Latest news with #M135
Top Gear
04-06-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
BMW M135 - long-term review - Report No:4 2025
The M135 left me quite unexpectedly. It was planned , it's just the admin part of my brain is about as large as a grain of rice and so I'd forgotten the exact day (and week and month) that it was going back. Therefore, I never got one final drive to remember it by. I wasn't even home. A quick text from the logistics company, a hurried call to my wife to explain a man was coming to collect the BMW and would you take the car seat out, please? And it was gone. The void it has left is, well, infinitesimal. Was it blue? Yes, I think it was blue. Looked pretty cool, actually. Any other lasting memories? The 2.0-litre turbocharged four delivered the goods but sounded slightly strained and very tuneless. The dual-clutch 'box could be a bit jerky in low speed manoeuvres (especially when paired with a slightly clunky Stop/Start system) but I enjoyed its speed and sharpness. And the chassis was fantastically sure-footed but almost bereft of entertainment. Advertisement - Page continues below The M135 is a car of broad capabilities but barely an ounce of real, proper enthusiasm. Perhaps I'm being harsh. But that magic 'M' means a lot to me and when applied to a decently compact hot hatch with 300bhp, 295lb ft and four-wheel drive it should signify something special: an aggressive, highly-charged driving experience with fluid dynamics and that trademark BMW balance. Instead, the M135 is just okay. Memorable more for the promise and the lovely, high quality interior than those moments when the road opens out and tempts you into having some fun. The cynics will say that the badge, the straight line performance and the usability are enough. Well, maybe. Yet when priced at £54,050 as tested, my own feeling is that the M135 should be so much more. In pure excitement terms it's miles behind the Civic Type R benchmark, yet the more 'rounded' approach doesn't mean great ride quality and refinement. The M135 falls instead into a no-mans land with the compromises of hot hatch status in terms of comfort, but very little of the reward. It is a quality item, of course. The interior feels beautifully made, the touchscreen is very slow to fire-up and connect to a phone at times but looks great and works reasonably well and the M135 never put a foot wrong. No rattles, not even a whiff of flimsiness. I guess from a pure aesthetic point of view both inside and out, the BMW is bang on the money. It's decently practical too, and dull motorway journeys slipped quietly by without much fuss other than the slightly stiff ride and distant roar of tyre noise. Advertisement - Page continues below Yes, you can hear my apathy. I quite like the M135. But that's about as far as it goes. For similar money the Civic Type R is definitely more my thing. But even the new Audi S3 - traditionally a decent but rather aloof car - seems to have realised that dynamics are a key part of making a compelling fast hatchback and has inherited the RS3's sport differential. An Audi that handles with more grace than its BMW equivalent? For BMW fans this is almost sacrilege.
TimesLIVE
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
New BMW 1 Series goes on sale in Mzansi: pricing and specs
BMW has introduced the new fourth-generation 1 Series in South Africa featuring new styling, technology upgrades and an improved chassis. Like its predecessor F40 1 Series, the new F70 1 Series is available only as a five-door premium hatchback. It arrives in three guises: the 118 and 118 M Sport, both front-wheel drives, and the high-performance M135 with all-wheel drive. Though the car is a major upgrade of the F40 rather than a completely new vehicle, the exterior length has increased by 42mm to 4,361mm and the height has increased by 25mm to 1,459mm. The external redesign included a flat front that sits lower to the road than its predecessor, giving the car a sportier look. The wide, forward-leaning radiator grille combines vertical and diagonal bars, like the latest X3. Standard LED headlights feature striking vertical elements for the daytime running light and the turn indicators. Adaptive LED headlights with glare-free matrix high beam, cornering light function and blue accents are optionally available. The redesigned interior has an extended range of automated driving and parking systems, including a new iDrive infotainment system with QuickSelect and innovative digital services based on BMW Operating System 9, a software suite offering a high degree of personalisation plus access to a downloadable apps and extended digital services via the BMW ConnectedDrive store. The BMW Curved Display combines a 10.25' instrument cluster and 10.7' touchscreen. The number of buttons has been significantly reduced in favour of touch technology, with the air conditioning also controlled digitally.
Top Gear
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
BMW M135 - long-term review - Report No:3 2025
Yet I find myself very happy about the M135's efficiency. Now, let's be clear that this is not some miserly gazillion mpg superstar, In fact, officially it's not wildly better or different than its closest rivals. Even so, 37.2mpg for a car this fast and practical seems pretty amazing to me. The fact I've recently come out of the voracious Ford Ranger Raptor probably helps, admittedly. I hate to talk about fuel consumption. It's a big issue for so many people and understandably so, but I've always avoided focussing on miles per gallon. To do so is to consign yourself to a life time of misery - denied the pure pleasure of enjoying a great engine because every rip to the red line has a defined cost attached to it. However, what's more impressive still is that I'm not a million miles away from achieving BMW's claims. Usually I am miles apart from the theoretical efficiency of any given car, but the M135 seems almost as good as its word even when driven with a bit of enthusiasm. So while the Beemer isn't quite setting my hair on fire, nor is it melting my credit card. I guess the other side of this coin is the reality that I'm not quite myself in the M135. It's pretty rare that I select Sport mode or shift gears manually to feel fully immersed in the driving experience. Mostly because when I do the car's reluctance to feel truly energised is a disappointment. I'm still awaiting one moment of magic to switch me on to the M135's way of doing things. Wet weather helps as you can push hard enough to experience the edge of grip, whereas in the dry you're mostly left guessing due to the smooth but feel-free steering. Yet even when the heavens open the BMW remains competent rather than compelling. Good stuff? Pure point-to-point speed is pretty impressive, should that float your boat. The sheer breadth of ability is another plus point. Like all the great hot hatches the M135 seems to fit any road and any journey really well. I hate the expression, but this thing is a superb 'daily.' It just blends seamlessly into life. And, honestly, in a world of hybrids and EVs, I do appreciate the straightforward nature of BMW's hot hatch. If only the dynamics were a bit more of a throwback to super-sharp, highly-charged hatches that created such a cult following for the breed. To me, everyday usability and precise, breathless dynamics are not mutually exclusive. Often they even go hand-in-hand. A car that's adjustable and intuitive when pushed is usually a very natural and easy thing to drive at low speed, too. These cars reveal their magic on every drive. Right now I'd just settle for some once a week. Once a month? I'm easy. Just soon would be good.
