BMW M135i xDrive Review

A few moments ago, we were amazed by the fact that BMW’s official efficiency figure of mpg (7.8 l/100 km) isn’t that far off from one we saw on the dash. We’ve been using the Eco Pro mode a bit too much and we must’ve gone a bit numb, because right now we’re feel a bit overpowered by that twin-scroll turbo in-line six up front.

Before we move on to see who’s abusing who in this story, we have to mention that the car reminds us of its powerful nature even in this Greenpeace setting or whatever they call it. The gearbox becomes reluctant to downshifts and if you push the pedal hard, you’ll feel a slight tension in the steering wheel. The xDrive system has been so deeply integrated within the car’s modes that in this green-focused state, the vehicle feeds more power to the front wheels, hence the aforementioned sensation.

We’ve entered one of our favorite B-roads and we’re flooring it. The engine is an absolute masterpiece and when you’re hammering it, it’s very easy to forget that you’re in a hot hatchback, as it pushes the car way past this status.

You get a rapid transition from 2,000 to 3,000 rpm and form there on the climb to the 7,000 rpm peak is a linear one. Somebody once defined engine power as the strength with which your arm tightens a bolt and torque as the length of the spanner you’re using. Well, this BMW M135i must have one hell of a spanner, because its progress remains relentless even after you’ve passed 124 mph (200 km/h).

Listen close enough and you can hear the engine sucking air and blowing its steam off when you take lift off the gas. While the exhaust is always there to accompany you but uses a moderate approach, it becomes a bit intimidating when you approach the rev limiter. It’s almost as if the engineers tried their hand at neuro-linguistic programing, convincing your brain to shift at just the right time. Yes, a part of the sound is artificially generated, but we don’t care.

Speaking of shifting, the eight-speed ZF gearbox is one of the best managers we’ve seen. Like the adaptive suspension, to which we’ll get in a minute, the transmission allows a great deal of modulation. It makes the car extremely pleasant to drive everyday.

You can have seamless shifts that will see you betting your house on the fact that this is actually a dual-clutch unit, which it’s not. Then again, it’s quick on the upshifts and extremely prompt on the downshifts, be they simple or double. We don’t want to let go of its paddles too soon. We really couldn’t, especially since the exhaust barks dramatically at every full-throttle upshift.

The chassis is beautifully balanced and it definitely knows that the throttle can replace the steering wheel on certain occasions. Nevertheless, we weren’t exactly eager to make due without the Variable Sports Steering, since this was one of the best EPAS setups we’ve ever seen. It sends a good deal of feedback through that thick wheel. What’s more, the way in which is perfectly adds weight at speed has to be experienced in order to be believed.

As for the adaptive suspension, which you simply have to add to the spec, this offers an incredible ride for such a fast car. The vehicle never rushes to regain control after a bump, it does so as quick as possible without upsetting the balance. By the way, the front axle bushings were also tweaked. A perfect recipe.

When it comes to the handling, the M135i is the kind of thing you’d find on the desert menu. With the optional xDrive, this car can do whatever you want it to. It can skid in the dry or stay flat in the wet, depending on the driving mode chosen.

The rear-wheel driven model does lack a limited slip diff, even as an option, but most of the times you don’t feel the need for one.

In both models, the Sport Plus state of the car’s configurable modes allows small slides with a surprising amount of control. This is basically BMW’s torque vectoring and it’s called Active Differential Brake.

While the rear-wheel drive M135i lets you feel the nice poise through the bends, the xDrive version means you can lean on the throttle while oversteering. It’s a nice feeling when you know you’re carrying more speed than you should but you’ll still be alright by the end of the bend. As for the understeer, you cab virtually gorget about it.

If you want to use the system’s basic setups, which include Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus, it’s as if you suddenly know the Braille alphabet.

You put your finger on the transmission tunnel: pushing towards the front makes the thing go wild, while pushing towards the rear turns it into a cozy machine. BMW, being BMW, also offers a more complicated sub-menu, albeit a very useful one.

This allows you to separate the powertrain configuration from the suspension one. Thus, you can leave the suspension in Comfort and the powertrain in Sport - this is the setup we’ve found ourselves in on many occasions. These modes also alter the steering and its weight seems to be fine in any of them.

We’ve been bashing the throttle a bit too hard and it looks like that tight left hander up front may become a problem in a few moments. Despite not getting the 1M Coupe’s brakes, but a slightly lesser setup, those blue-painted calipers hold enough stopping power to comfort one in situations such as the one we’re in now.

Out of the corner and into the next one, it’s all a roller coaster with this M135i xDrive. Take care though, if you go past eight or nine tenths, you’ll feel the need for more precision. Taken past the limit, the BMW M135i has a tad too much body roll, it doesn’t feel like you can position your wheels on the vibrators to the slightest fraction of an inch.

Then again, this is exactly what makes the car brilliant. While you never quite reach the aforementioned area, these traces of softness at the top end mean that the car is perfectly usable the rest of the time.

There are a few parts of the car that could be upgraded though. Since BMW won’t fit a Head Up Display to a 1 Series, they could, at least, give us a digital speedometer.

However, the BMW M135i is astonishingly fast - with xDrive it can take on the role of supercar fighter in bad weather. Seriously, if you’re in this thing and it starts raining, a Ferrari badge a few meters in front of you would bring a demonic smile on your face.

It’s very rare for cars that can deliver this kind of performance to be so easy to drive. The M135i xDrive simply invites you to eat mile after mile behind its wheel.