M135i - Estoril Blue Loveliness

[Sir_Dave]

The first ever fast 5 and 6 series were the M535 and M635 if I remember correctly, as the engine was supplied by the Motorsport division but not the 'car', similar to the modern M135 and M235.

Something along those lines Jon!! So its not like its the 1st time this has happened.

Personally, i think ///M died when ITB's where phased out, purely as the M3/M4/M5 will imho drive just like the M135i, just with more power.

everyone who wants a proper motor can buy an AMG ha.

What if they want a manual gearbox

This should be moved into the other M135i discussion and let this topic be about Dave's car IMO

I dont mind. Although it has got a little bit Pistonheads in here with all the "not a proper ///M" comments lol.

 

[Hixle]

Glad to see CS hasn't changed! Love the car Dave, gutted I missed out on the same deal tbh!

 

[Richyy182]

The car is epic - let's leave it at that ?

 

[Lee.]

Dave, how are you finding the manual box? Did you test drive both?

I've gone with the manual at this stage but the general consensus seems to be that this is the wrong choice lol

 

[chris_p]

Dave, it's awesome.

I mean, yes it's an ugly duckling, but that's it's only real weakness, otherwise it does everything exactly as it should.
I've not driven one, but from everything I've heard they're excellent.

I just watched the Harris rs3 vs m135 video, those 2 cars shouldn't really be comparable anyway as it's not a 'proper M' (had to say it!) but it shows that bmw really have actually done a cracking job of producing an entertaining car which sadly the Audi really does highlight!

Best colour btw.

I saw a white one from the rear today, I had to drive fairly close to even realise it was an m135i, it could have easily been a 116, but I guess this is the appeal to some, subtle.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Dave, how are you finding the manual box? Did you test drive both?

Drove both & whilst i found the autobox to be very good, if i wanted an auto i would have bought a 7 series lol.

Car is now pretty much run in, so have been able to explore the upper limits of the rev limit. Needless to say, planting your foot in 2nd at 3k rpm through to 7k, then keeping it in when your in 3rd up to over 6k or so, its a very quick car Have also got used to lazing around in "comfort" mode with the silly light steering, then flipping to "Sport" when i fancy some additional weight/throttle response/noise. Pops & gurgles nicely from the exhaust when in 1st pootling through multi-storey carparks as well ...

So yeah, do i regret getting it? Not in the slightest, its going to end up being the best overall car ive had i think. Brilliant dailyness of the R32, speed of the M3, overall comfort of the 330i's and the mpg of a clio. Winner.

 

[Tim.]

What kind of reaction have you got, Dave? From the OH, colleagues, friends, fellow road-users, BMW drivers, women, etc?

 

[MarkCup]

Drove both & whilst i found the autobox to be very good, if i wanted an auto i would have bought a 7 series lol.

Car is now pretty much run in, so have been able to explore the upper limits of the rev limit. Needless to say, planting your foot in 2nd at 3k rpm through to 7k, then keeping it in when your in 3rd up to over 6k or so, its a very quick car Have also got used to lazing around in "comfort" mode with the silly light steering, then flipping to "Sport" when i fancy some additional weight/throttle response/noise. Pops & gurgles nicely from the exhaust when in 1st pootling through multi-storey carparks as well ...

So yeah, do i regret getting it? Not in the slightest, its going to end up being the best overall car ive had i think. Brilliant dailyness of the R32, speed of the M3, overall comfort of the 330i's and the mpg of a clio. Winner.

Is that your new place?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Is that your new place?

lol, yeah, a shed is pretty much all we can afford in Weybridge .... But no, one of the couples downstairs let me use their space for the M135i as the mini is currently in mine. Much better actually as its covered & not under a sodding tree that drops leaves/branches/bird-nests all the time!!

What kind of reaction have you got, Dave? From the OH, colleagues, friends, fellow road-users, BMW drivers, women, etc?

Sarah loves it, nice & comfy/well built like all my old BMW's, but fairly small in case she needs to drive it (hasn't yet mind you), colleagues all seem fairly impressed, boss said there is no way that his E63 AMG is worth another £500 a month for example!! Mates seem to like it, although FailSport are a fan of any BMW really lol ... not sure on the rest, although i do find that other new 1 series drivers tend to have a good look

 

[MarkCup]

Do any other current registration one series come with twin pipes exactly the same as the m135i or are they unique to the model?

 

[STICKER TWONK]

Does it have front parking sensors or did you just drive it into the ridiculously small garage door lol

 

[C.J]

Are these the same engines as the 335 N55? I imagine they are slightly quicker with weighing less?

 

[ColinG]

15hp extra in the M135i over the 335/435 but afaik it's the same basic engine yes.

 

[Lee.]

Drove both & whilst i found the autobox to be very good, if i wanted an auto i would have bought a 7 series lol.

Car is now pretty much run in, so have been able to explore the upper limits of the rev limit. Needless to say, planting your foot in 2nd at 3k rpm through to 7k, then keeping it in when your in 3rd up to over 6k or so, its a very quick car Have also got used to lazing around in "comfort" mode with the silly light steering, then flipping to "Sport" when i fancy some additional weight/throttle response/noise. Pops & gurgles nicely from the exhaust when in 1st pootling through multi-storey carparks as well ...

So yeah, do i regret getting it? Not in the slightest, its going to end up being the best overall car ive had i think. Brilliant dailyness of the R32, speed of the M3, overall comfort of the 330i's and the mpg of a clio. Winner.

FFS Dave, posts like this certainly aren't making the wait any easier!

Last update I had the production date was sitting as 16/04/14 and expected delivery 20/05/14 and status 1200 scheduled for production

 

[_Tom]

A white one has appeared on my road.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Do any other current registration one series come with twin pipes exactly the same as the m135i or are they unique to the model?

Unique to the model, front bumper is slightly different as well (no front fog lights), then grey mirrors, different wheels & blue calipers, so they do look a little different if you look close enough.

Does it have front parking sensors or did you just drive it into the ridiculously small garage door lol

They can have parking sensors, but i didnt bother, once i cant see the reflection of the angel eyes anymore above the bonnet, i stop lol!!

A white one has appeared on my road.

They're probably on Pistonheads!! That thread resulted in ALOT of them being ordered iirc. Me for one

My only irritation is that at the time, the Oyster leather seats meant oyster dash & carpets as well, so i went for plain old black. Now the dash/carpets are black ... and it looks stunning!!!

Rank:

Stunning:

 

[MarkCup]

Unique to the model, front bumper is slightly different as well (no front fog lights), then grey mirrors, different wheels & blue calipers, so they do look a little different if you look close enough.

Then the low cost has meant they've fallen into the hands of some real pellets then. Had a total idiot perform some ridiculous moves behind me a few days back in an effort to gain a few places in a lengthy queue of 20 cars behind a tractor.

Lots of hand gestures and light flashing from him LOL

 

[Sir_Dave]

Then the low cost has meant they've fallen into the hands of some real pellets then.

More than likely - at the end of the day, if you were given the choice of a Fiesta ST or M135i for the same £250 a month...

 

[DanielJames]

Unique to the model, front bumper is slightly different as well (no front fog lights), then grey mirrors, different wheels & blue calipers, so they do look a little different if you look close enough.



They can have parking sensors, but i didnt bother, once i cant see the reflection of the angel eyes anymore above the bonnet, i stop lol!!



They're probably on Pistonheads!! That thread resulted in ALOT of them being ordered iirc. Me for one

My only irritation is that at the time, the Oyster leather seats meant oyster dash & carpets as well, so i went for plain old black. Now the dash/carpets are black ... and it looks stunning!!!

Rank:

Stunning:

It's a good thing I didn't see that thread lol..

I also think I prefer 'rank'

 

[ColinG]

I also love the new oyster / black combination, Would have ordered it too had it been available from the start.

 

[Waitey]

Oyster suffers wear very badly though. One of our fleet cars has it and its had 3 replacement drivers seats and the bolsters still die after about 15k.

 

[Sir_Dave]

1200 miles now done. Only took a month as ive been out & about a little bit more as of late.

Trip back from Bournemouth showed decent mpg whilst sat at 80 leptons on the motorway, very impressive considering how quick/comfy it is, & its deffo improving since i bought it. Only got 30 or so on the way back from collecting it for example.

Its certainly wasnt an mpg run by any stretch of the imagination, so you can expect that quite easily on a long run.

My e46 M3 would do 28-29 in the same scenario by comparison, GP does 31.

 

[Gray]

Ridiculous MPG for the engine / power / speed!

 

[Feirny]

Sorely tempted by one.

 

[MarkCup]

Dab of oppo yet?

 

[Hixle]

Sorely tempted by one.

Same!

 

[Sir_Dave]

So i had a week without the M135i :dapprove:

As per this thread: http://www.babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=59323&sid=327c6afcb0afc52a67ade91922fda865 mine had the "fan on & limp-mode" problem which has affected all the Jan/Feb/Mar '14 build cars, ie a faulty aux fan thinks the car is overheating, so turns all the fans on and drops power back to 114i levels of rubbishness.

On the flipside, i got to swan around in a 320d M Sport xDrive touring and a 520d M Sport for a few days. Both VERY nice cars, although the 5er was just on a different planet from a build quality/comfort/ergonomics perspective, it also made the derv engine almost silent, whereas the 3er sounded ver much like a transit delivery van. The ZF autobox is quite simply amazing, i almost regretted not ordering it for the M135i tbh.

Some comparison pictures (3 series, then 5 series):

Id happily have a 530d M Sport next, not sure on the 3 series, it was a little too much like the M135i on inside for my liking.

Got back in my car this morning to be reminded that 320bhp it considerably better than 185.

 

[Waitey]

You need to try a 3er with 310bhp and 4wd....

 

[JP83]

The MD has a 5 series. The interior is lush but the outside is fugly.

 

[TimR26]

Do you think you'd order the ZF box if you could start over then?

I wasn't a fan of the ZF box in the 135 coupe I drove but a 20 minute test drive isn't long enough to get used to it tbh.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Do you think you'd order the ZF box if you could start over then?

I wasn't a fan of the ZF box in the 135 coupe I drove but a 20 minute test drive isn't long enough to get used to it tbh.

Different box as far as i'm aware Tim, 8 speed in the new ones vs 6 in the old? Living with it, for my cr4ppy commute at an average of 10mph for 8 miles, it would be more sensible yes, especially now im getting another mini in August. But in December, when i ordered it, i was trying to go back to being a one-car person, so manual seemed like a better idea/was cheaper. Its a great manual box however, so not the end of the world!!

Valid point Waitey, that would be better, the 5 series seats are a million times better than the 3 though!

 

[TimR26]

Different box as far as i'm aware Tim, 8 speed in the new ones vs 6 in the old? Living with it, for my cr4ppy commute at an average of 10mph for 8 miles, it would be more sensible yes, especially now im getting another mini in August. But in December, when i ordered it, i was trying to go back to being a one-car person, so manual seemed like a better idea/was cheaper. Its a great manual box however, so not the end of the world!!

Valid point Waitey, that would be better, the 5 series seats are a million times better than the 3 though!

It was an 8 speed box I test drove. My commute is completely the opposite to yours which is why I was put off by it.

 

[Sam@NP]

135i with ZF would have been my choice.

V jealous of this wagon, seems like the perfect daily, how big is it with the rear seats folded down?

 

[Waitey]

The full electric seats in the 3er are a lot better than the manual adjustment ones.

 

[JD]

im getting another mini in August

?!?

 

[Sir_Dave]

V jealous of this wagon, seems like the perfect daily, how big is it with the rear seats folded down?

Pretty big to be honest, certainly large enough for a bike/set of wheels/fridge/whatever else you want to fit in there, although not all at the same time obviously.

?!?

Oh, just Sarah's brothers 240bhp one.

He's had it 7 years or so (& ploughed money into it), but now gone to Dubai so it was surplus to requirements.

I said id have it, not entirely sure what im going to do with it lol. Strip it/cage it/track it most likely.

 

[TimR26]

135i with ZF would have been my choice.

V jealous of this wagon, seems like the perfect daily, how big is it with the rear seats folded down?

Looks like a decent amount of space for a hatchback.

 

[TimR26]

Oh, just Sarah's brothers 240bhp one.

He's had it 7 years or so (& ploughed money into it), but now gone to Dubai so it was surplus to requirements.

I said id have it, not entirely sure what im going to do with it lol. Strip it/cage it/track it most likely.

Good that you're keeping it in the family as it looked great when we were at Donington.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Good that you're keeping it in the family as it looked great when we were at Donington.

Yup, being honest, after the heartbreak of selling the Trophy, i didnt want him to go through that.

Thats my excuse anyway, plus its a really really nice car, brilliant spec as well - literally everything id ever want to do to a mini!

 

[Crybert]

Pretty big to be honest, certainly large enough for a bike/set of wheels/fridge/whatever else you want to fit in there, although not all at the same time obviously.



Oh, just Sarah's brothers 240bhp one.

He's had it 7 years or so (& ploughed money into it), but now gone to Dubai so it was surplus to requirements.

I said id have it, not entirely sure what im going to do with it lol. Strip it/cage it/track it most likely.

Did u get it at a good price? Must be a hoot to drive. Love the way they go into corners