Back in 2012, when the BMW M135i was the new skid on the block, you could barely pick up a car magazine or glance at a YouTube motoring channel without being bossily told how brilliant the rear-driven hot hatch was.
Six years ago, the M135i really was a game changer. Despite costing less than £30,000, it brought a premium badge, rear-wheel-drive dynamics and more than 300bhp to a sector that hadn’t seen that set of attributes before. It was very good to drive too. And in an instant, a front-driven Ford or Vauxhall with two-hundred-and-something-bhp didn’t seem particularly clever.
In all the fervour that surrounded the M135i at its launch, it was very easy to overlook one or two of its shortcomings, or at least put them to the back of your mind. Several years on, however, and with that early excitement having long since fizzled away, the mood has changed. Today, you don’t so much overlook the M135i’s flaws as itch to put them right.
Flaws? There are some, but not many. The first is that the ride and handling balance was never quite as brilliantly judged by BMW as you would have expected. The car crashes heavily into potholes and sunken drain covers, and yet the body feels loosely controlled on an undulating road. Hit a sharp crest at any decent speed and, for a fraction of a second, you’d swear the rear of the car is about to take off. Job one: get that body tied down.
You might also take issue with the exhaust note and the slightly goofy 1 Series styling, but the only other major dynamic weakness is the lack of a factory-fit limited-slip differential (LSD). (There was a dealer-fit option but, statistically, you’re more likely to have walked on the moon than had an LSD fitted by a BMW franchise.)
I have a couple of theories here. For one thing, not equipping these second-tier M Performance models with an LSD clearly distinguishes them from BMW’s full-spec M cars, which do all have locking differentials. And for another, in many cases, an open differential will actually be safer. After all, one spinning wheel probably won’t put the car into a slide, but two spinning wheels probably will.
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Low speed ride...
...undoubtedly shall be appreciably stiffer, making it somewhat less comfortable to drive most of the time -- as after all anyone using such a car every day would spend most of the driving poodling about.
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"modified the clutch pedal to give a heavier action..." Do you mean the pedal is heavier as a consequence of other clutch work, or was just a heavier pedal the intention?
Not surprised it was keyed
Not surprised it was keyed unfortunately...those who once drove Audi's (like a tool) are back in BMW's so the cars are easy targets when parked up on a street at night. I've driven a couple of the current 1's...you can appreciate the RWD certainly but if people are fussed about quality interiors then they will be a bit disappointed. I am sure this car, overall, as a relatively affordable purchase, is it a bit of a blinder.
AddyT wrote:
Dear me, when are people going to stop with the Audi cliches? Do you think it's hilarious, do you think you're Clarkson from 15 years ago? Joke wore thin a long time ago, and various posters on here haven't realised.
Nope I don't have an Audi or BMW, but I've had them before, lazy arsed comments like this just bug me and add zero to a forum or comments section.
I dont think being a bmw
I dont think being a bmw attracts the vandals, they're not fussy as a friend at work 02 civic proves, having had its passenger side mirror ripped off, it was pavement side, overnight.
Are these upgrades really that beneficial? Is the standard car really that bad that £6k needs to be spent? I'd understand for track use but how many drivers really push a car as powerful as this near the limit on the road to realise its shortcomings?, the ride quality I can understand but the lack of dif and the float over crests are surely only noticed beyond our speed limits?