I’d better get round to writing this before I forget all the details.
Well, I’d had a keen eye on the M135i since way before it was released.
As a serial owner for over 30 years on and off having owned examples of every generation of Golf, done the whole modifying thing from engine internals to chassis, brakes, remaps, wheels and more wheels, and gone back to preferring standard production cars: it was always a given that I’d want to know whether another marque could out Golf a Golf.
I’ve never gone on spec to test drive a car before without any intention of buying. A salesperson is relying on their time to put food on their table so I won’t waste their time. I’m either serious or I stay away.
However I’m on the mailing list for BMW for some reason and was duly invited to come and test drive the new “the 1”.
Initially I ignored it but curiosity got the better of me when I was offered an hour unaccompanied with the car.
No salesman’s time wasted, just me and a car.
The M135i is an interesting car.
The previous generation M135/140i was the modern answer to the big engined Ford Capris, BMW’s answer to the Golf VR6’s of yore. A car for manly men and girls who grew up on BMX bikes not browsing nail varnish ranges.
This new one is BMW’s answer to a niche that VW group had to itself for five years.
Merc were quick to launch the A35 along with the rest of the new A class to steal sales from the ageing R and S3, BMW did likewise and the M135i is a launch model. No doubt more hardcore versions will follow in time just as Merc have rehashed their punk rock but very expensive A45.
VW group’s rivals mean business as these cars are all similarly priced, specced and nearly identical power outputs. The gloves are off.
I won’t post loads of details about the car here. There are proper road tests on YouTube and in print from people that know what they’re talking about.
This is merely the impressions from a long term Golf owner on how well BMW have done to steal hardcore VW owners away never mind the floating voters.
Unlike the vloggers and journos, I’m not relying on BMW paying my wages indirectly or otherwise, I’m a paying customer!
First up, first impressions always count which will be the looks.
In photos it looks a tall car, it looks slab sided and a bit ungainly and like most new generation hatches it looks like an SUV that’s had a rolling pin gone over the original clay model.
It looks a bit like that in the flesh too side on!
It has the typically exaggerated family nose like many newly released cars. The oversize kidney grilles actually look better in the flesh but will take a bit of getting used to nonetheless.
Elsewhere at the front, close up the little details actually look quite cool.
There’s a natty lower splitter and those odd looking horizontal flaps are actual vents a la GTI Clubsport and look good up close.
Side on it just looks like any other 1 series.
The bright blue of the test car is striking. It’s actually lower than it looks in photos and the 18” wheels don’t look lost in the arches like I thought they would. The ride height is spot on and the wheels sit well in the arches. Those latter things often criticised about the mk7 Golf. BMW have paid attention.
The rear end is the best angle.
It looks bland from the rear in photos, Focus like even.
In the flesh the rear looks great. Very aggressive and very BMW but not in a bad way.
The visible exhaust box in photos looks like a rectangular scrotum that’s not been tucked into the swim shorts properly but in the metal the exhaust looks very purposeful and the rear looks just “right” without being too subtle or OTT.
Inside looks very BMW.
It looks and feels very solid, the dash is one of BMW’s better efforts and we are assured it has all the latest tech.
Buttons are few, just a row below the screen for aircon etc.
The dash has a stitched leather look panel that looks good, giving it an upmarket aura. The steering wheel quite fat reminding me of the lovely mk5 GTI steering wheel to hold rather than the skinny mk7 effort.
Naturally there’s loads of LED backlighting which I couldn’t see in the daylight. Looks good in vids though so should look very modern during the dark hours.
The actual dials are a bit over styled and hard to read. I didn’t warm to them at all.
They were proved unnecessary on the test drive demo as it had a head up display fitted.
The HUD was great! Just the bare minimum of info exactly where you need it.
Rev counters seem a bit superfluous with modern auto boxes anyway. More on that later.
The driving position is the one area where I’d say definitely try before you buy if coming from a Golf.
I’m only 5’7” and found my bouffant brushing the folded sun visor unless the seat was on its lowest setting and yet you do sit fairly low anyway.
I actually liked the driving position unlike the RWD 1 series.
I must admit I left the seat pretty much how I found it and the previous driver was probably quite petite so I should have played about with it more. You know how it is with unfamiliar cars though, you jump in, drive and then find you don’t know what anything does or which button does what on the fly!
Speaking of which, I didn’t play about with the modes and settings. I drove the car on familiar challenging roads which aren’t conductive to taking my eyes off the road for even a split second.
It was put in drive and left as is as I was unfamiliar with how to work anything and the voice control lady only wanted to let me adjust settings and radio channels if I was pulled over and stationary.
The seats look great.
They are quite firm and very grippy. They’re a bit narrow perhaps? Maybe I’m just fat!
Padding wise MH, they didn’t feel sumptuous but were comfy enough for me. Not as much give in the cushioning or as wide across the midriff as mk7 Golf seats.
The boot seemed quite big. Plenty of room in the rear. A false floor like a mk7 Golf but no spare wheel.
The drive!
I’m a bit childish when it comes to cars so the exhaust pops on starting the car are hugely amusing to me.
It’s very programmed in as it didn’t pop when stop-start was in use.
The engine is actually very muted on the move which is both a shame and points to good noise insulation too so 50/50.
When the engine revs though there’s piped in sound that sounds far better to me than the nasty Soundaktor in the Golf.
The standout feature to me prior to driving the car was the torque figure. This figure is always the first thing I look at when considering a car. It’s the clue to general engine drivability as opposed to semi-academic headline bhp figures.
332 lb ft is something like 75lb ft more than my Clubsport so I had hoped the BMW to feel very flexible and responsive.
It probably does feel like that but...
... the gearbox!
I have almost zero experience with DSG or auto boxes and did commendably well keeping my left foot from stabbing the brake looking for a clutch during my drive.
I nailed my left foot to the footrest and it managed to stay there!
But I didn’t get on with the gearbox.
Gentle driving was like DSG Drive. Relaxed, smooth and in a high gear set quickly. Fine.
But with 332 lb ft at very low revs I’d hoped the engine would lazily gather speed without needing to drop a gear.
Alas with my unfamiliarity I found the car either accelerated reluctantly with a light press of the throttle or it kicked down several gears making the engine race in a very 3 series company car driver type way. Not something for me.
The worst of that was the pause, so a case of press pedal, a pause, then rabid acceleration which actually sounded fast rather than felt fast.
The lovely smooth push in the back the engine should have produced was completely masked by the gearbox programming. What a waste.
Yeah I could have put it into flappy paddle mode but wanted to test the gearbox and engine in standard programming. God knows what Sport mode is like.
This is something I’d need to train myself to drive around and I don’t see why I should. The car is the tool not my boss! I’ll maybe get another drive in it to familiarise myself with it to see if I change my mind as I get to know the car better, a first test drive is always a slightly unnatural experience as everything is unfamiliar.
The ride.
The remarkable thing about the ride was I didn’t notice it. So it must’ve been “just right” in a Goldilocks way.
This car was on 18” run flats too.
I’d been concentrating on how the engine & gearbox behaved on a familiar but challenging road and the ride and handling didn’t really merit anything untoward so must’ve been so competent they slipped under my radar until a bit later.
It was only when I got back in my pedalbox equipped GTI marvelling at how lithe and responsive it was when the penny dropped. I was driving the same road and suddenly I became aware of how stiff the BMW body shell must have been. There was zero flex, zero body roll and a feeling of total competence in the BMW that only became apparent when I was back in my previously rock solid feeling GTI.
I remembered at that point reading something months ago about the body bracing in the 135i. Whatever BMW did it works!
Would I swap my 7 year old design VW Golf GTI for the brand new BMW Golf that’s not a Golf?
Well, no.
The Golf feels older than the BMW but not 7 years older.
You can pick up a delivery miles Golf R for under £29k with a big standard spec, or there are dozens of March registered R’s with a couple thousand miles fitted with Pretorias for under £30k
So where the BMW is good, it’s not £5k better using current typical discounts.
As above, the Golf still has 3 or 4 month lead times despite being on borrowed time, yet the all new BMW can be delivered before Christmas! Come on VW!
