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Tuned BMW M135i Thinks It’s Brawny, AMG A 45 S Laughs All the Way to Pole Position

Just this once, could we forget about the latest-gen BMW 1 Series being front- instead of rear-wheel drive-biased? No? OK, at least we tried.
BMW M135i 19 photos
Photo: Manhart
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Putting its understeering nature behind, let’s move on to the real reason behind this story, which involves Manhart and the new M135i. The tuner has given the hot hatch a decent power boost, and a few other upgrades, baptizing it the MH1 350.

In the technical department, you are looking at an MHtronik Powerbox, carbon air intake, aftermarket exhaust pipe, and OPF-delete pipe, which is not TUV approved. With everything up and running, the output and torque of the 2.0-liter turbo'd engine increase from 306 ps (302 hp / 225 kW) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) to 350 ps (345 hp / 257 kW) and 524 Nm (386 lb-ft).

Now, that’s definitely much more than anyone would ever need in a hatchback, but it still pales in comparison to the true kings of the segment: the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S and Audi RS 3 Sportback. The former has 421 ps (415 hp / 310 kW) and 500 Nm (359 lb-ft) from a 2.0-liter four-pot, and the latter uses the famous 2.5-liter five-banger, making 400 ps (394 hp / 294 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) on the right side of the Atlantic Ocean.

With that off our chest, we should also mention the fact that the tuned M135i features lowering springs from H&R too, bringing the body by around 30 mm (1.2 in) closer to the ground. Uprated brakes are on the menu, albeit as an option.

In the design department, it sports front, side, and rear attachments on the black body, decorated by a few red and grey accents. For the wheels, they chose a set of 8.5x20-inch, hugged by the 235/30 tires. The Manhart floor mats and typical logos round off the makeover, just so that the tuner can say that they ‘modified’ the cabin, too.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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