Test drove a 135i 6mt on tues. :) Review

[NickmanBMW]

I was out and about the other day, getting some loose ends taken care of for my new job, and i had about 2 hours to kill before I had to take my physical. So my mom had the great idea to go look at some bmw's(she rocks btw). We arrived at Brecht bmw in Escondido and to be honest I was looking to test drive the new m3 w/ DCT.

To my surprise, they had over 20 new ///M's just collecting dust on the lot. What was even more surprising was that they have at least 10 1's. The sales person began talking to us and i asked if any of them were a stick. He said only "1" pun intended. I had test drove a 135 auto a few months ago and to be honest, left a bad taste in my mouth. This was an Saphire black/black w/ only sport package.

The first thing i noticed was the 135i actually has more back seat room than my e36 m3 even though the car is a few inches shorter. After the salesman took me to a spot to pull over, i got out and took the wheel. And thats another thing i noticed, the wheel is significantly smaller than the e36(which is a good thing).

I push in the clutch and immedietely notice how much lighter and smoother it is. No one should worry about having this in traffic as the clutch barely feels like its there. Having also driven a 335i stick, this car feels noticeably quicker, lighter and more nimble than its porky older brother. The shifter throws are also much shorter than the 335i, e36 m3 and e46 m3. I only took it to about 4500 rpm(17 miles on it) it still was way quicker than my e36, and felt faster than the e46 m3(even if its not on paper).

So all in all, driving the car reaffirmed my addiction to the 1 series. Even though i wasn't able to push it to its limit, I can honestly say the car is better in every way to my e36 m3, especially as a street car. It's going to be a long 8 months before I can get my car, but being able to drive it in it's homeland will be worth every second. At least I have a support group to help the time go by faster. :smile:

btw I'm sorry for the novel

[BimmerKid87]

I'll be waiting with you...parents said I have to wait till summer

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by BimmerKid87

I'll be waiting with you...parents said I have to wait till summer

stingy bastards! tell them if they don't buy you one now, they don't really love you

[windmaker]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

stingy bastards! tell them if they don't buy you one now, they don't really love you

LOL...u mean u have to wait until next summer 09?

[Schn3ll]

Tell Z to take me shopping at the dealer next time, and you are more than welcome to come out here and drive mine when it gets here, you know you want to come back to PA, Nick. Hah.

[oneaabe]

I had gone to Brecht to test drive the 1 series just after they were released in US. At that time, Brecht was insisting on putting LoJack and some paint+leather protection for about $1100-$1200. And they were not going to do Euro Delivery either.

May be things have changed since? Are they ready to do ED now? And do they still force you to pay for that LoJack and phony paint protection?

[AchtungF80]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

stingy bastards! tell them if they don't buy you one now, they don't really love you

[aus]

The M3's are just killing the dealers. They won't move in this economy and even though gas prices are much lower now, people still remember $5/gal prices.

[BimmerKid87]

Originally Posted by windmaker

LOL...u mean u have to wait until next summer 09?

ya, what else could "next summer" mean?

I'm at school anyway so it's not a big deal I guess

[windmaker]

Originally Posted by BimmerKid87

ya, what else could "next summer" mean?

I'm at school anyway so it's not a big deal I guess

damn thats a long wait. Good luck mate

[BimmerKid87]

Originally Posted by windmaker

damn thats a long wait. Good luck mate

Well the OP sad he has an 8 month wait, that's why I said we'll be waiting together. My current car is only 2 years old and I'm not ready to part with it yet anyway...the timing is perfect.

[Method]

I just bought my sapphire black/6MT 135i at Brechts on Sunday. Small world.

[NickmanBMW]

MethodI just bought my sapphire black/6MT 135i at Brechts on Sunday. Small world.

They probably bought 2 manuals because the auto's weren't selling.

ausThe M3's are just killing the dealers. They won't move in this economy and even though gas prices are much lower now, people still remember $5/gal prices.

It's still an incredible car but for about $25k less, I'll take a lighter car with more potential and better mileage.

SCHN3LLTell Z to take me shopping at the dealer next time, and you are more than welcome to come out here and drive mine when it gets here, you know you want to come back to PA, Nick. Hah.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! hahaha enjoy that beautiful car man. The only time im coming back to PA is for our 10 year reunion, and even that's questionable.

[whya1?]

Originally Posted by BimmerKid87

I'll be waiting with you...parents said I have to wait till summer

Why would you have to wait till next summer to buy yourself a car? Do you need your parents permission? :iono:



Duh! Silly me, your parents are buying the car! They must really love you and you must be a fantastic kid to have earned a 40k car since you already have a Mini S. So, what type of cancer did you cure to earn such a great gift? :w00t:

[ExMX5]

Originally Posted by whya1?

Why would you have to wait till next summer to buy yourself a car? Do you need your parents permission? :iono:



Duh! Silly me, your parents are buying the car! They must really love you and you must be a fantastic kid to have earned a 40k car since you already have a Mini S. So, what type of cancer did you cure to earn such a great gift? :w00t:

Troll much?

[AZ135]

I'm pretty sure there was already an entire thread bashing some kid cuz his parents bought him a 1, so we don't need another.

[future135i]

I would not mind it if my parents had enough money to buy me a 135i.

[BMW Dreamer]

I have have never driven the 135i with a manual. I have been on this website for a while and have looked at the 135i SEVERAL times. I drove a neighbors 2004 M3 conv with 7,000 miles. I wasn't allowed to go past 6,000 rpm's, but it didn't feel any faster then my 2007 Civic Si.

Yesterday I finally drove a 135i with an automatic, I was VERY impressed! The auto is very nice. I really want a manual, but I am worried I won't like the long clutch throw. I LOVE my Si's clutch.

[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by Jeff1962

I have have never driven the 135i with a manual. I have been on this website for a while and have looked at the 135i SEVERAL times. I drove a neighbors 2004 M3 conv with 7,000 miles. I wasn't allowed to go past 6,000 rpm's, but it didn't feel any faster then my 2007 Civic Si.

Yesterday I finally drove a 135i with an automatic, I was VERY impressed! The auto is very nice. I really want a manual, but I am worried I won't like the long clutch throw. I LOVE my Si's clutch.

Jeff, why don't you test drive a manual? ... and there is zero comparison between a 04 M3 and the Civic Si. M3 FTW

Civic Si
Honda 0-60 7.3
Edmunds 0-60 6.7
Car and Driver 0-60 7.3
Car Connection 0-60 7.5

BMW M3
Edmunds 0-60 5.4
Car and Driver 0-60 4.8

BMW 135i
Edmunds 0-60 5.0
Car and Driver 0-60 4.7

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by Jeff1962

I have have never driven the 135i with a manual. I have been on this website for a while and have looked at the 135i SEVERAL times. I drove a neighbors 2004 M3 conv with 7,000 miles. I wasn't allowed to go past 6,000 rpm's, but it didn't feel any faster then my 2007 Civic Si.

Yesterday I finally drove a 135i with an automatic, I was VERY impressed! The auto is very nice. I really want a manual, but I am worried I won't like the long clutch throw. I LOVE my Si's clutch.

LOL. What timing. I was thinking earlier today on your comparison comment about the 135i and Z4 M and thought to myself, has he even driven a 1 series yet? I remember from much earlier in the year that you still had not, but I didn't spend any time on this board all summer. As for the venerable E46 M3 not feeling fast, is it perhaps you don't want it to feel fast? I've had more than a few pass me on the Nurburgring like I wasn't even moving in my MINI S and well-modded TT. To me, the E46 M3 is the industry standard in sport coupes, maybe for the rest of time, although if I could find a brand new E30 M3 I'd take that over all others past and present.

As to your transmission debate, the 6-sp manual is quite good, shifts wonderfully, clutch is easy although I'm sure would be far better with the CDV mod, knob feels fantastic, etc. You can't go wrong. Until some type of DCT is offered, it's the choice gearbox (unless you simply prefer auto boxes which is fine).

[mistermojorizin]

the e46 m3/mz4 engine doesn't really feel fast until 6,000 rpm and then it just screams to 8,000 rpms. great for the track, where you're always at high revs, but not what i wanted for the street. i was really set on getting an mz4 but was disappointed after driving it. so i can see how jeff found it to be as fast as the civic below 6,000 rpm.

[MVF4Rrider]

^^ Did you not find the Sport button? That turns the throttle into a light switch. Plus, I'm a long time sports bike rider. I like to visit the upper rpm range when I can so I can feel and hear the rush of power. Lower rpms are boring to me. That's part of what drove me to rethink the 135i. Just too easy to drive in lower rpms and never game me the rush I enjoy at the top end. I may be in my mid 40s, but I'm not dead yet. I don't mind to work for things. Work equals higher reward.

Check out a dyno graph sometime on the S54. It's completely linear. There's no special upper end rush, but for sure it was engineered to thrive in the upper region.

http://www.rri.se/popup/performanceg...p?ChartsID=606