[angryBitz]

Interesting thread... I traded in my 2010 STI Special Edition (Spec-C wheels and stiffer suspension upgrades, etc). I had a borla 3" exhaust, manual boost controller, stiffer engine mounts, and a pro-tune. My STI dyno'd at ~300 awhp and I was never quite happy with it. It handled well but wasn't a great daily driver and interior was rattley and cheap. Power and torque were no where to be found before 4k. I learned to drive the car so that the engine was whining all the time. Throttle response is crap until you get a custom tune, even then its flakey depending on the weather. Engine and exhaust sounded rough and cheap. Don't get me wrong, I loved my STI and I wanted one since they came out, but once I got it, it left me wanting more. Prior to the STI, I owned a 2006 AWD Turbo 6spd Mazdaspeed 6, so it wasn't my first AWD Turbo car. STI turbo lag feels "OK" until you drive a 135. Positive notes... Hatchback is super useful. It costs less. It has 4 doors and still looks good. People can fit in the back seat.

On the other side...
My 135i is totally stock and it has full torque at 1200rpm, this feels outstanding. Launches are so easy and the car just takes off. The car pulls HARD at ANY RPM... I can be in town totally in the wrong gear running 1500rpm and if I tap the accelerator the car just goes like a bat out of hell. ZERO-TURBO-LAG. Throttle response is outstanding, smooth and quick and predictable. I have the ///M interior and its awesome and solid and superb quality. The car handles very well, I feel like its equal to STI handling but at the same time its still an excellent daily driver. Back seats are useless for anyone over 10 inches tall.

For me coming from a 2010 STI with mods and buying a 2011 135i (stock), there is no question. 135i. Can't wait to plug in PROcede and get that extra 60rwhp.