Currently reading: Hot BMW M135i: full details and pics

BMW is planning hot hatch supremacy with its racy 316bhp M135i

BMW is planning hot hatch supremacy with its racy 316bhp M135i. Seen here in production guise for the first time, the turbocharged 3.0-litre, six-cylinder M135i has been officially confirmed as the performance flagship of BMW’s second-generation 1-series line-up after being previewed as a concept at the Geneva motor show in March.

The rear-wheel-drive M135i is the second model to join BMW’s new M Performance line-up, following the M550d xDrive. Unlike its 376bhp, tri-turbocharged diesel sibling, the petrol-powered M135i has been engineered for both left and right-hand drive, and local sales begin in September.

Pricing for this long-anticipated hot hatch has not yet been officially confirmed, but Munich sources have revealed to Autocar that it will hit UK showrooms for about £29,900 in standard three-door, rear-wheel-drive guise.

Key among its rivals will be the significantly more expensive but soon-to-be-superseded £39,950 Audi RS3 Sportback, the £30,575 Volkswagen Scirocco R and the £26,040 Renault Mégane 265.

Also lined up firmly in BMW’s sights is the soon-to-be-revealed Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, which is expected to reach Britain early next year bearing a similar price tag and packing 335bhp from a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine.

Alongside the initial three-door model revealed here, BMW is also readying a five-door version that is tentatively planned to go on sale in the UK in November.

The M135i is powered by the latest take on BMW’s widely used N55 engine. Recently launched in the 640i coupé and convertible, the 3.0-litre straight six uses a twin-scroll turbocharger along with BMW’s patented Valvetronic variable valve control and double Vanos variable camshaft control systems, along with the latest in piezo valve-guided direct injection to deliver 316bhp at 5000rpm and 332lb ft of torque at just 1350rpm.

Channelling drive to the rear wheels is a standard six-speed Getrag manual gearbox, or an optional eight-speed automatic from ZF — both featuring stop-start and brake energy recuperation functions.

The M135i’s outputs aren’t quite a match for the 335bhp and 369lb ft of the older N54 twin-turbo 3.0-litre unit used in the discontinued 1-series M Coupé. It also fails to match the 335bhp of its main rival, the all-wheel-drive Audi RS3 Sportback, although the M135i matches the 332lb ft of the RS3’s turbocharged 2.5-litre, five-cylinder petrol unit.

BMW claims, officially, that in manual form the M135i is capable of cracking 0-62mph in 5.1sec. The eight-speed automatic version cuts this figure to 4.9sec. The fastest rival, the RS3 Sportback, hits the same mark in 4.5sec.

The new go-fast 1-series also delivers a 50-75mph fourth gear split of just 4.3sec, a standing kilometre time of 23.9sec and a top speed governed to 155mph.

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Combined economy is put at 35.3mpg for the manual and 37.7mpg for the automatic. The respective CO2 figures are 188g/km and 175g/km.

A claimed kerb weight of 1425kg gives the most powerful 1-series hatchback yet a power-to-weight ratio of 222bhp per tonne. In comparison, the 1575kg RS3 packs 203bhp per tonne.

The M135i is distinguished from its standard three-door 1-series siblings by an aggressively styled body kit developed in-house at BMW’s M division.

The sculpting includes a deep front bumper with larger air ducts for increased engine cooling, chunkier side sills under the long frameless doors, shapely mirror housings, a prominent spoiler atop the tailgate and a heavily reworked rear bumper with a blackened lower section housing two chromed tailpipes.

The exterior styling changes ensure the M135i retains the same frontal area as other new three-door 1-series models, but the drag coefficient rises from 0.31 to 0.33, due mainly to the larger wheels and tyres.

BMW M division insiders have already begun talking up the M135i’s on-road talents, suggesting its standard rear-wheel drive layout will ensure that it offers inherent dynamic benefits to lift it above the front-drive and four-wheel-drive competition.

As with every model developed by BMW’s M division, it has undergone extensive chassis testing, including a 6000-mile programme at the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.

The new car rides on a reworked version of the standard 1-series’ rear-wheel drive chassis, with MacPherson struts up front and a five-link arrangement at the rear. Stiffer springs, dampers and bushes give the car a lower ride height than other new three-door 1-series models.

Included as standard are uniquely styled double five-spoke 18-inch wheels — 7.5 inches wide up front and 8.0 inches at the rear — shod with 225/40 and 245/35 tyres respectively.

Further changes have been directed at the steering; the electro-mechanical system has been tuned for added directness and more urgent response.

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The brakes, too, have been upgraded and feature 340mm ventilated discs up front and 345mm ventilated discs at the rear.

They are grabbed by newly developed four-piston calipers up front and two-piston calipers at the rear — all bearing a blue colour scheme and sporting the stylised M logo of BMW’s M division, which has been responsible for the development of all the company’s new M Performance models.

From November onwards, BMW will offer a four-wheel drive option with a similarly powered M135i xDrive, although this won’t be sold in the UK. British buyers will, however, be able to choose a five-door M135i from this November.

 

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507 15 May 2012

Interesting point, the M135i

Interesting point, the M135i xDrive is faster and more economical than its rear wheel drive sibling. 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds is the same as for the new M5! Food for thought for owners of the otherwise excellent 1M Coupé!

Peter Cavellini 15 May 2012

Re: Hot BMW M135i: full details and pics

robbcape wrote:

Never ever ever going to be £29k from a showroom. I'm betting closer to £40k if you want seats, wheels, windscreen and all the usual extras.

If you like a car so much,then just wait a year or so,then hopefully it'll be down to your price range, and the previous owner has sorted the teething problems if any.

robbcape 19 May 2012

I don't like it at all. It's

I don't like it at all. It's within my price-range but not where I would choose to spend my 40k if and when I choose to change. I'm merely commenting on the likelihood of a 29k real-world starting price. (are we only meant to comment on things we intend to buy?)

robbcape 21 May 2012

I don't like it at all. It's

I don't like it at all. It's within my price-range but not where I would choose to spend my 40k if and when I choose to change. I'm merely commenting on the likelihood of a 29k real-world starting price. (are we only meant to comment on things we intend to buy?)

il sole 15 May 2012

Re: Hot BMW M135i: full details and pics

The Colonel wrote:
and you don't even need to have the Stop/Start active
that's the good thing about the way cars are taxed. It means one can buy a relatively lower powered model for lower tax reasons (and initial cost) and then have it remapped. I found a site in Germany that is already tuning the new 2.0 petrol turbo, making the new 320i more powerful than the 328i. no doubt one will be able to do the same with the new 125i too...