Drove the 135 today!

[MOTO69JOE]

I got to test drive a euro spec 135i earlier here in Germany and I have to stay I am very impressed and fell in love with the 1er after my first couple of kilometers. I pushed it as hard as I could given the conditions (wet and icy 5 degrees) and this thing accelerates and brakes phenomenally. I tried to get it sideways on a few corners and spin the wheels up but the traction control does its job and certainly inspires confidence. As I stated earlier the brakes are perfect! You can stop on a dime. This car seems to make power no matter where you're at on the power band. My only observation I would like some experts to chime in on is if this thing has the same tunning the 335 has? It to me didn't seem to accelerate as hard but then again I couldn't push to hard given the weather conditions. One thing that really impressed me was the lack of blind spots and the ability to see out of the rear windows so well. You certainly have situational awareness of your 6 o'clock. I really think BMW has hit a home run with this car. It gets my vote for car of the year, so we shall see. You get allot of car for the money so if any of you are sitting on the fence on this one my advice is go for it. I am sold and I cant get this grin off my face.:roundel:

[Thud]

Hmmm this is the second time I've seen somebody write that the 135i doesn't seem to pull as hard as the 335i. Both are rated at 300hp, so maybe the 135i is less under-rated? Maybe the exhaust setup?
Or maybe just lower boost... something a chip can easily fix.

[BForbes]

My DINAN reflash will take care of that and then some.

[peppebmw]

Exciting news! Especially the part about how well the traction control works. Looking forward more than ever to the day I get to drive my new One.

[crex]

Originally Posted by MOTO69JOE

I got to test drive a euro spec 135i earlier here in Germany and I have to stay I am very impressed and fell in love with the 1er after my first couple of kilometers. I pushed it as hard as I could given the conditions (wet and icy 5 degrees) and this thing accelerates and brakes phenomenally. I tried to get it sideways on a few corners and spin the wheels up but the traction control does its job and certainly inspires confidence. As I stated earlier the brakes are perfect! You can stop on a dime. This car seems to make power no matter where you're at on the power band. My only observation I would like some experts to chime in on is if this thing has the same tunning the 335 has? It to me didn't seem to accelerate as hard but then again I couldn't push to hard given the weather conditions. One thing that really impressed me was the lack of blind spots and the ability to see out of the rear windows so well. You certainly have situational awareness of your 6 o'clock. I really think BMW has hit a home run with this car. It gets my vote for car of the year, so we shall see. You get allot of car for the money so if any of you are sitting on the fence on this one my advice is go for it. I am sold and I cant get this grin off my face.:roundel:

does it drive noticeably better than the 335? is it more nimble? can you tell it's lighter? I am on the fence with the 335. If it drives the same, I will go with the 3'er

[sc135i]

Thanks for the mini-review! I am certainly hoping I have that same grin when my car arrives next month!!

[ARES45]

I am glad about the visibility, that was the thing that kept me from jumping on a great z4 deal.

[larryn]

Servus, MOT69JOE! Wohin hast du diesem Einer gefahrt? Du hat gesagt dass es kalt war. Gibt es Eis oder Schnee auf diesem Strasse? Viel?

Entschuldigen Sie mich für meinen schlechten Deutsch..

[pumaknight]

Originally Posted by larryn

Servus, MOT69JOE! Wohin hast du diesem Einer gefahrt? Du hat gesagt dass es kalt war. Gibt es Eis oder Schnee auf diesem Strasse? Viel?

Entschuldigen Sie mich für meinen schlechten Deutsch..

Come again??? :biggrin:

[larryn]

Originally Posted by pumaknight

Come again??? :biggrin:

Translates to:

Greets, MOTO69JOE! Whereabouts did you drive the oner? You had mentioned that it was cold. Was there snow or ice on the streets?

Apologies for my krummy German.

You made me wonder if Joe is non-German (possibly in the service)

[Robert]

Perhaps the traction control kicks in earlier because of the skinner rear tires?

[Brandon26pdx]

We'll see what the dyno #'s say pretty soon.

[E82tt6]

Originally Posted by Brandon26pdx

We'll see what the dyno #'s say pretty soon.

Ja. I would be very suprised if BMW detuned the engine, and didn't let it reflect in the power ratings. That's not their style, and if the difference were more than 5% from the 335i (given same hp rating), you would be entiled some financial compensation from BMWUSA. That said, I don't expect that to be the case. I stiffer suspension often results in less "feel" of acceleration.

[Brandon26pdx]

I would be suprised if they changed anything that would alter stock power significantly (from a 335i)

[AwesomeBMW]

The different exhaust setup may have a little to do with it. I think its also got to do with the suspension like E82TT6 (great name by the way, finally figured out what it stood for).

But BMW already has advertised faster 0-60 times than the 335i, so we really won't know until we get the car

[TunedM2C]

Maybe it's because the 335i was actually putting out more hp than stated and the 135i is actually @ 306hp??

[joelk]

I think it's a bit ridiculous to start speculating about something that hasn't been established and based on such subjective criteria. No offense to anyone at all.

[NJKSC27]

Originally Posted by joelk

I think it's a bit ridiculous to start speculating about something that hasn't been established and based on such subjective criteria. No offense to anyone at all.

agreed 100%

NONE of us have driven the car except for a few of our friends across the pond....and no solid magazine numbers

[larryn]

Originally Posted by AwesomeBMW

But BMW already has advertised faster 0-60 times than the 335i, so we really won't know until we get the car

From the BMW USA website:

Acceleration 0-60 mph – Manual transmission - 5.1 sec
Acceleration 0-60 mph – Automatic transmission - 5.2 sec

Acceleration 0-60 mph - 5.3 [5.5] sec [Automatic]

[NJKSC27]

Maserati GranTurismo
405HP
3924 lb
0-60 - 5.1 sec.

MSRP 100+K

imagine your at the line with a Maserati GT and you blow his doors off!!!!!

[edge350]

Yeah, but the guy in the Maserati won't notice because he's actually getting blown by some Italian swimsuit goddess while you're content to blow doors off. I mean, come on. You don't drive a Maserati to be the fastest guy in a straight line.

[AwesomeBMW]

Originally Posted by edge350

Yeah, but the guy in the Maserati won't notice because he's actually getting blown by some Italian swimsuit goddess while you're content to blow doors off. I mean, come on. You don't drive a Maserati to be the fastest guy in a straight line.

but probably true