135i Test drive

[pumaknight]

So who wants to hear about the test drive I had on Friday? You do? Excellent!

Cue the dramatic music, the moody skies and the throb of my heart, pounding in my ears.

I am sitting in the driving seat of a brand new 135i – my finger poised over the start button. I have adjusted the seat to my liking and discovered that the room inside is more than large enough for my ample 6ft 4” frame - loads of leg room; steering wheel reach just right and my head is not brushing the ceiling, so no worries about roof hair.

To be honest, I am surprised how comfortable to cockpit is – my wife has an E92 and when she lets me I drive it a lot – the dash layout and switch gear is remarkably familiar. This is no bad thing. But there is one noticeable difference – you do sit a lot lower. I almost feel like I am at go-kart height J

My finger can poise no longer and I press the starter, firing up the demon that is the straight 6 twin turbo. I call it a demon because that is the only real name for it. The pulse of the exhaust is positively gruff. It has a note of authority and threatens power. I smile with anticipation and blip the throttle. Oh dear god, it sounds awesome. You can hear the distinctive BMW 6 engine note, but this has a throaty quality to it.

I select first, the shifter feeling very positive but not too clunky. Easing away I get to feel how much thicker the steering wheel is compared to the 3 series. After a quick tour around the car park to get a feel for the biting point of the clutch (not to heavy by the way, but not so light that you don’t know that there is a significant weight behind it.), I pull out into the main street. It is limited to 30mph so there is no chance to stretch the demon. But it does give me a chance to assess the suspension and handling at lower speeds.

It feels very sure footed. The steering gives you enough feedback across the undulations of the road, but the suspension flattens out the big bumps with ease. There is no real pull of the large wheels over the crown of the road, nor towards any dips or grooves. Actually, even at this early stage I can say it handles so much more succinctly that the E92.

Ah, the motorway beckons and finally I get a chance to see what the demon can do……..to sum it up…warp factor 10 Mr Scotty!! The initial turbo thrust comes in so smoothly at 1500 and you are almost convinced that this is it, although with a hint of disappointment. But at 2500 the rest of the turbo boost comes in, again fairly smoothly, but leaving you with no doubt as to the power. It just surges up to high revs. The gear change under load is smooth and progressive. A reasonably short throw between cogs, just enough to allow you to spin through the gears whilst keeping the car under power.

I am up to the speed limit (okay a bit beyond for a few seconds!!) and I settle down to assess the cruise. Perfect. No tracking of note, no jiggling to care about and a nice cabin noise to soothe passengers.

Time to head off the exit ramp – I brake hard to test the anchors – bang, they are sharp. Actually a little too sharp, almost grabby, but it is new and they probably need bedding in a bit more.

I push the demon through a roundabout to see what the handling is like on the twisty stuff. Positive turn in,..good traction and a nice feel of the rear end. But here is a down side. I hook a wheel in a gutter, always do on this corner. But the 1 series decides that traction control is needed?????? Odd, I think, that was a bit aggressive by the computer. Sure enough, I go around again to see if it was me being too savage on the throttle, but nope. The car is not moving at the rear, no slide, no drama, but the traction control snaps in to correct what it thinks is a lost drive on one rear wheel – ah well, nothing to write home about.

So that is it – drive over, score out of 10 is a high 9.0. Points deducted for not looking as nice as the E92 (close but not enough), the aggresive traction control (hope you can turn that down a notch), and the brakes (could be a little grabby at slow speeds).

Actually I liked it so much, I am ordering one today J I will post spec etc when I have finalised it.

Hope you enjoyed the read.
Michael H

[MihaSLO]

As far as i know, the turbos are equal size, so there is no sequential ''kicking in''.

[BMWeber]

Originally Posted by pumaknight

Ah, the motorway beckons and finally I get a chance to see what the demon can do……..to sum it up…warp factor 10 Mr Scotty!! The first turbo comes in so smoothly at 1500 and you are almost convinced that this is it, although with a hint of disappointment. But at 2500 the second turbo comes in, again fairly smoothly, but leaving you with no doubt as to the power. It just surges up to high revs. The gear change under load is smooth and progressive. A reasonably short throw between cogs, just enough to allow you to spin through the gears whilst keeping the car under power.

great to here all the good stuff but you ruined it a bit with this comment on the turbos kicking in at different RPM. its the diesel that works like that. the 135i twin turbos work together at the same time.

[BMWeber]

Originally Posted by MihaSLO

As far as i know, the turbos are equal size, so there is no sequential ''kicking in''.

beat me to it :wink:

[TP 135i]

Very well written and fun to read. Here in the states we have 2 more months to wait for our test drives. Your story helped with the waiting process as does this entire forum.
One thing though. The turbos are not sequential. They both operate at the same time. Each one driven from 3 of the 6 cylinders.

OK....we were all typing at the same time

[MastaMind]

I don't know if it has been said, but the turbos are not sequential! :biggrin:

I couldn't help it. Seriously though, I believe the traction control can be defeated, so that should allow for some tail out action.

[Dr. No]

Originally Posted by MihaSLO

As far as i know, the turbos are equal size, so there is no sequential ''kicking in''.

It is true, but I have the same impression pumaknight had.

Both turbos kick in at 1,300-1,500 rpm, you can notice it, but the engine is producing very little power at that regime. When the engine goes a little up and the power curve raise to 2,500 and up you suddenly feel a very strong (I would say almost violent) thrust. From then on you only have time to notice that you are late to change gear up if you are not used to it.

I am speaking of my impression in first gear, of course.

[pumaknight]

Both turbos spin up at the same time?

Certainly didn't feel like that. The thurst is noticeably harder at 2500 rpm. Sorry if I misled! my technical understanding is small on the relationship of the turbos on the engine, but driving it does give you the impression that they spin up at different speeds / revs.

Ah well, who cares, eh? It is all good and super quick:biggrin:

Michael H

[MastaMind]

Originally Posted by pumaknight

Both turbos spin up at the same time?

Certainly didn't feel like that. The thurst is noticeably harder at 2500 rpm. Sorry if it sounds like I misled, my technical understanding is small on the relationship of the turbos on the engine, but driving it does give you the impression that they spin up at different speeds / revs.

Ah well, who cares, eh? It is all good and super quick:biggrin:

Michael H

Eh, it's no big deal. Even Jeremy Clarkson said it was sequential. :wink: Anyhow, glad to hear you were pleased with the acceleration.

[pumaknight]

Originally Posted by MastaMind

Eh, it's no big deal. Even Jeremy Clarkson said it was sequential. :wink: Anyhow, glad to hear you were pleased with the acceleration.

I am gonna have to go back and reword my original post, aren't I! Forgive me?

[ChrisK]

I was pulled in like a romance novel! :headbang:

[larryn]

Michael Knight? You aren't "da Hof", are you? :wink: Lemme guess.. you ordered a black one with red lighting accents? :biggrin:

Thanks for the impressions. The more I read if first hand experiences with terms like "leaving you with no doubt as to the power" and "you suddenly feel a very strong (I would say almost violent) thrust", the more I have a hard time waiting for my car to arrive.

Thanks for keying us in!!

[pumaknight]

Originally Posted by larryn

Michael Knight? You aren't "da Hof", are you? :wink: Lemme guess.. you ordered a black one with red lighting accents? :biggrin:

Thanks for the impressions. The more I read if first hand experiences with terms like "leaving you with no doubt as to the power" and "you suddenly feel a very strong (I would say almost violent) thrust", the more I have a hard time waiting for my car to arrive.

Thanks for keying us in!!

:biggrin: Nah, not the hoff 'fraid. BUt i like hte colour scheme, maybe I should phone and change my order??? And will the alleged Tii accessories have the bonnet LED and "chose your ring tone / voice " sat nav option available?

Now that would be cool!!

The power is quite stunning - the engine is by far the most versitile I have driven - it does 30mpg for gods sake!!

[pumaknight]

Originally Posted by chriskurn

I was pulled in like a romance novel! :headbang:

Never let it be said that I can't write trashy romance novel :-)

[d3syd]

Thanks for the great review puma. I love these impressions by us lay people much more than ones from motoring journos. Much more real world IMO.

I think I will be sleeping the night in my 135 the day I take delivery, I just LOVE this car!!!

[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by pumaknight

Never let it be said that I can't write trashy romance novel :-)

Hey a few trashy novels will pay for performance upgrades :thumbup:

[BMW135iCA]

So did it feel like a lighter smaller car driving it? Did it handle better then an e92 in your opinion?

Chris

[pumaknight]

Originally Posted by BMW135iCA

So did it feel like a lighter smaller car driving it? Did it handle better then an e92 in your opinion?

Chris

You know, it didn't feel like a smaller car, but it did drive much better. Much more assertive. For the orads, it had the right balance of understeer versus oversteer tendancy. The 3 has a tendancy to be a little unsure on turn in and then lose at the rear. The 1 just turns in with a tiny bit of understeer, but only if you are pushing, and the back does not feel in any way lose. Perfect for roads :-)

[BForbes]

Heck Yes, I prefer these personal reviews rather than the ones from the magazines.

[me1.0]

Originally Posted by pumaknight

Oh dear god, it sounds awesome.

This sentence really made me smile.

[ChrisK]

"I call it a demon because that is the only real name for it."