is the more powerful engine.
Revs very easily, and smoothest engine ive owned.

In real terms, a very quick and competent car. Somewhat too competent in some ways. I've heard a remap adds significant low end torque, plus 60-100 hp depending what you go for.. and thats before you start changing supercharger pulleys.

Edited by HiAsAKite on Saturday 22 July 09:53

[rotaryjam]

Have you considered a 135i Coupe or 130i instead of a m135i?

I'm not sure there is much difference between them but might be worth a look.

I think the main difference is the hydraulic steering.