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M135i has arrived!
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10-17-2012, 02:53 AM | #45 | ||
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Only think I am struggling with is 8 gears when in manual model eg dropping 4 cogs to enter a fast corner Btw mate, can you remind me of that alloy wheel place you bought your winter wheels from (post from 2 years ago I think!)? Quote:
Got 34mpg in the way home last night including some pretty rapid overtaking!
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10-17-2012, 04:40 AM | #46 |
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Good little update with the video, it sounds a lot like my Z4 from inside the cabin.
I was reading your thread over on babybmw. Been following a few threads over there to see how people get on with these in terms of how thirsty they are. Still thinking about maybe getting a 1 series at the end of the year/beginning of next year. In true escalation style I started speccing a 125i and ended up getting priced for a M135i. I think there's only about 5mpg difference between them for a hell of a lot more performance. I think it might be 5 to many for me though. My head say 125, heart says 135. |
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10-17-2012, 05:14 AM | #47 |
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10-18-2012, 02:11 PM | #49 | |
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Just remind me again, which BMW do you have still?
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10-18-2012, 04:02 PM | #50 |
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Lucky barsteward ,the car sounds amazing,and must be an absolute hoot to drive
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10-28-2012, 08:07 AM | #51 |
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Had a short test drive of one yesterday, so thought I'd add a few comments.
Car was a 5-door manual in the seemingly obligatory Estoril Blue. The interior seems to have been improved slightly over the previous generation of E8x 1er, with the centre console seeming to have a subtle sweep towards the driver, more like the old E46. The brushed aluminium trim looked a bit more substantial than the stuff offered back in the E9x, and more importantly wasn't located in areas that would get clobbered by the seatbelt like the E90. Apparently there have been supply issues with the glacier aluminium trim which are delaying builds, so the brushed ally is being offered instead. The test car was fitted with the BMW performance gearstick, which looked great as a lump of alloy with an alcantara surround. But, for me I found it to be too small in diameter and more likely that you would miss it when going for a quick shift. Firing up the engine it sounded pretty muted from inside the cabin, probably even more so than the coupe I had a year ago. The note is also deeper and gruffer than I remember, but probably just down to the difference between the N54 and the N55. On the move it was more of the same. The old N54 135i coupe threw some loder bass notes at you in the 2~3k rev region, and could sound just a bit busy and tinny when pushed up to the redline. The M135i by contrast seems to maintain a refined note throughout the rev range and sounds a bit more refined at all times, but with a slightly deeper note. Fortunately the lights on a dual carriageway caught us, so there was a chance to give it some beans from the lights. As the videos posted here show it pulls strongly, and will put a smile on your passengers face, let alone yours. The power seems to be more linear than the older car, just smooth and relentless, something that almost makes it feel slower. The old 135i you could feel accelerating faster as the revs built, and then even more so right at the top end. In some ways the M135i almost felt slow... and then I looked at the dots in the rear view mirror that had just been annihilated. Didn't get chance to really throw it about, but it rode well, and hammering it around a few roundabouts inspired confidence. The manual box was good, with precise shifts and a smoother action than the E8x and E9x models I have driven. Much more like the feel of the MINI, smooth slick and positive. It just needed a better gearstick. I can't help feeling that the auto would suit it better though. At motorway speeds-ish there's plenty of reserve in top, but you just know that a flex of the right foot and the auto would drop a couple of gears and headbutt the horizon. The adpative drive stuff I barely bothered with. Sport did seem a little sharper than Comfort, but out of respect for the car I didn't try Eco-Pro, and out of respect for my unfamiliarity with the car the Sport+. All in all a very impressive car. Not as all out bonkers as a full M car, but one that you could potter about with being all smooth and refined... and then switch to sport and enjoy. Visually to the uninitiated it looks just like any other 1er, and I'm sure that some will confuse it with a 114d only to find it has 3.5 times more power! Traffic lights against Corsas and Saxos would be interesting, let alone the Escort diesel van that tried it on. Sure it has grey wheels and mirror caps, and the twin pipes will give it away to those in the know, but debaged it could be a serious Q-car. Although the press coverage is generating interest, the motor industry is having a hard time in Europe, so there are offers out there. PCP at about 4% and 50/50 0% finance deals are there to be had.
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10-28-2012, 11:42 AM | #52 |
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Why do car manufacturers keep going down the "linear power delivery" route for turbo powered cars? To me, it takes some of the fun away from driving it.
The car is no doubt a fast car - but sounds like it doesnt "feel" as fast as it should be. Take the 335d that didnt "wow" the guy in that other thread - linear power delivery again and needs a remap to make if half pleasurable to drive. Does linear power delivery help fuel consumption or emissions or something? Or do manufacturers think owners prefer this kind of power delivery? |
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10-28-2012, 06:02 PM | #53 |
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I think part of the feel that has been lost is due to the fact that these cars make such light work of what they do. By contrast my JCW Clubman on a fast start will merrily spin up, be hopping about fighting the (admittedly minimal) torque steer and be giving a two gun salute from the exhausts with each shift. Ultimately it isn't as quick, but it feels quick because you are so much more involved in the process.
Clearly MINI is about involvement, whilst BMW does all of that and more, just with more refinement. The down side then is that it doesn't feel as quick because you don't feel the car working for it. Also, as the tree huggers force us into ever more efficient cars turbocharging is becoming the norm. The perceived wisdom of the manufacturers then seems to be that we don't want them to seem like they are turbocharged, so they linearise the power.
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10-29-2012, 04:27 AM | #55 |
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Must admit to liking an old-school turbo shove in the back
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10-29-2012, 04:38 AM | #56 |
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I believe many drivers prefer linear power delivery, easier to drive and (for most) easier to drive fast. I know many on here are enthusiasts, and have personal preferences for how an engine delivers. But for many, as an example, peaky torque diesels feel fast, but are not the best power delivery. Same with petrol in my view, you don't want a hole in the power curve for day to day driving.
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10-29-2012, 06:10 PM | #58 | |
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I think Mini's do top the chart for driving involvement and experience - partly as you are so close to the action! I also liked fighting torque steer (MCSV) and making the car go where I want, not the other way around. Its is a Jekyll & Hyde car and only near the limit I think it will start to come alive and be more involving. In comfort it could well be a 116! But I am not quote connected enough to this car as I was say my Impreza manual Not sure I agree with the linear power comments making this car not feel as fast as it is. It is totally terrifying at first now its run in! Needs some getting used to... If you pull away at 1k revs in 2nd or 3rd, you can indeed feel the turbo kick in, but absolutely its not the old school shove I loved from the 330d.
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10-29-2012, 06:40 PM | #59 |
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Maybe it's were I am coming from. I remember the 135i as being terrifyingly quick after the 330d as well. But over time I got more used to it.
Trying the M-lite after a brisk drive in the JCW it felt so refined that it didn't feel as quick as the speedo was telling me it was, and certainly felt less terrifying than I remember. Perhaps because it was just head butting the horizon instead of fighting you to stay in a straight line. I think it's easy to misunderstand, in that it is a damned quick car, but it does it in a manner that gives you confidence instead of the need to change trousers... and for that I like it more than something that is that raw and unruly. Sure the animalistic shove of an old turbo car coming on boost is fun, but this is more liveable with day to day, but still can be a hooligan.
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10-29-2012, 06:43 PM | #60 |
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Maybe they are saving the real fun car for the next one series M Car. If the M135i was as good as a real M car - no-one would buy the M car save some cash.
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10-29-2012, 07:01 PM | #61 | |
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But I cant complain about mine, still plenty of shove to keep me happy. |
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10-30-2012, 03:06 AM | #62 |
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Hang on, are you now agreeing with me that manual is best
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10-30-2012, 06:15 AM | #63 | ||
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With Adaptive suspension, Sport is a firmer ride than M Sport plus with sharper throttle. Sport + then goes into a traction mode (DTC as we knew it?). Now, I played with this more today and it does really change the character of car, i got good wheel slip pulling away and I am sure with a bit more provocation it would step out. Then it goes into warp mode and bangs through the gears even more quickly and it seemed less smooth doing so. Quote:
Nope
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10-30-2012, 06:34 AM | #64 |
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Just remembered, weren't we heading out in the M-lite this morning, forgot!! Can't now, got a funeral in a bit. Oh, hang on, it's only Tuesday isn't it - was it tomorrow?? confused.com
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10-30-2012, 06:56 AM | #65 |
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The whole separation of the M and M Performance range now makes sense to me. When I first saw the video about it I thought "Noooooo, you are diluting the brand and pissing all over the heritage of the ///M" but I believe what they are now doing is making cars like the M135i which are drivers cars that people can live with on a daily basis. M cars have been built along these lines for a while now and are nearly always criticised to some degree for it. This should then allow them to make ///M cars that are a lot more focused, along the lines of the E46 CSL.
I could of course be wrong. The M5 and M6 would suggest I probably am. Just a thought. |
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10-30-2012, 07:03 AM | #66 | |
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Peeps - incoming video of M135i run in and full bore in airport Tunnels
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