BMW M135i xDrive | Test Drive

1 June 2020 Redazione News, Tested

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

The M135i snaps like a bullet fired out of the barrel of its gun, it carves itself through corners and comes out pressed to the ground like a hound chasing the fleeing hare.

Words by Alessandro Marrone / Photos by Bartolomeo Lazzarini

I had this piece already written, checked, modified and confirmed, but then things changed drastically. The world has changed. The perception of everything has taken on a different value and whether you want it or not, the arrival of the coronavirus has turned the cards on the table for all those lucky enough to not even have to cry a relative or a friend. It is here that I decided to trash the article and write it again from scratch, even if my opinion on the subject do not change, I wanted to put a big red cross over it and start from a white sheet of paper in order to write down all that the M135i has been good enough to offer during my test days. At this moment, almost two months after the last time I drove it, it is still with me, parked in my driveway. I can touch it because this time I am not sitting at the desk in my office, but on a normal plastic chair two steps away from its front bumper. I just need to have a look at it and the words start flowing through my hands, retracing all the kilometers shared together.

The new generation of the BMW 1 Series has itself turned the situation upside down, going from rear to front-wheel drive, clashing with those purists who have always preferred a more lively on road behavior, but according to the specific figures provided by the marketing brains, these represent only a small part of the customers of the small Bavarian hatchback. And so, like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, a chain of events has unleashed radically transforming a fun car for every day, into an effective car for every day. The difference seems subtle though, but in reality the changes are deeper than you can imagine. Take for example the engine, even the in-line 6-cylinder has vanished and gives way to a smaller Twin-Power turbo, a 4-liter that on paper seems a further step towards greater usability, but which underline the drama our aficionados have to deal with. Aesthetically, it seems taking a few pounds, it appears bigger on the outside and more massive, with a very pleasant rear-end and a front dominated by the large double kidney grille, hallmark of the brand and constantly increasing in size over the years. The scale stops just over 1,600 kg, mainly due to the update of the mechanical compartment and a more complex traction system.

At the dawn of those days when everything would inexorably stop, I managed to travel enough kilometers to have a way to give a well-defined shape to all the questions that buzzed in my head until a few weeks before. As this is not the traditional 1 Series that your license-fresh sister would prefer, the M135i must absolutely overshadow its metamorphosis and demonstrate that its performances are not only able to cope with its main opponents – I immediately think of the VW Golf R and AMG A35 – but also not to give up that fun factor that has always kept it firmly ahead of the three-pointed star arch enemy. We are talking about a 2-liter transversal turbocharged pot with 306 horsepower and it must be emphasized that traction is not exclusively on the front wheels, because in fact when the car deems it necessary allows the rear wheels to intervene so as to manage torque and power in the best way and to ensure traction and at the same time limit that understeer which, when speaking of certain cavalry on the two front wheels, seems inevitable, even if in this case we also have a Torsen mechanical self-locking differential and the help of active suspension.

I admit that I used Comfort mode just to realize that in Sport there is a whole other way of intending the drive. The steering wheel increases its resistance and consequently offers a more precise setting, especially when increasing the pace. The gearbox, an 8-speed Steptronic automatic, always works flawlessly, but acting on the paddles behind the wheel makes frantic driving even more engaging, while the brakes are very ready and indeed, in city use they require a bit of habit, so to avoid sudden braking. Although different from what BMW has accustomed us to with the previous peppery 1 Series, the M135i has all the ingredients to make a driving day between tight bends pretty exciting. With the photographer and part of the crew following me on a second car, I soon know that winter tires will not play in favor of our handling, so I decide to slightly decrease the tire pressure and make the M more nervous, but more precise for when we will face a series of curves in which you are ready for everything except for a sudden loss of the right dialogue between weights and grip.

The turbo hisses and it’s as if it were telling me – Look I’m ready, what are you waiting for? – a few moments and then I decide to throw myself into the void created by all those insecurities inevitably amplified by an infinite amount of stupid forum chat. The M135i snaps like a bullet fired out of the barrel of its gun, it carves itself through corners and comes out pressed to the ground like a hound chasing the fleeing hare. I can feel the incredible effort made by the forcibly less performing tires and the suspensions that together with the car’s brains manage the 450 Nm of torque available, sorting it on both axles when necessary. The intervention of the rear axle is never invasive to the point of making you realize that you are no longer driving relying on only the front wheel drive and at the same time the perception is that of finding yourself behind the wheel of a full-fledged all wheel drive.

The 306 horses are felt almost immediately, entering in full force at 1,750 rpm and pushing the tachometer needle upwards, but they are never brutal and for this reason they manage to make the driving experience very involving. On a mountain road, where there are proper curves, narrow points and no possibility of going beyond the limits of common sense, the M135i with xDrive system is the car that you would not be able to shake off even if you were at the wheel of a supercar with triple the horses. This is the ideal power threshold to be squeezed from morning to evening, this is the most concrete way of reaching the mechanical limit of a sports car, knowing it in depth and realizing that there is still a lot of room to go further and lash the bends you know well and that you never thought you could devour with such fluency.

A hot-hatch in the true sense of the term therefore, especially now that it no longer belongs to that niche that it had created and lived on its own, which is that of a rear wheel drive hot hatch. And like any self-respecting hatchback, the M135i takes just a second to get back together and face the city traffic and offering the advantages of a medium-small body, without forgetting the space for three occupants on the rear seats and a large load compartment at the back. It is complete, ok I have ruined the final surprise, this is not just my two cents, it really is fun to drive even slowly. Yes, because its comfort is really high and the care for the materials and the interior design is one step further than its competitors. The Alcantara of the sports seats adds other points in its favor, but in city traffic it is advisable to use Comfort mode, or even Eco Pro, which are softer for both the gearbox and the steering.

Just enough time for a cup of coffee and to exchange some other point of views and it’s time to go back to a more intimate situation, where to put the BMW under pressure, as if to want at all costs to find a defect that we could not find in these first hours of wild push. With more confidence gained, there is barely way to point our finger to the shy sound coming from the exhaust, because for the rest you have really amazing performances. The M135i xDrive goes from 0 to 100 kph in 4.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 253 per hour, but it is what is in the middle that surprises and satisfies once driving. It is the ease with which you can ring curves, hairpin bends and swallow straight lines the moment before, cross the city or long stretches of motorway the following one. It is obviously different than the M140 it replaces, because it requires a diametrically opposite approach and where you will not end a train of tires a month with a smile on your face, you will have plenty of fun in terms of cornering precision thanks to the excellent steering (electric) and a car body pressed towards the center of the earth as if attracted by an immense magnet. The response of the engine also implies a different type of driving, gaining speed is a simple operation and in this case too, a wider slice of customers will be happy.

The new 1 Series has changed its world, but in its case it is not bad news at all, because where the majority of customers that led to this mutation will not even notice the mechanical and dynamic differences, those who seek the thrill of performance will have fun with the M135i sister, which with an excellent standard equipment starts at € 47,000. If you really can’t help but go sideways at every hairpin bend, the M2 option remains, which by dressing the body of a three-volume coupe reflects even better the ideal performance car and with the 410 horsepower Competition version costs just over € 67,000. But today we are talking about something else, the one that shuffled the cards and cut the deck where maybe no one would have expected. Do not even think for a moment to see it as a small BMW with traction in the wrong place and accept it for what it is: a hatchback that despite having had to listen to the needs of 90% of its customers, still knows how to make happy those who love the marriage between driving and fun.

Ah, for those who were curious about the first version of my article, know that even in that case I deliberately left out all the details relating to the infotainment or those numbers that you can also found on the milk cartons. In a time like this, what we need are more emotions and less rationalism. It takes more chills and less lessons copied and pasted in parrot style, because if you have to do something, do it well.

BMW M135i xDrive

Layout   –  front-engined, all-wheel-drive (non-permanent)

Engine  –  4 cylinder 1.998cc – turbo

Transmission  –  8-speed automatic gearbox

Power  –  306 hp @ 5.000-6.250 rpm

                      450 Nm @ 1.750-4.500 rpm

Weight  –  1.677 kg

Acceleration  –  4,8 sec.

Top Speed  –  253 kph

Price  –  from € 47.000