What is it?
When the BMW 1 Series went front-wheel drive in 2019, it had something to prove, and with the Volkswagen Golf R-baiting, four-wheel-drive BMW M135 xDrive, it demonstrated it could build an effective hot hatch, while also retaining the expensive ‘premium’ feel of a BMW.
And now it’s received an update. This isn’t the proper facelift – that’s not due until 2024 – and apart from some new paint options like the retina-searing Sao Paulo Yellow in the photos, the changes are purely mechanical.
The aim, say the engineers, was to create a wider broadband for the M135i as a model range by focusing the standard M Sport suspension as the driving enthusiast’s choice, while preserving the adaptively suspended car’s capabilities as an all-rounder.
To that end, all versions get more sound piped in through the speakers, more alert torque vectoring by braking, retuned xDrive and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, but cars with M Sport suspension get new springs and dampers, two degrees of front camber, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres on 19in wheels and stiffer bushes and mounts benefiting steering precision.
What's it like?
The changes have definitely separated the two versions. The chassis balance on both is still the same in that the M135i feels like a front-wheel-drive car with infinite traction rather than a Ford Focus RS-style hip-wiggler. The tweaks aiming to reduce torque steer have worked, because there isn’t any.
The M135i also feels more agile than before thanks to the revamped torque vectoring, or ‘Performance Control’ in BMW speak. Pile into a corner at close to the limit of grip and you can feel the system nipping at the inside brakes to correct the car’s course. It’s a tad artificial and not particularly subtle, but an entertaining addition nonetheless.
After a drive in both versions, though, I’m unconvinced that the sport suspension’s level of chassis sharpness is worth the uncompromising ride. It turns in with a touch more immediacy and, thanks to the wider Pilot Sport 4Ss, the cornering speeds can be higher, but it’s still hampered by the uncommunicative steering and it doesn’t address the slightly humourless chassis balance. Is it more fun on the road? Not necessarily.
The adaptive dampers, which are only £500 extra, strike a far more appetising compromise. The set-up is not only softer, it’s also better damped, benefiting daily drivability to no end. The smidgen of extra body roll compensates for the numb steering to let you know what’s going on and the reduced grip from the narrower ‘plain’ Pilot Sport 4 tyres makes the car feel that little bit more playful at road speeds.
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The 'pops and bangs' are not fake, they are genuine exhaust sounds dependant on engine sound selection in the idrive, and how that opens/closes the exhaust flap when sport mode is selcected. All this sort of amateur review does is allow those easily triggered to get all frothy because it is not '6 cylinder or rear wheel drive' - like they ever had the skills to exploit that layout anyway.
Wonderful review!
“Uncommunicative steering”
“Humourless chassis balance”
“Synthesised exhaust noise”
“Fake pops and bangs”
It’s no wonder BMW don’t advertise their cars as being the “Ultimate Driving Machine” anymore, is it!!
But yet it still gets 4 stars. The brainwashing is real.
All you have done is extract soundbites, and failed (or chosen) to not look at the etirity of the article or what it is saying.