2026 BMW M135 M Dynamic Pack | UK Review
For three grand more, BMW will impart some proper chassis geekery upon your 1 Series hot hatch
It was a thrilling revelation. At the launch of the recent BMW 1 Series facelift – so hefty they gave it a new internal model code (F70 rather than F40) – the updated M135 lost its ‘i’ suffix but gained a tantalising new option. The M Dynamic Pack is a relatively sizeable £3,000 extra, though it may represent a slim addition to your monthly payment when the car is £45,550 at its base. And it looks like good value for what it brings. The stock 19-inch wheels are traded for delectable forged multi-spokes of the same size, slicing out some unsprung weight.
Behind them are the drilled compound brakes of a bona fide M car, and they’re wrapped in semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. There’s additional chassis bracing beneath it all and more hugging M sports seats inside, alongside a handful of other, more superficial flourishes to remind you of the outlay you’ve committed. There’s no additional power, mind, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘B48’ turbo still producing 300hp and 295lb ft for 0-62mph in a mite under five seconds and a 155mph top speed.
During that initial presentation, the M Dynamic Pack permeated a delightfully skunkworks feel, and the prospect of how its stiffer setup and stickier tyres might translate from the page to the road lived in both Matt Bird and I’s minds as we drove the standard car.
Well, now it’s time. Inevitably, the weather hasn’t played ball with the roads close to freezing and positively drowning in water and slush to make the Cup 2s less of a help and more of a hindrance. Ergo, this is no scientific, back-to-back test between a standard and M Dynamic Pack car.
Rather it’s a strong indication that the poor M135 has wandered off script. See, both the F40 and 70 have never really wanted for grip. They’ve always had a surfeit of it, in fact, sacrificing utmost fun for some proper liveability. In its latest form, the 1 Series is a pleasingly luxe little car, with the premium lighting and cocooning feel of more expensive BMWs distilled convincingly into its cabin. Combined with the rapid and trustworthy progress its chassis encourages, it has all the hallmarks of a car that you could drive all year round without complaint.
Which ain’t true with this pack fitted. Oh-so-carefully managing the tyres of a natively front-driven car on a winter’s day proves almost as irritable as the ride, now more resolute than before but with no great uptick in on-road adjustability to compensate. It’s not a bad car – but it’s not a demonstrably better one at regular road speeds and with the levels of commitment which accompany them.
BMW says the idea is to sharpen the M135 up on track, a place plenty of buyers take them. And on a warm, dry circuit, I’m sure there’ll be extra bite and precision (and lower lap times) with its Cup 2s and lighter forged wheels proving a real boon. Perhaps there’ll be room to explore how playful this car truly is, too.
During a Great British winter, the makeover is less convincing. All the bits you’ll relish carry over from the base car – if there’s no standing water, you can still maintain strong pace and hurl yourself along moorland roads with unshakeable confidence. I’m just not sure you’ll be grinning as you do so.
Flexibility is perhaps the stock M135’s biggest strength, and there’s plenty to like if it will be a ‘one car to do it all’ solution, though only if you consider outright thrills to be negotiable rather than an absolute must. There are plenty of great ideas bombilating around in here, too – the implementation of BMW’s augmented ‘Iconic Sounds’ is much more natural and less overbearing than when it’s tacked onto an electric powertrain. It brings some welcome bass to the engine and some lightly scripted gunfire on the overrun, and while arguably still a bit gauche when it’s activated, this engine can drone on a bit without it.
The B48 is always muscular in its delivery, mind, even if its outputs have slightly dipped on the F40 M135i and its weight figure looks porky for what remains BMW’s smallest performance offering; there’s no kilo-saving quoted for the M Dynamic Pack, so expect savings to be small and concentrated in the right places. All told, there will be few cars to hang onto your coattails on a grimy back road, the M135 creating an unlikely new home for the gumption of those delectable early '00s Imprezas and Evos. If not quite their sense of humour.
Perhaps the primary issue is the M135’s forebears. The six-cylinder, RWD F20 M135i and M140i are borderline icons of the classifieds and even more heroic among the modifying community. PHers who crave a small BMW hatchback for circuit use (and don’t fancy Matt B’s Compact…) are surely much more likely to use an older-gen car as a blank canvas for the multitude of tuners to hone ahead of track day season.
Far be it from us to stifle BMW’s enthusiasm; I’m genuinely glad this pack exists, because it lets us know some proper driving geeks populate the development team. If their ideas can be woven into the 1 Series' inevitable Neue Klasse revolution, then what comes next ought to be very exciting indeed. But unless this M Dynamic Pack proves a revelation in the dry, the on-paper concept is probably better than the reality. Stick with the base car for BMW quality distilled into a smaller, more affordable package – or hit the classifieds and tuners if it’s true highs you crave. Ultimately, we know BMW can do better.
SPECIFICATION | 2026 BMW M135 M DYNAMIC PACK
Engine: 1,998cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@5,750-6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@2,000-4,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.9 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,550kg (DIN)
MPG: 36.7 (WLTP)
CO2: 175g/km (WLTP)
Price: £48,550
do people really fall for this? Its not an M car and as much as BMW love milking the M brand, 4 exhausts have always been the reserve of proper M cars, unless I'm mistaken, so this is a step too far for me. I want to love these like the F20/21 but this is so far wide of the mark. 1 star from me.
Less than the sum of its parts. I bailed out after 20 months and I ve not missed it at all.
If you want something like this, get a Golf R.
Less than the sum of its parts. I bailed out after 20 months and I ve not missed it at all.
If you want something like this, get a Golf R.
I have to say the M135i is up there as a car that is fantastic on paper, but just genuinely not great to drive as a performance car, the gearbox is dimwitted and it just really doesn't have the spark you'd expect from a hot hatch. (This is in no way comparing it to it's predecessor, either as it's a completely different car.)
Less than the sum of its parts. I bailed out after 20 months and I ve not missed it at all.
If you want something like this, get a Golf R.
I still can't get used to these not having an (i) badge at the end of the badging either.
I wouldn't thank you for a Golf R either though in fairness.
do people really fall for this? Its not an M car and as much as BMW love milking the M brand, 4 exhausts have always been the reserve of proper M cars, unless I'm mistaken, so this is a step too far for me. I want to love these like the F20/21 but this is so far wide of the mark. 1 star from me.
I saw one on the M25 yesterday and the new narrow pinched up face and mini X2 SUV look made the exhausts sticking out like a pair of nuts on small gym shorts look over the top and I don't normally mind 4 pipes. I think a hot hatch should shout a bit, but on the whole, this is very bland to my eyes. No doubt show a clean pair of heels to most, but as something a bit special? Not for me
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