Is the 135i a good city car?

[romnation]

I'm considering a 135i, and as much as I'd like to pretend that most of my drives will be cruising through twisty turns, the reality of the situation is that I live in Chicago, one of the most congested cities in America. Does anyone else here live in a major city with 135i as their primary vehicle? Do you enjoy it?

Does the 135i:
* Get decent gas mileage in constant stop go traffic never really breaking 30mph?
* Is it easy to parallel park and get out of spaces. (How is the rear visibility? Are the blind spots bad?)
* Will the engine / drivetrain remain reliable when subject to brutal city driving conditions?
* Can the bumpers handle a few inevitable dings and dents?
* Is it still a fun car even when you aren't always driving fast?

and not really a city question but:
Is the 135i a decent car to drive in the winter / snow? (assuming proper snow tires)

Feel free to chime in on answers to these and any other aspects of driving the 135i in the city.

[CooksToDrive]

I drive it in Manhattan and have no regrets about it. For me, I'm always happy in it because it's just a great car, period.

[ShocknAwe]

Thoroughly enjoy my 45 minute 8 mile commute every day. Easy to parallel park. Blind spots are tiny if you set your mirrors correctly. Gas mileage isn't great. I get somewhere between 18-19 in all city.

[Dat Aus]

I average 12.1 L/100km. That is about 60% city driving and 40% urban. I live in the hills so I'm constantly driving up and down winding roads that require a lot of accelerating. I do no highway driving at all and I drive quite spiritedly. I could easily be getting <10 L/100 km if I drove softer and had some highway driving mixed in. So it's really quite economical considering the size of the engine.

Easiest car to park that I have ever owned. It's small, so it will fit into any space. The fold-down passenger mirror when you put it into reverse makes it super easy to parallel park. If you can't park a 1 series easily, you shouldn't be driving.

You'll have to do some research on the n54 and N55 engines. Generally, the N55 is more reliable but isn't as tuneable. They have problems with the high pressure fuel pump and on the N54 the turbos are prone to early failure. Coil packs don't tend to last particularly long and water pumps will need replacing. Other than that, they are fairly reliable engines that you shouldn't have too much trouble from.

The bumpers are plastic so they can easily handle a few bumps and knocks without too much damage.

No car is going to be fun under 30 mph. In terms of city driving, it's comfortable, smooth and quiet but the short wheel base can make it a bit skittish over bumps compared to a bigger car. First thing you should do is remove the run-flat tyres. Replacing them with ordinary tyres makes a world of difference to the ride quality. I couldn't believe how much more comfortable the car became when I ditched the run-flats.
If you're doing that much driving in stop/start traffic, perhaps forego the manual and just go straight for the auto/DCT.

I can't answer your question about winter driving because WTF is snow???

[bodega_bladerunner]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Thoroughly enjoy my 45 minute 8 mile commute every day. Easy to parallel park. Blind spots are tiny if you set your mirrors correctly. Gas mileage isn't great. I get somewhere between 18-19 in all city.

45 minute, 8 miles??

[SkullV]

I moved to Phoenix a little over a year ago from downtown Chicago. Not a chance I would own this car in the city. The suspension would be horrible with the road quality. Also with how bad chicago's snow removal is, winters would be really rough.

I owned several cars during the time I was living in the city and my favorite by far was a WRX.

[iminhell1]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Thoroughly enjoy my 45 minute 8 mile commute every day.

Originally Posted by greenc51

45 minute, 8 miles??

I suppose it's faster than walking, but not by much.
I could not do that.
My drive to work is 13 miles and takes 18 minutes on average (4 days a week).


I will say that the car does seem to have some explainable calming properties to it. Not sure if it's in part to the quiet ride, close the windows and you can exit the hustle and bustle for a time.
I just feel very relaxed driving he car. And I would say that's a very important quality in picking the correct city car. Get out and drive a few cars, see what you feel comfortable in.

[mr.fabulous]

Everything I need is very close to where I live (two miles to the gym, four miles to the bar, less than a mile to Publix). Occasionally I'll crank up 10 miles to see a movie, whoa. With all these short commutes, I try to get the oil temp to 250 more than once a week just to burn off fuel that sneaks in at start-up... but beyond that, most of my drives are quite short. And I love this car, it's very comfortable (sport seats), I love the ride (stock suspension and RFTs), it's very easy to get around in. And then when I occasionally find myself on the highway, it's fast as hell.

I will say one thing about road conditions, though. Roads where I live are in good shape. But I grew up in the Midwest and I know what the roads are like. This car would be rough on Chicago roads. You could limit some of that by ditching the RFTs... but honestly, I'd spend an afternoon with a 1er noodling about the city to see what you think before buying one.

[ShocknAwe]

Haha yeah. Sometimes I'll make it in 20 minutes. Also, typically north of 90 degrees. Not walking in that!

The 135i is a GREAT city car. There are a few "small" cars out there to choose from, but the 135i makes the most power and has the best handling characteristics. So when you're not stuck in maddening senseless traffic, you can really enjoy the machine AND get some thrills if that's your thing.

[zx10guy]

I disagree with the recommendation of having a DCT for heavy stop and go city traffic. I speak from my own experience which is from driving in what I consider the worst, or very close to it, traffic in the US with DC Metro area traffic. Back ups of 10+ miles are not uncommon where if there is even a slight incident on the road will cause a 20+ mile backup easily. And when I say backup, I mean solid creeping along at 5 to 10 MPH.

Anyways, driving my car with the DCT has been annoying at best and dangerous at worst. The delay and the lurching (waiting to see if the recent software update I had the dealer perform will fix this) has caused many butt pucker moments. I've driven manuals pretty much my entire life and this is the only auto other than when I first learned to drive with my first car. I would prefer a manual all day long even in stop and go traffic. With one of my previous cars with a modified clutch pressure plate to handle nitrous injection, I would still prefer that setup over the DCT if given an option. I heard the Steptronic has none of the gremlins of the DCT.

In regards to snow, I haven't experienced Winter in Chicago so you'll have to extrapolate. But my experience so far with my 135i on Blizzak WS80s has been great. I have never been stuck in any Winter weather in the DC area since I've had the car. In fact, I was able to get my car going while I was driving past a WRX spinning all 4 tires trying to pull into a parking lot at a shopping mall. I had to chuckle about that. If weather gets to the point where I question if my car with the Blizzaks would be able to get me to point B, I would just stay put as it's probably better I don't venture out (or anyone else for that matter).

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Anyways, driving my car with the DCT has been annoying at best and dangerous at worst. The delay and the lurching (waiting to see if the recent software update I had the dealer perform will fix this) has caused many butt pucker moments.

Have read quite a lot about the DCT issues (throttle lag, idle fluctuation and lurching forward) but luckily have never experienced any of it. My software has not been updated since 2011 and I think that's the reason why. I am not looking forward to the day I have to have a software update because of some repair or whatever the reason. I like my car just the way it is.

I know there are software updates out there to 'fix' these problems and it's been hit or miss as far as the results go. Hope your problems are gone and your car is cured.

[Eyeman]

I daily drive an old Porsche and my step 135 in Atlanta. I always pick the 135 if I think I'll be in traffic. Might just be that I don't feel like working a clutch in traffic, but the 135 climate control, stereo, etc work great while just sitting there.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Have read quite a lot about the DCT issues (throttle lag, idle fluctuation and lurching forward) but luckily have never experienced any of it. My software has not been updated since 2011 and I think that's the reason why. I am not looking forward to the day I have to have a software update because of some repair or whatever the reason. I like my car just the way it is.

I know there are software updates out there to 'fix' these problems and it's been hit or miss as far as the results go. Hope your problems are gone and your car is cured.

Which makes me more perplexed about this whole DCT issue. We have owner's like you who have no issues or minimal issues with the DCT. Then you have people like me or worse that are dealing with major symptoms. Just sucks there isn't a root cause to this. And I've done all that's available as possible fixes; PPK and SIB software update.

So far, it seems the lurching which was the scariest thing to experience has been fixed. I still get idle surging when I come to a stop but it hasn't been nearly as bad as it was before the SIB update. The idle surges only go up to about 1K RPM now where as before the surges would routinely spike up to 1.5 to 2k RPMs.

[PopsnBurbles]

Does the 135i:
* Get decent gas mileage in constant stop go traffic never really breaking 30mph? Lol not really. Expect definitely below 18mpg claimed based on Chicago traffic. I'm lucky to hit 17mpg per tank in Los Angeles. Granted, that's mountain driving but very little traffic.

* Is it easy to parallel park and get out of spaces. (How is the rear visibility? Are the blind spots bad?) Visibility is nice all around. Blind spots aren't bad at all. I'm able to parallel my 135 (w/ rear sensors) better than my brother's Macan with cameras and sensors all over. This is coming from someone who sucks at parallel parking between two cars lol.

* Will the engine / drivetrain remain reliable when subject to brutal city driving conditions? Define brutal... My car has been reliable for all of its 27000 mostly mountain driven miles. Pretty sure that as long as you let her warm up and you don't do your daily trip like they're hot laps, then it should be just fine. (My car is a stock N55 DCT car w/ PPK + PE)

* Can the bumpers handle a few inevitable dings and dents? Yes, bumpers can handle that much.

* Is it still a fun car even when you aren't always driving fast? HELL YES! Even when you're going slow, it will still feel fun and "fast."

Now, the 135i isn't great as a CITY car. My definition of a great CITY (not necessarily street) car is something that's gets off the line easily in normal driving conditions, great gas mileage, comfy ride, smooth transmission, and small size. The car may be small but the ride is far from comfy (based on family opinion), isn't too light on its toes when getting off the line in regular driving, not good gas mileage, jerky DCT transmission, delayed throttle. Worst of all, it's not like you'll be able to exploit the 135i's power in Chicago. (I went there last week and your traffic is HORRID.)

Trust me, the DCT is very worth it if you're considering an automatic car. The 135i is a great car everywhere else...in the highways, the mountains, long trips, etc.

[steeveebee]

Will you be parking on the street or in a garage?

If the answer is on the street, I seriously wouldn't spend the $ on the car. It'll be beat to hell in 6 months.

I park my cars in my parking garage, and that's the way to go.

I find my 135i to be good in the city, though I don't drive in the city much if I can help it.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Which makes me more perplexed about this whole DCT issue. We have owner's like you who have no issues or minimal issues with the DCT. Then you have people like me or worse that are dealing with major symptoms. Just sucks there isn't a root cause to this. And I've done all that's available as possible fixes; PPK and SIB software update.

So far, it seems the lurching which was the scariest thing to experience has been fixed. I still get idle surging when I come to a stop but it hasn't been nearly as bad as it was before the SIB update. The idle surges only go up to about 1K RPM now where as before the surges would routinely spike up to 1.5 to 2k RPMs.

Not sure exactly why I don't get the 'issues' but hope I never do. Like I said, I'm thinking it's my early software but it seems to be so random with people, who really knows. It appears to affect all years of the 135i with the DCT.

My concern will be as I said, when I get a repair done with some part that has to be replaced that requires a software update. Also, I'll probably have to get my Dinan software reflashed, which is no big deal.

Who knows, maybe my Dinan tune will eliminate any issues that I might get from the software update when I get it reflashed. I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

[ptack]

Wheels and tires will be what gets you if you use this as a DD. Unless you're confident about the quality of the roads there you might be wise to put a set of 17" wheels on, otherwise you might end up with a lot of bent and cracked rims and blown tires. Other than that it's about as good in the city as any other nice car.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by SkullV

I moved to Phoenix a little over a year ago from downtown Chicago. Not a chance I would own this car in the city. The suspension would be horrible with the road quality. Also with how bad chicago's snow removal is, winters would be really rough.

I owned several cars during the time I was living in the city and my favorite by far was a WRX.

Agreed. I avoid taking my 1 series into the city because it's quite unpleasant on the rougher roads.

[delta-9-ginseng]

Good city car but bad mpg car. I get ~12 mpg here in SF, mostly city driving. Also, I'm not sure about Chicago but over here the roads are really crappy so it's probably not the most comfortable but it gets the job done. All said and done, it does put a smile on my face plus it's very quick lol

[zx10guy]

If you get rid of the run flats, this goes a long ways to improving the ride quality and minimizing the harshness of rough roads. I resisted swapping tires to the very end. What forced me to finally replace the run flats was abnormal tire wear due to bad alignment and a bubble in one of the tires on the sidewall.

Going to the Michelin Pilot SS tires have been a breath of fresh air. No longer am I bracing for "impact" when I see any slight imperfections in the road. Even decently sized dips and ridges don't knock my fillings out like the stock run flats did. I drive into DC on a fairly regular basis and don't have any issues now with the Michelins. Of course, you don't want to do pot hole jumping at high speeds. You just have to practice reasonable discretion and that's with any performance oriented car with low ground clearance and a performance oriented suspension.

[tommyb13662]

My 2 cents...

I live in philly and have the 6mt. Great tiny car for squirting in and out of lanes in bump and go traffic on 76. Drop to second and you hit 60 almost instantly it feels.

As far as winter goes. Bought the used 135i jan 25th this year. With the summer tires on it came with i hit one snow before i put allseasons on it. Even with summer tires the traction control works excellent i took it slow and it never failed me! Even muscled through a bit of heavy slush just fine yes there was wheel spin but very controllable.

Super easy to park!! I do have a few paint scuffs from people bumping my bumpers but its holding up awesome.

Eh gas mileage... expext in the 16-19 mpg range depending how heavy your foot is. I have seen 14.1mpg when i was in heavy slow traffic but i was jockeying hard to get somewhere cutting in and out foot down alot.

Certainly a fun car turn the air on roll up the windows and jam out to your tunes. I love the stereo in my 1's

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Thoroughly enjoy my 45 minute 8 mile commute every day. Easy to parallel park. Blind spots are tiny if you set your mirrors correctly. Gas mileage isn't great. I get somewhere between 18-19 in all city.

Same situation as him --^ ...I live in DC and my commute is about 9 miles, takes anywhere from 30mins to an hour. No regrets on my 6mt 135i as a DD.

To answer your questions:
* Get decent gas mileage in constant stop go traffic never really breaking 30mph? 18-19mpg for me
* Is it easy to parallel park and get out of spaces. (How is the rear visibility? Are the blind spots bad?) Very easy, especially if you have the parking sensors and dipping right side mirror
* Will the engine / drivetrain remain reliable when subject to brutal city driving conditions? Sure
* Can the bumpers handle a few inevitable dings and dents? Yep, but license plate screws from other cars will leave a mark
* Is it still a fun car even when you aren't always driving fast? Definitely, it's always nice to drive
* Is the 135i a decent car to drive in the winter / snow? (assuming proper snow tires) I tried driving this year in about 3" of snow with Conti DWS 6's and it was shit. So from what others have said you're going to need legit winter tires if you're serious about driving in the snow