far2000

April 10, 2008
By Minesh Bhagaloo

Sorry gents, it's not as quick as an M3. I know you expected it would be; to be honest so did I, especially as it has a 225kW, three-litre, twin-turbo engine in a compact 1-series body.

And more so as the latest M3 isn't turbocharged, so the 135i should have the upper hand up in Gauteng.

But try as we could - and believe me we tried - we just couldn't get under six seconds in our 0-100km/h tests. BMW claims a 5.3, but that's probably better fuel, ideal conditions, and lower altitude.

Bigger picture: that makes the 135i just about equal to the 335i manual coupé we tested at the end of 2007, in which we averaged 5It's only 0.3sec slower to 100km/h than the 309kW, V8-engined M3
.9sec to 100km/h.

But it's only 0.3sec slower than the 309kW, V8-engined M3, which is so close that the outcome of a dice would depend on driver skill.

And here's the point: the 135i in manual guise (without ticking any of those "optional extra" boxes at the bottom of the order form) costs R375 000; the M3 with two doors, R683 000.

Granted they're not really the same type of car but a R300 000 saving sounds more than a little tempting in the bang-for-buck scale of things. And to compare apples with apples, the next cheapest model with the twin-turbo engine is the 335i sedan, which still costs about R40 000 more than the 135i.

So yes, it's not as quick as an M3 but I'm willing to put the family jewels on the line here and say that there is nothing standard out there with a list price under R400 000 that is135i flagship looks the part with a big fat air intake, side sills, rear spoiler and rear diffuser
.

No doubt Subaru and Mitsubishi will make astonishing claims for the STI and Evo 10 (which will come in with similar pricing), but I doubt even those will break the six-second barrier in Gauteng.

But more about this car: the 1 series has always been a 50/50 thing looks-wise. The coupé is no different; some like it, some don't. The 135i flagship looks the part with a big fat air intake, side sills, rear spoiler and rear diffuser, all part of the standard M Aerodynamics package.

The bonnet looks stretched in comparison to the rest of the car with the wheels sitting at the corners under flared arches and not much overhang either. The rear end is distinctly short, although boot space is reasonable for a small family.

There's not much rear legroom, however; read the "2+2" on the spec sheet strictly as two adults + two kids. Nevertheless, front-seat occupants have no reason to complain. The seats are comfortable, the driver will like the chunky steering wheel and stubby gearstick, while the long, pillarless side windows add a sense of sportiness.

It really is hard to drive this car slowly; it's sheer frustration to not stretch the gears whenever you can, especially as sound and performance are singing off the same song sheet.

And don't even talk about the handling – the steering is superbly direct with enough feedback to get you really involved in the driving experience.

Better response times

BMW says that when the traction control is switched completely off the 135i has a "software-controlled locking function that slows down the drive wheels when spinning in an inappropriate process".

In English: when things go a little sideways, there's still a form of differential lock at the rear wheels to lend a hand.

In addition, with the traction control disabled the electronic stability system will let you go a little bit further before it gets grumpy, and different accelerator mapping will give you better response times.

It's no exaggeration to say the 135i becomes a guided baby missile with enough force-fed momentum to take way outside the legal envelope. And did I mention that during all this we burned only 12.4 litres/100km?

VERDICT

People are already calling the 135i the successor to the early-1990's 325is. Strictly speaking it's more a descendant of the 2002 of 30 years ago but I must agree with 325is comparison.

I had a 325is back then and it had a similar spirit, although it was nowhere near as refined or technologically advanced as the 135i; each thrives on punching above its weight.

The 135i may not be as quick as an M3 but in my book it's close enough.