The BMW M135i: A Car that Has Finally Come Alive

After four years of anticipation, we finally have our hands on the latest iteration of the BMW M135i. And let me tell you, it's a revelation. The moment I slipped behind the wheel and hit the throttle, I knew something was different. The power delivery was instant, the upshifts were smooth and seamless, and the overall driving experience felt like a whole new car.

One of the things that struck me most about the M135i is its newfound ability to handle full power upshifts without hesitation. Unlike in previous iterations, this car can take the next gear without feeling like it's going to jolt or stutter. It's a subtle but significant difference that makes a huge impact on the overall driving experience. And with the ESC system disabled, the M135i feels like a completely different animal - aggressive and snappy, with an upshift that really does feel like a punch in the face.

But what about the handling? Well, I'm happy to report that it's still stable and competent, even on our winter tires. However, I did find that it lacked a certain level of involvement or excitement that I've come to expect from a performance car. It's not a bad thing, mind you - sometimes stability can be just as important as driving thrills. But for a car called the M135i, I couldn't help but feel a little let down.

Luckily, we also had access to the 128 TI, which is essentially the same car without the XDrive system and with slightly less power. In dynamic terms, it really does make all the difference - it's like having an M1 28i that's been stripped back to its bare essentials. And let me tell you, I think BMW has finally realized that this is what a performance car should be: capable, efficient, and above all, engaging.

The drivetrain on the M135i is probably the most significant improvement over previous iterations. It's clear that BMW has taken a hard look at the gearbox and made some major changes to improve its responsiveness and accuracy. The upshifts are incredibly smooth and quick, with a snappy "wow" factor that really gets your heart racing. And on the straights, it's a completely different car - a 4.56 second 0-200 km/h time is nothing short of astonishing.

But what about the earlier models? I'm not sure if BMW has done any updates to those cars to make them as good as this one. The suspension changes seem to have made all the difference, but it's also possible that our familiarity with four-cylinder BMWs (after having been stuck with six-cylinder engines for so long) is partly responsible for our perception of improvement.

One thing's for sure, though: the M135i is a car that's finally come alive. It's a rock-solid performer that's both efficient and capable, with a driving experience that's hard to beat. And while it may not be the most exciting car on the road, it's definitely one of the best. So if you're in the market for a performance car that's both practical and thrilling, I think the M135i is definitely worth considering.

The Straight-Line Performance

One thing that really stood out to me during our test was the straight-line performance of the M135i. The 0-200 km/h time of 13.7 seconds was incredibly quick, but it's not just about raw acceleration - the M135i also feels like a completely different car at high speeds.

But what I loved most about this car is how well it handles. Even on our winter tires, which are less than ideal, the M135i feels stable and composed. It's like BMW has finally realized that stability can be just as important as driving thrills - and it shows in every corner of the car.

Launch Controls: A Flaw to Be Fixed

One minor annoyance during our test was the launch control system not working as expected. This might have something to do with the mileage on the car, which is only 1,500 km - but regardless, it's a bit frustrating when you're trying to push a car to its limits and it refuses to cooperate.

However, once we turned off the ESC system altogether, the M135i really did come alive. The upshifts were incredibly quick, with an aggressive "wow" factor that really gets your heart racing. And let me tell you, this car is fast - much faster than I expected.

A Comparison to the 128 TI

One of the things that struck me most about the M135i is how it compares to its sister car, the 128 TI. While the 128 TI is essentially the same car without XDrive and with slightly less power, it really does make all the difference in dynamic terms.

In my opinion, the 128 TI should be classified as an M1 28i - it's a sporty, capable car that's perfect for driving enthusiasts who want to experience the thrill of performance without sacrificing practicality. And let me tell you, I think BMW has finally realized what this car is all about: efficient, engaging, and above all, fun.

Conclusion

The BMW M135i is a car that has finally come alive - and it's a revelation. With its newfound ability to handle full power upshifts without hesitation, snappy upshifts, and an overall driving experience that's both thrilling and practical, this car is definitely worth considering for anyone in the market for a performance car.

While it may not be the most exciting car on the road, it's definitely one of the best. And with its focus on efficiency, capability, and engagement, I think the M135i has finally found its footing as a top-tier performer in the world of BMW.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's up ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this POV review by od toel my name is Martin and today I'm taking a look at this the 2024 BMW m135i this has been completely revised well it's not an LCI that's coming later this year but the m135i uh BMW eventually agreed with us did need some upgrading because like 4 years ago 2019 we tested the very first m135i F40 and there was a lot good about the car but there was also a lot wrong about the car so in the same year 2019 they still made the F20 previous one series The m140i now that is very hard to make a successor to because they needed to make one with a four cylinder I mean we knew Back in the Day 2019 that it was going to end for the m140i even then a 3 l straight six in a hatchback was pretty much insane and then came this the F40 and it was lacking on all fronts when it comes to the m aspect of this car so we even had someone at BMW internally who said yeah m135i that m stands for marketing uh so that was a bit painful to hear but it really felt like that I can remember Max saying like um it's not an M 135i it's an 135i and it's a good 135i it's a good fast one series it's just not an a performance model so BMW has done a lot to improve on that so the whole suspension setup control arms rubbers mounting points everything has been revised we have a lot more camber so we should get a little more of a Sharp steering so it all looks the same but internally it does feel a whole lot different so the engine is the b48 so the 2 L for cylinder turbocharged engine 306 horsepower 450 NTM now especially that torque number 450 is quite High I mean a Golf R has 420 it's a really beefy engine this really low down lots of torque it's almost like a nice diesel which I really like and it really contributes to that ultimate one series feeling so it's paired to an as 8speed gearbox uh so not a ZF 8pe like with a 330i so 4 years ago we said just have the 330i um because you know it's a real whe driven car does have that zf8 speed yes it does have like 4 or2 horsepower less than this but in every other aspect it's a better car so essentially this is a mini platform you know they developed this for the one series and the mini so the basis is a front-wheel drive car we just have a clutch that sends power to the rear when the front can't handle it anymore so it's the complete opposite of what the one series F20 was if you got that with xri four-wheel drive it was essentially a rear whe driven car setting power to the front if it was too much for the rear axle so it's completely the opposite and let's take off my jacket it's super super cold out today so I personally own a 2019 m140 if20 so one of the latest ones produced and I have to say the f41 series does feel a lot more luxurious and better build build quality you know is a big thing with the f-s series cars I think the G Series really feel a lot more beefy a lot more durable and it's the little things you know like this visor is now electric the rear has hatches electric everything just feels and looks solid not really exciting design wise but very durable and it feels like it will last for decades so that's really really good so the little four cylinder comes to life so this as 8-speed gearbox is a tourque converter gearbox like a zf8 speed but unlike the competition because the AMG A35 the golr the Audi S3 those all have dual clutch gear boxes but I think a modern tourque converter automatic can be as good and involving as a dual clutch so the problem with the the previous Ace and8 speed like with the first m135 I and and especially with the X2 m35i and the mini Countryman JCW which I used to own was that with full power upshifts it couldn't handle going into the next gear it would like jolt and it wasn't a very pleasant experience so I really hope that after four years they have fixed that and let's just pop it into sport mode and the same for the gearbox and the ESC system give it some throttle wow that is a big difference that is a Snappy upshift feels totally different so yeah great job on that front downshift also seems a bit quicker we are on winter tires and quite crappy ones today so it's quite hard to judge the improvements when it comes to the handling but this feels quite dead to me both the steering and the suspension but you know judging a car's handling when it's on winter tires is undoable if you ask me so we're not really going to focus on that maybe later on the autoban we can judge if it's a little more stable because back when Max tested this car in 2019 he complained about it being unstable at higher speeds so for some reason launch controls not working um it might have something to do with the mileage on this car which is only 1,500 km could be so that it's activated later so we're just going to turn off ESC all together and it should do a 4.8 and I'll tell you guys what it actually did after this launch oh that is a quick upshift and an aggressive upshift really really like that so yeah it's faster than what they say uh we did a 4.56 so it's quite a lot faster than they say and you do really feel like that the car really feels very quick so the handling of the car you know it's a stable constant flow but it's not really involving it's not really exciting it's not really M likee which it should be right since it's called an m135i well luckily we also have the 128 TI which which is a sportier car than this it's basically the same ingredience but without X drive and a little less power but you know in a dynamic sense it really contributes to having that sporty vehicle so in my opinion that should be like an M1 28i and this should just be a 135i it is very good at that being the fastest one series it's so solid it's a rock solid car to drive it's just not exciting to drive it's a very efficient capable vehicle and I really like it in that sense the drivetrain now really is what it should have been 4 years ago and I really like the fact that BMW did this even though we didn't have an LCI yet so apparently they do have that reflection that upshift wow that really is impressive as I said I used to own a conin JCW with the same drivetrain same power figures but I got rid of that car because of the stupid gearbox but now in this I think it's a really quite good gearbox I really quite like it so did they also improve on the straight line performance well yes they did so with the previous I'm I'm I'm calling it the previous m135i because it feels like that but it's not the 2009 m135i let's call it that did a 13.7 100 to 200 this did a 1295 which is nearly a second quicker without doing anything right it's the same car well it should be the same car but it doesn't feel like it it's really impressive what they did it's come alive and really feels like that so the F4 m135i now really is a car you could seriously consider performance is really impressive it's a nice car to live with you have these fantastic bucket seats uh there's not a lot to dislike actually it's um quite a good car I'm not sure if BMW has done done updates to the earlier models to make it as good as this I mean suspension wise of course they didn't but this drivet tram does feel like a different car maybe it's also us because we're now used to having four cylinder BMWs that are that used to be 6 cylinders it was uh a bit painful having that transition period which 2019 definitely was but you know even at high speeds Max complain about it being unstable but even on these 205 winter crappy tires it's good it's stable so I think the suspension changes they made really have been successful they haven't made it an exciting car to drive but you know stability is good performance is good I like it I mean there's still no match for this Mighty c63s but then we should bring the M3 touring ride so guys thank you for watching hope you like this video and please don't forget to subscribe to our Channel if you have a cool car send us an email and see you at the next one byewhat's up ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this POV review by od toel my name is Martin and today I'm taking a look at this the 2024 BMW m135i this has been completely revised well it's not an LCI that's coming later this year but the m135i uh BMW eventually agreed with us did need some upgrading because like 4 years ago 2019 we tested the very first m135i F40 and there was a lot good about the car but there was also a lot wrong about the car so in the same year 2019 they still made the F20 previous one series The m140i now that is very hard to make a successor to because they needed to make one with a four cylinder I mean we knew Back in the Day 2019 that it was going to end for the m140i even then a 3 l straight six in a hatchback was pretty much insane and then came this the F40 and it was lacking on all fronts when it comes to the m aspect of this car so we even had someone at BMW internally who said yeah m135i that m stands for marketing uh so that was a bit painful to hear but it really felt like that I can remember Max saying like um it's not an M 135i it's an 135i and it's a good 135i it's a good fast one series it's just not an a performance model so BMW has done a lot to improve on that so the whole suspension setup control arms rubbers mounting points everything has been revised we have a lot more camber so we should get a little more of a Sharp steering so it all looks the same but internally it does feel a whole lot different so the engine is the b48 so the 2 L for cylinder turbocharged engine 306 horsepower 450 NTM now especially that torque number 450 is quite High I mean a Golf R has 420 it's a really beefy engine this really low down lots of torque it's almost like a nice diesel which I really like and it really contributes to that ultimate one series feeling so it's paired to an as 8speed gearbox uh so not a ZF 8pe like with a 330i so 4 years ago we said just have the 330i um because you know it's a real whe driven car does have that zf8 speed yes it does have like 4 or2 horsepower less than this but in every other aspect it's a better car so essentially this is a mini platform you know they developed this for the one series and the mini so the basis is a front-wheel drive car we just have a clutch that sends power to the rear when the front can't handle it anymore so it's the complete opposite of what the one series F20 was if you got that with xri four-wheel drive it was essentially a rear whe driven car setting power to the front if it was too much for the rear axle so it's completely the opposite and let's take off my jacket it's super super cold out today so I personally own a 2019 m140 if20 so one of the latest ones produced and I have to say the f41 series does feel a lot more luxurious and better build build quality you know is a big thing with the f-s series cars I think the G Series really feel a lot more beefy a lot more durable and it's the little things you know like this visor is now electric the rear has hatches electric everything just feels and looks solid not really exciting design wise but very durable and it feels like it will last for decades so that's really really good so the little four cylinder comes to life so this as 8-speed gearbox is a tourque converter gearbox like a zf8 speed but unlike the competition because the AMG A35 the golr the Audi S3 those all have dual clutch gear boxes but I think a modern tourque converter automatic can be as good and involving as a dual clutch so the problem with the the previous Ace and8 speed like with the first m135 I and and especially with the X2 m35i and the mini Countryman JCW which I used to own was that with full power upshifts it couldn't handle going into the next gear it would like jolt and it wasn't a very pleasant experience so I really hope that after four years they have fixed that and let's just pop it into sport mode and the same for the gearbox and the ESC system give it some throttle wow that is a big difference that is a Snappy upshift feels totally different so yeah great job on that front downshift also seems a bit quicker we are on winter tires and quite crappy ones today so it's quite hard to judge the improvements when it comes to the handling but this feels quite dead to me both the steering and the suspension but you know judging a car's handling when it's on winter tires is undoable if you ask me so we're not really going to focus on that maybe later on the autoban we can judge if it's a little more stable because back when Max tested this car in 2019 he complained about it being unstable at higher speeds so for some reason launch controls not working um it might have something to do with the mileage on this car which is only 1,500 km could be so that it's activated later so we're just going to turn off ESC all together and it should do a 4.8 and I'll tell you guys what it actually did after this launch oh that is a quick upshift and an aggressive upshift really really like that so yeah it's faster than what they say uh we did a 4.56 so it's quite a lot faster than they say and you do really feel like that the car really feels very quick so the handling of the car you know it's a stable constant flow but it's not really involving it's not really exciting it's not really M likee which it should be right since it's called an m135i well luckily we also have the 128 TI which which is a sportier car than this it's basically the same ingredience but without X drive and a little less power but you know in a dynamic sense it really contributes to having that sporty vehicle so in my opinion that should be like an M1 28i and this should just be a 135i it is very good at that being the fastest one series it's so solid it's a rock solid car to drive it's just not exciting to drive it's a very efficient capable vehicle and I really like it in that sense the drivetrain now really is what it should have been 4 years ago and I really like the fact that BMW did this even though we didn't have an LCI yet so apparently they do have that reflection that upshift wow that really is impressive as I said I used to own a conin JCW with the same drivetrain same power figures but I got rid of that car because of the stupid gearbox but now in this I think it's a really quite good gearbox I really quite like it so did they also improve on the straight line performance well yes they did so with the previous I'm I'm I'm calling it the previous m135i because it feels like that but it's not the 2009 m135i let's call it that did a 13.7 100 to 200 this did a 1295 which is nearly a second quicker without doing anything right it's the same car well it should be the same car but it doesn't feel like it it's really impressive what they did it's come alive and really feels like that so the F4 m135i now really is a car you could seriously consider performance is really impressive it's a nice car to live with you have these fantastic bucket seats uh there's not a lot to dislike actually it's um quite a good car I'm not sure if BMW has done done updates to the earlier models to make it as good as this I mean suspension wise of course they didn't but this drivet tram does feel like a different car maybe it's also us because we're now used to having four cylinder BMWs that are that used to be 6 cylinders it was uh a bit painful having that transition period which 2019 definitely was but you know even at high speeds Max complain about it being unstable but even on these 205 winter crappy tires it's good it's stable so I think the suspension changes they made really have been successful they haven't made it an exciting car to drive but you know stability is good performance is good I like it I mean there's still no match for this Mighty c63s but then we should bring the M3 touring ride so guys thank you for watching hope you like this video and please don't forget to subscribe to our Channel if you have a cool car send us an email and see you at the next one bye\n"