When I introduced my M135i to my friend
earlier this year, there were two particular figures that I highlighted: one
was BMW's claimed 0-62mp h time of 4.9sec and the other was the claimed
combined fuel consumption of 37.7mpg. Rather presumptuously, I said that I
suspected one of those numbers would be much easier to achieve than the other.
Curiously, looking back on it now. I don't know which one I was referring to,
which probably tells you all you need to know about just how good an
all-rounder the M135i is.
Practically speaking, the 1-series was all
the car I needed I don't have any sprogs to worry about, but I did decide to
rip out the kitchen one weekend and It only took two trips with the back seats
down to get the whole lot to the recycling depot. With the seats up, rear
legroom isn't vast, but it's acceptable (especially if you're not sitting
behind me).
M135i
rides firmly but is easy enough to live with
As ever, a lot of my driving was fairly
mundane stuff, for which the BMW was a joy to be in. At $63,810 it was a very
well-specced car. But it felt worth every penny, with every luxury and gadget I
could reasonably want. Despite initial scepticism, I even used the Google
search function on the satnav quite a lot when a normal POI search wasn't
enough. I feel it's worth mentioning iDrive (Apple must be so annoyed they
didn't copyright that), because since its launch It has been a by-word for
unintelligible. However, now it has been updated with a handful of buttons
around the big knob, it's one of the clearest, most user-friendly systems to
navigate. It's actually easier and safer than waving your hand around at a
touchscreen.
Step
inside and the spacious, high quality interior of the M135i still impresses
On a couple of track outings, the M135i was
fast but felt twitchy rather than encouraging on the limit, particularly in the
wet. However, having subsequently tried one with a Quaife limited-slip diff in
the rear axle. I would say such an upgrade is almost essential. The other area
of debate was the optional eight-speed paddle-shift gearbox. This was the first
automatic long-termer I've had and in everyday use it was almost too good at
slurring shifts and making you cruise along without taking advantage of what
you were in. It's a brilliant 'box and its short ratios really make the most of
the engine on a B-road, but given the choice, I think I'd go for the manual.
The six-speed has such a tactile shift and the sheer involvement of three
pedals means that you'd get enjoyment from it even on dull trips.
LED
daytime running lights mean there's no need for foglamps
And those two figures? Well, the dash to
60mph (rather than 62) was dispatched in a mighty 4.8sec when tested at
Bruntingthorpe. It was remarkably easy to achieve that figure too, with no need
to engage longwinded launch-control programmes: simply hold it on the brake and
build the revs to about 1,700rpm before taking the chocks away. The fuel
consumption was probably the figure I was more sceptical about back in January,
yet on a (mainly) motorway run the BMW could average over 40mpg. In everyday
use it was around 30mpg, dropping to low 20s if you thrashed it. Remarkable for
a six-cylinder motor.
Conceivably as fast as you need to go on
the road (the sheer punch of the engine never failed to surprise me), as
practical as I ever needed, relaxing and comfortable on a late-night motorway
run, easy on the ears, yet relatively kind to the wallet... it seems like the
motoring Holy Grail: one car to do it all. M135i. I'm really going to miss you.
