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These guys scammed me (and a lot of others) out of a small fortune… invested in their concept which started as a crypto coin when they launched back in 2018. They then took all that money to start car vertical, and now we as ‘investors’ not only lost all our money cos the coin became worthless, but now they clearly used our money to launch their ‘brand’. Jay, please check it out before you advertise for this unethical bunch
The problem for car enthusiasts is that there isn’t enough of them buying new cars, so cars makers are struggling to justify continuing to make the special cars.
There are plenty of people buying new cars, just not petrol. Dealerships are now pushing people into electric/hybrids. You can have your big engine, you just have to pay a lot more for it 😉
Must be a first ever for RU-vid a RU-vid car reviewer criticized the roads for being too good and smooth! Especially British B-roads😂😂😂 Keep it up James👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
I’ve got two F20 1 series. They’re joyful in the dry, and a laugh in the wet. The B58 is a wonderous thing. I drove the new one, couldn’t stop laughing, poor sales person said that was the reaction from everyone who had a 140. Obviously, I’m keeping mine forever.
I had a 240 which I sold last year. A large part of me wishes I kept that car! Having said that though, it did become a tad boring after a while but it did do a lot right. That B58 is simply fantastic. 42mpg in Eco Pro from a 'performance' car.
I had a tuned M140i for 4 years. 455bhp/634nm in a hatch was great fun, until the inevitable basic 1 series chassis finally said 'NO I CAN'T COPE ANYMORE' and spat me 180 in a split second backwards into a tree. I now own an OG M2, I miss the (tuned) B58 engine, and I miss the ZF8 with xHP3, but that is all. The M2 is levels above in every other way.
I used to own a manual M140i RWD and switched to an M2C recently. I had an F40 120i FWD as a rental a few weeks back. It's totally fine as a daily, actually very competent, comfortable and extremely quiet and frugal (over 50mpg on the motorway). However, there's very little of traditional BMW legacy left in terms of how it drives. When it's wet, it understeers (or Audisteers as BMW Fanboys say) quite heavily and thus could literally be any hatch on the market...
"(or Audisteers as BMW Fanboys say)" that's hilarious. in the broad scheme bmw and audi understeer are next door neighbors. heck i'd say my mazda ecobox understeers less than a bimdub unless you drive the bmw like a clown.
Too be fair to the new generation m135i it's designed to appeal to a more generic customer not so much the enthusiasts like for the M2. Its about doing the boring stuff in a average manner with a turn off speed in all conditions when or if required as are all these generic 2.0 litre turbo four wheel drive hatchbacks. You either embrace the generic or go all out for a more focused performance car example M2
@@peterrosscochrane True, but it's AWD-system is FWD-biased and quite similar to Audis Haldex-Quattro. It never really feels like the rear wheels are actually driven...
I had a 2019 one of these, not a drivers car in any way, highly compromised Aisin gearbox with shortcomings, compromised suspension, just simply not a BMW in anything other than badge. Now got an M140i with adaptive suspension and an M Performance limited slip differential. Beautiful car, lovely to drive and listen to, supreme ZF gearbox which is one of the best, highly intuitive, for me, better than a DSG in a Golf R, which I also owned for a year
Ive watch this three times now. Twice in December and once yesterday. December because I was considering buying one. And yesterday because I picked up a new one on Saturday. So far I’m loving it.
Loving mine too ! Test drove the golf far too tacky inside fir the money the s3 was ugly and felt slow and the a35 was nice the new hybrid one but was alot more expensive... so the bmw was the winner for me ! This guy moans about every car he drives 🤣 there's a reason you see more of these on the road than any if the others!
I had one of these as a courtesy car while my M140i was being service. Quite enjoyed it, much nicer interior obviously, and reasonably fun to drive...That was until I got my M140i back. As soon as I started the engine, I smiled. So much better
I had a Semi-LCi M135i, new look interior with the older shape square rear lights, absolutely loved the thing, the low end grunt and pull from that N55 engine was just so addictive, and it loved to be rev'd right to the top. Yeah the suspension was soft and the lack of a diff made it somewhat unpredictable when pushing on, but that just added to the fun of the thing. The new one is sacrilege
Had the m140i and absolutely loved it. You don’t have to be a rally driver to appreciate rwd or even hang it out on every bend. Steering with the front wheels and driving with the rear is the best feeling driving a car. They lost the usp going awd. No one wants the slowest awd hot hatch without the fun
hit the nail on the head with this one... it's not that it is a bad car per se, it's just turned itself into another generic entry into the generic 2 liter 4 cylinder turbocharged front wheel drive automatic transmission box shaped hot hatch segment just like literally everyone else. It's just so flipping boring and unimaginative. The old one got you excited! This one would only make me excited to get out of it again... Also don't be too sad it doesn't have the same DCT as the cheaper and less powerful variants. I drove a 116i rental for a couple months as I waited for my new car to arrive and idk how they did it but BMW managed to fuck even that up. It has to be one of the slowest responding DCTs I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing. Sure it loves upshifting, as quickly as possible, can't have you build some revs now can we, that would be too exciting and too wasteful of all that precious fuel. All in all this is one of the cars of all time. Just through and through boring, the entire lineup.
About a year ago a German car magazine tested 4 hot hatches, A BMW M128ti, Golf GTI, Focus ST and I30N DCT. The BMW was described as absolutely lackluster, worst handling of the 4 cars, average automatic transmission, bad seats, etc. The i30N had the best handling and transmission; maybe BMW shouldnt have lost their M devisions main engineer (Albert Biermann) to Hyundai.
I had a 330ci and the decent tyre shop mixed tyre brands front and back and it was astonishing… you couldn’t even go straight down the motorway. Really needs same tyres all round IMO. Did that and car was back to behaving again.
As someone in their mid 50's, all the negatives are a positive to me, and I suspect most people. The reality is, most young men old enough the grow caterpillar under their nose who think they're a master driver of rear wheeled cars, actually aren't. Doing a wheel spin out of tescos car park and going over the legal speed limit, for limited duration of time, doesn't make them expert drivers.
It’s a measure of how badly gas-lit we have been. Car manufacturers have been crappifying the HMI so much that an Automatic hot hatch is even considered. This should be better down a B-Road than just about anything else. Post 2018 BMWs are just driveway garnish for terrible people.
As a current owner of the previous m135i, the straight-six RWD layout was the main reason I bought the car. Never buy a four-cylinder BMW. The fact that this cost 42,000 pounds is icing on the cake, mine cost me about 11,000 used, and i'd rather have it over one of these.
@@jase_llan mine has 130,000 km, so about 80k miles. I paid $22,000 New Zealand Dollars, so i just halved that figure to convert to GBP, as NZD > GBP usually about half.
@@dasstig5274 makes sense, here in the UK you can get them for £10k and up but often they're fairly questionable - although they do seem quite sturdy cars!
@@jase_llan I think i got a good deal, but yes had it about two years now and no issues so far. Did an MHD tune for a bit more poke about six months ago too!
I sort of drive both of these flavors - 1012 X1 with turbo 2.0L four (E84 N20), and a 2011 135i with sport package (E82 N55 ie single twin scroll turbo similar to the N20's turbo). They both have 300hp and 300 foot pounds, and are sort of about the same weight. Both drive trains are rewarding but they are completely different in nature. The x1 grumbles about on a massive wave of low rpm torque, almost like a diesel, but it has a softness that I guess is the lack of displacement, turbo taking longer to spool, etc. It's not like I don't like it - I like it. It wafts through traffic, good fuel economy, lots of power and lots of personality when compared to competitors with similar drive trains. Very relaxing. Not very sporty though. I can put the x1 in sport mode and all that jazz gets faster, but it never approaches the "solid wall hand" that shoves me in the small of my back when I give the 135 the gas or the energy the 135 inherently has in it's drive train.. I have trouble imaging buying an M model with an engine "like" the N20 in my X1, if I wanted that traditional BMW feeling from the drive train.
I'm currently practicing bangernomics whilst saving money and my Mondeo had a mega MOT fail in the summer (two pages worth!) so I was in need of a new car. I couldn't be bothered traipsing around testing out various shitboxes so instead I had a look at the used car lot down the road and they had a 2013 Sandero with 106k miles on it. Had a test drive and was really surprised by how pleasant it was to drive so I am now its proud owner! In terms of driving it doesn't seem to be any different from the newer cars, apparently the interior creaks and rattles aren't a distinguishing feature either. My main gripe is no air con but it was the cheapest car available at the time it was released, shockingly the lack of AC means no cabin filter either so when I turn the fan up high I'm blasted with leaves. Always a good laugh.
We've got the new shape 118d m sport which is FWD and the chassis is pretty decent for a modern hatch, it just lacks the obvious power.. I imagine if it was 4wd it would be pretty dull. The sweet spot on this F40 platform is probably the 128ti.
I owned this cars predecessor the M140i from new. when it came round to car change time I took the new m135i out for a drive and it genuinally felt like an insult. I got back to the dealership and the best the sales person could do was point out it had a bigger boot than my existing car, and that the "m lights werent the real drivers cars, had I considered the m2 competition or m3 instead"
Thought i was just getting old when I think the more modern the car the less likely I want it. Had a E36 coupe back in the day with glorious lines and a six cylinder soundtrack . Just muted 4 cylinder turbo woosh now.
It's not that this car is bad. It's actually a nice AWD car. It's just that the previous one was SO much better in every possible way, and by far the best driving compact car of all time. Since, you know, it was the only RWD one on the market.
The m135i is a Mini underneath, you might as well get the JCW Clubman which in my eyes is a better looking car, much more practical and feels a lot sportier!
They actually resurface roads in Scotland, where I live they just throw some loose stones down and move on. I will never be excited for a turbocharger 4 banger, it's just not that interesting.
This is of big interest to me, I currently have a 2017 M240i, it’s not perfect, really struggles to put power down in the wet, and even in the dry on a B road it wiggles around too much. That being said, I still absolutely love it! The engine power and torque are superb, it’s sounds amazing and to my eyes looks great. Unfortunately next year I’ll have to change, as I don’t like to let my cars get too old. That’s when the bills start rising. So now I’m having a look in advance. The M135i was a potential but now I’ve gone off it! I don’t have a huge budget and will be second hand 2020 ish car. I would love a Mustang GT, yeah I know it’s not the sharpest, but I’ve not had a V8. Out of budget unless I go older. So now I’m thinking Megane 300 trophy, Audi TTS - but have kids so maybe not, BMW 135i now out, can’t afford a Mk8 golf R. Any suggestions or more videos in this bracket would be awesome as I’ll have a decision to make next year. Also love the GR Yaris but PCP on those is crazy, and just try getting one!
Bills start rising only when you don't maintain them properly. Otherwise keeping them is cheaper than buying a brand new car, especially at today prices.
Does nobody else notice that the spacing between 2nd & 3rd gears is too close? It is terribly frustrating on a winding road that downshifting from 3rd to 2nd makes the revs soar. With eight speeds, they could have provided more room in the first three gears.
I got almost the same car as reviewed here. Amazing AWD handling, fits little family. I often drive various BMWs, from Mini to iX M60, and I happily get back to my M135. Just remember its a reskinned Mini after all, designed for people who know what they want. For classical drive get the M240.
Yikes, I own an M235i had it about 6 months and I absolutely love it. Contrary to almost everyone on here. For what I want and how I drive it ticks every box for me. Love the X drive, love all the tech - HUD, HBA love the 55 mpg on motorways. All I would say is it may not be up there if you review cars for a living and get to thrash the hell out of someone else's car for a couple of hours ( if that's your thing ) , but as an owner and every day driver it's just perfect for me .......
I guess its all about perception, i freely admit to not being the best driver in the world, (if i was id be lining up on the F1 grid for heavans sake) so i don't care if it won't win hot hatch prizes What i want from a car is a fantastic sporty shape, (so no Honda type r thank you) in a practical easy to drive, reliable, with a fair turn of speed, (make that very fast turn of speed) car, thats also fairly cheap to run, and with a panoramic roof, for me at the price i paid, it is glorious, oh and makes it a fantastic GT car for long distance drives to, i know cuz i own one
Bought a F21 M135i in ‘16 new and I had just the best 20mths with it. Trips on the continent, Santa Pod (a few times), Nürb and daily commuter.. it was like a grand tourer hatch and kind of in a class of its own rather than a hot hatch IMO. Loved getting it sideways (tho they really could do with a LSD). Proper mile muncher with a 6-cyl backing track that never gets old. This 4-cyl version leaves me flaccid but I get the trend for smaller more efficient engines. The bit I really don’t get is why RWD only was dropped, I mean how is drive being sent to the rear in this xDrive version.. so if they kept the transmission tunnel and prop shaft why didn’t they just remove the front drive shafts and give the people what they want 🤷🏻♂️
Switching to FWD a bad idea if you want a sporty car and ditching the straight six. Personally I wouldn't buy an m-series because the suspensions tend to be harsh and firm as compared to say an amg which is firm but smooth.
I went from m140i to new M135i and back to m140i again. The newer can handled well enough, especially in the wet, but lost the performance and sound. No regrets going back
I know it’s not the best spec but I think the best all round bmw is the 228i. Great engine and chassis. Enough power to have fun but little enough that you have to carry speed. Great gear box and handling you’re welcome to review mine if you’d like. Love your vids keep up the great work!
Cameron: "Wow, my car's going to be featured in a JayEmm video, so stoked!" JayEmm: "I struggle to see why anyone would write a check for this car" Ouch... (But good on ya for being honest, JayEmm)
@@paulh5854 I'm sorry my english doesn't live up to your standards. English is my third language and my brain has been severely damaged in a series of strokes. I thought I was doing pretty well given my medical history, but thanks for putting me in my place. Imagine I'd start feeling confident again!
Well, a 2023 Golf R is around 90K here in NZ. So I'll take the Honda Civic Type R for 75K thanks. The Yaris is super cool, but also tiny. And the Type R is a legend, and now classy as well.
Ive a gr yaris cp and I can confirm it's a bloody fantastic car if totally impractical! If you want back seats a boot or a quiet ride look elsewhere! But every trip is a giggle in the yaris & fortunately that's why I'll probably never sell it ❤
To be fair front wheel drive for lower end every day cars is fine - all wheel drive on performance models gives better grip than rear wheel drive - both make sense
I have tried the 220d small mpv, the rear doesnt follow the front mid corner. It feels loose at the back. Like the twisting body roll forces are different mid corner front end compared with rear end. Only way to fix it is rwd 50 50 weight distribution.
I was looking at one of these parked at work the other day, parked nearby was the latest shape Ford Focus and a Merc A-Class and it dawned on me that either car designers were sharing each others homework or these companies are hiring the same kind of boring individuals with absolutely no sense of style or any imagination whatsoever...
As with a 4-pot Cayman - if it was always like this, we'd all be fine with it. However, it wasn't always like that - bread with tomato sauce on is tasty, but if someone takes the cheese off your pizza... Decent interior, decent performance, ugly exterior, questionable gearbox, crap sound...and someone stole the cheese off your pizza. I kind of understand why someone might buy one of these, we've all made bad drunken choices after a messy breakup, but anyone buying these will (rightly) always have to explain why they didn't buy a used M140i instead - or a 128ti, just buy that. Sure, only 10% of BMW drivers knew their car was RWD but that means now essentially 100% don't know it's AWD since that same 90% are just as clueless and the other 10% aren't buying this, it's just that they've upsold these to people who'd have otherwise bought a 120d. On one hand, BMW give us the M3 touring, but there's this, the XM, an M2 that weighs more than a town and the 2 series "active tourer" which is presumably for people who genuinely didn't notice paying 40 grand for a 2004 Megane Scenic. On the plus side: while M140i values probably won't get much of a boost from being one of the last decent BMW ICE cars for a few decades, owners can at least save on heating bills by that lovely warm, smug feeling of knowing they didn't buy one of these.
The fact that you would put out a review on a car with two different sets of tires is what is baffling. The car is great for a daily driver. The world keeps revolving and we can’t expect just repeats of cars that don’t meet current German emissions standards. You are acting like this model is as egregious as the new C63. If you want to own a 1 series, that is comfortable, fast and somewhat engaging, while also having a chance in hell in driving it through a Bavarian winter, there is nothing to lose your top about.
I used to have an M2 and tried the M135i when I moved to Australia back in 2019. Was so boring that I shipped out my M2 to Oz in 2020. Just sold the old girl last December. Wouldn’t even consider the 135i. My mate ‘upgraded’ his M2 to this at the end of a PCP contract, but then subsequently left the contract to buy another M2 a year later. Bottom line- don’t bother it! ❤
The m140i seems to get a lot of flack in the car scene but it genuinely did offer something unique with the highly tuneable 6 cylinder, optional manual, rear wheel drive hatch for not a crazy amount of money these days
I can see why they made the 1 series FWD or X-Drive, but its not made it like every other 'hot hatch' and basically made it like every other car on road.
Nah, someone that spends £42,000 on this P.O.S either doesn't care about cars or is probably already deep in denial and doing mental gymnastics to justify buying this. I don't think Jays opinion can make it any worse.
Your conclusions about this car were predictable. I own a 2020 M135i xDrive and bought it with 7000km from the dealer with a big discount, Continental Sport Contact 7 fitted and am very happy how it drives now. The car offers good long distance comfort, very good infotainment, has all wheel drive and over 300hp. A competent small car with everything I need. The only weak point is the transmission, which is really not very good.
Point to point on UK roads the new M135i Xdrive is as good as any other hot hatch, arguably quicker than the old M140i. Fits the modern world. Of course the straight 6 would of been better but it’s not a bad car when considering the current competition
And on top of everything else, BMW just stubbornly refuses to sell either the hatchback 1 Series (or the 1 Series at all) in the US, as well as the wagon variants of the 3 and 5 Series. Along with removing manual options and cheaping out on their interiors, I just don’t see a reason to buy a new BMW car anymore. I very much consider myself to be a fan of the brand and have owned both an F10 5 Series (which I have daily driven for the last 6 years and 90k miles and is fantastic) and an F800S motorbike (outright sublime). The motorcycle side of the company is still the best in the industry in my book, but even then I still disagree with some of their recent decision making.
1 - would be slightly more interested in them if they were a manual 2- if u want a hatch then this is unlikely to be on the list 3- people bought the last one because they were unique. This has now gone I miss the days of the e30/e34 BMWs when they were something special and good looking not overly styled (being polite here) and tech ladened with plastic engines.
I actually prefer the looks of these compared to the old gen. Wouldn’t have one though after I beat one on a dual carriageway when I still had my Cupra 290
older RWD 1ers had its specific design cues, now it looks ĺike just another hatch on a market, it looks quite good in misano blue tho, design vise it is missing anything worth remembering that would make it stand out of a crowd
I disagree, respectfully. But, there is no arguing taste of course. I always thought that the older gen looked a bit like they took a BMW touring model, and shortened it to make a kind of mini touring when looked at the side profile. And because I (usually) find BMW tourings in general to be drop dead gorgeous, the 1-series always had a special place in my heart. Then those crazy BMW M-dudes crammed a 6 cylinder M engine into it and I never stopped loving that car. The new gen looks like any other generic hatchback I think while the previous gen had no equal in side profile
I've gone from a revo tuned cupra 290 to an m135i 7:30 and love it ! Loved the cupra too just wish these could be tuned to similar power then it would be a beast
As an 2019 m140i owner im absolutely baffled as to why you would by this car. Its a car for people with enough money that don't care about driving. If you did you would just buy a 330i for about the same money.
i really couldnt get my head round this move, they went from making a really good product that was unique, and therefore always sought after, to making essentially a golf R competitor, and they did this just after everyone and their dog had bought a golf R... if the old style 1 series had become a 2 series hatch i could kind of understand releasing this. also the bmw 'market research' is so laughable because yes typical 118i owners wouldnt know but i garuntee that not a single m135 or m140 owner was unaware that their car was RWD...
One of the most "meh" cars I've ever driven. Test drove a 128ti in comparison and found it to be much the better, livelier and cheaper car. Saying that glad I stuck with a M235i which got replaced with an M2.
Given that we're heading towards bland, interchangeable electroboxes that'll probably take over control whenever you try to have a bit of fun, the days of enthusiast cars like the M140i were always numbered.
Jaguar did the same thing lol they run A Masterclass in How To Upset Your Fans and Destroy Your Legacy as styling on Tata owned models lacks all the classic british styling, prestige and allure they used to offer...now they style them like Hyundai or Kia...if only they learned to blend something more classical-modern like the S-Type again...oh well!
If the “dashboard” is that ghastly video game appearance, and not visually instruments, that alone would kill this car for me. There’s no need to delete even virtual clocks, which have been preferred or acceptable to 99% of drivers for the best part of a century. That they have is, to me, deliberate vandalism. It’s a maiming.
Meh. I love the new m135i the interior is leagues better than the old series and the power delivery is great in all weather conditions. The f20 was way too twitchy, plus I prefer the understated looks. It gets far less attention than the older series which attracted all the wrong attention. As a daily driver this is so much better and easier to live with. No denying the v6 rearwheel drove fun but it felt utterly wasted half the year.
The market for enthusiast cars is just to small. It's the age of crossovers that pretend to be practical and in reality aren't and vans. That this 1 series is still a "normal" hot hatch at all is a wonder.
I know you said you actually liked the MK8 GTI better but that you would not recommend the MK8 Golf R. Have you driven the 8 Golf R? I haven’t seen it on the channel. Thanks!
Personally think this is much better than the old 1 series.. It's more elegant and grown up.. Looks much better, the old one always looked terrible to me.. Also the xdrive system is better than a fully rear wheel drive which struggles to put down it's power
I've had my factory ordered F21 m135i since 2014 and I wouldn't touch one of these with a barge pole. It's missing: 1. 3-litre six 2. RWD 3. 3dr bodyshell Absolute abomination and an embarrassing low-point for BMW
Of course the F40 M135i was a failure, they meddled with what made the F20 hatch great: 1. RWD 2. Three doors 3. Manual transmission 4. Six cylinder engine The fact the new car has NONE of those is baffling
@@lollypop9580 5 series already destroyed. 3 series is next with the Neue Klasse (even though it doesn’t look bad yet, but BMW will find a way to mess it up)
I agree. I owned the M140i and it was a joy. I wasn’t keen on this as a “successor” and it definitely isn’t as enjoyable to drive. I suppose it appeals to the younger driver who just wants to launch off between traffic lights in all weather - vs an old school B-road bashing that I prefer. I liked the ZF8 but currently drive a manual E92 with the six cylinder and I’ll be holding onto that until the end of days.
A conversation I had about 2 months after the 1 series was launched: Me: You've ruined the bloody 1 series haven't you, the old one was so cool and unique. BMW New Zealand CEO: We asked 1 series customers and only 10% of our customers knew it was RWD. Me: Let me guess, about 10% of all 1 series sold are M135i or M140i? BMW: Uhh yes thats probably about right. Me: and.......what do you make of that?
@@TheJoeT81 To be perfectly honest, I doubt they would have noticed a difference, and if they did, It might well have been in preference for FWD. From BMWs and general company economics point of view, it was a no brainer, really. They got the M2 for the few die hards that need the smallest platform with RWD, the hatch probably wasnt super popular in term of total global sales anyway, certainly not as a percentage of the 1 series production.
Sadly BMWs taken away everything their fans loved about the 1 series. The previous gen M140i and M135i are the ultimate hot hatches, proper engine. Correct drive train and gorgeous styling.
I've owned two "Beamers", respectable ones of the 2000's and early 2010's era, I feel I caught the tail end of the legacy which was BMW. Now we are subject to the Bean Counter who rules the product line, and some pretentious Kardashian design team with an "Influencer" advertising budget. I'm so sad for this once great brand; what Made in Germany used to stand for. Hell even Henkel Knives has completely sold it's soul alike. It feels like it's all become so cynical in it's approach to money and volume, or maybe I'm just getting old and crotchety and need to quit commenting on things which age me embarrassingly.
I have from new a two year old M135i and also a 2023 992 911 Carrera 4GTS. Sure the M135i gearbox is a bit weak, but as an all rounder I really like it. After driving the 911 if I get in the BMW I don’t feel let down, it does it job very well, fast and safe. Living in Germany it is also very good at fast on the autobhan and the brakes are extremely good at twice the UK national limit.
Honesty: I’m not a BMW owner. Never have been - may be one day. But I’ve driven one of these and it put a massive smile on my face. Absolutely loved it. I’ve never driven an older one so can’t compare, and I think that’s probably what separates me from the many of commenters saying BMW have ruined what was previously an excellent car. I guess I’m in ignorant bliss! Except it wasn’t my car - it was a friend’s. And has since been stolen. 😬
I have a 6 month old one of these absolutely awful cars I totally agree with all the comments on this video This should stop people buying this car and let me go on enjoying every second of my ownership with hopefully the rest of the world blissfully unaware of just how good this car is It is BRILLIANT in every way Every single person I've had in it loves it too Best car I've ever had and puts a massive smile in my face just looking out the window at it
I've owned 5 BMWs over the decades, every one a straight 6. One 3 series, three 5 series and one Z4. I've lost interest in the brand due to their styling, reliability and migration to 4 cyls. I currently "daily" a V8 Mercedes (S-Class), even though I only actually drive once or twice a week. We don't get this 1 series hatchback in Canada, unfortunately. It might make me reconsider BMW. Americans don't buy hatchbacks and they largely dictate what Canada gets, by proxy. We have two hatchbacks in our family and we love the practicality of them. A 135 hatch with AWD would be fantastic.
Mix matched tyres on an Xdrive can have a massive difference in drive quality. I was very surprised about this as well when I found out. I believe the tolerance is as low as 1% between front and back.
Yes, I think that is a valid point. The Xdrive appears to be sensitive to tyre type and should be the same make with a star rating or marking (no I don't know why, but BMW reckons it's important for the Xdrive warranty). I reckon the handling of the car he reviewed was compromised and not representative.
BMW did indeed go to FWD because they thought the usual 1 series buyers never took advantage or noticed it was RWD. The styling has also gone backwards I think, the previous 1 series is better looking.
@@snbalaCost cutting has always been a thing of course, ever since the dawn of capitalism companies have done "'profit optimisation" and make more profit for the owners and shareholders without providing additional value. That said, it used to be much more invisible because they cut costs in places where it wouldn't be noticed by most owners. These days, all kinds of cost cuts are fair game and that's where I agree with you that it has changed. I bought a 3-series this year and my previous car was also a 3-series, though the non-LCI model. The total price has gone up somewhat but not too dramatic compared to inflation. However when you look at the standard equipment, BMW took out a huge bunch of expensive components which used to come standard on the previous (non-LCI) 3-series. Can you believe that my almost €80000 car has no damn backup camera?!? And I don't mean the 360 camera, it has no backup camera at all. None. Only PDC. That is an absolute outrage for such an expensive car. And of course I didn't option it because I assumed it was standard like before on the non-LCI and on my 3-series before that and even on my 1-series 10-12 years ago. Parking assist pack, which was standard on the non-LCI? Also now an (expensive) option. An alarm that used to be standard? Nope, option now. And there are a bunch more that when added up are a shockingly large amount of money. I'm quite livid about this and considering moving away from BMW after 25 years with them
I have one of these (was actually going to meet James for a review last year but James was unavailable last minute and I couldn't make the new proposed date). I agree with some of the points here. My old mk 7 GTI was a much more fun car to drive on a twisty. BMW really messed up with the marketing because to me the car just shouldn't have an M badge anywhere near it. Look at it as a fast practical luxury all rounder and it makes a lot more sense but not as a hot hatch. I find it an absolute joy to drive on the motorway or for long distances as soon as it gets above 50mph the suspension is best in class brilliant as is the cabin and tech available. It's quick but you don't feel any drama at all it just does what is asked of it. That's why the fake pops and bangs plus M badge was a bit of a marketing disaster IMO. Good performance, great refinement, not many thrills to be had once you are used to the straight line speed off the line. Another point when I bought you could get these for well under 400PM with nothing down or 33k cash. They've obviously gotten a lot more expensive now and wouldn't be paying todays prices.
I own a manual M240i thats had all the obligatory mods, I'd never own one of these but whatever BMW are doing it's clearly working because I see boatloads of these about
@@cameronhill5220 loads, carbon splitter/diffuser/exhaust/wing mirrors, M performance gearstick, VRSF sports cat, Dyno stage 2 tune, Bilstein B14 adjustable dampers, spacers, plus some racier tyres and soon to be some better brakes and maybe even a stage 2 plus with better spark plugs Nearly forgot I've got an MST intake as well
I loved my M140i - not the greatest handling car but that engine and gearbox (ZFauto) was fabulous as was the rear wheel drive so the steering was sublime. Plus with factory incentives it was £32k. £42k for a Mini in disguise is really taking the Mickey!
@@TroyHR123I don't much understand why people waste money in new cars, when they will be old cars in a couple of years. 35k buys a lot of used car, especially when boosted
The previous M135i and M140i were dynamically flawed. But, they were unique and fairly special. A turbocharged, 6 cylinder, rear wheel drive hatchback was never going to be dull. It’s a shame they’re mostly driven by morons, else I’d have one in a heartbeat. On the other hand, I drove one of the newer M135i X-Drive’s back to back with an M140i on a wet day. The 140 was slightly unhinged as to be expected, but humongous fun. The 135, which should’ve made sense in the wet, still didn’t, just without the fun and terror. The gearbox was poor, the straight like performance was lethargic and the chassis was inept. I was left wondering why anybody would buy one over a Golf R. These M135i X-Drive’s have not aged well, whatsoever.
I too was very annoyed to find that the 1 series became FWD. I had a 118i E81, and even with its modest power I had so much fun with it on a twisty road, precisely because it was better balanced than a FWD car.
I think this car is a prime example of customer knowledge and customer experience. It’s much like for found out when developing the original focus, just because your customers don’t know what it is that makes a car drive well, they most definitely feel it. I have a F22 M240i which fundamentally is the same car as an M140i and it is far from perfect and has some spikey tendencies at the limit. That said you can feel that the fundamental basis of the car is a pretty good starting point for mods. After a full suite of chassis mods including an LSD it is a car transformed. Looks like a two door saloon but the harder I push it the better it drives. Supreme balance and athleticism unlocked from BMWs most basic rear drive chassis with a big engine. The way they built those cars, it’s just a superior architecture and there is no way around that in the same way a Cayman or A110 is another strip in superiority. This latest M135i never stood a chance.
