BMW M135 xDrive 2025 Review

At $83,600 plus on-road costs (ORCs), the BMW M135 xDrive within months moved up a notch from its July 2024 launch price of $82,500. It’s not as pricey as its chief Mercedes-Benz competitor, the $89,700 plus ORCs A35 AMG, but it’s a stretch away from the (more powerful and faster off the mark) $78,800 Audi S3 and Volkswagen’s Golf R – which looks like a high-performance bargain at $70,590 plus ORCs.

At the time of writing, the entry BMW 1 Series 118 M Sport model has snuck upwards too, from an opening price in July 2024 of $56,500 to $57,600 plus ORCs.

The BMW M135 xDrive’s interior is decked out appropriately with newly designed powered, heated and massaging M Sport front seats (with two-position memory), a panoramic two-piece sunroof, a power-operated tailgate and a new, heated steering wheel.

There’s also an available choice of environmentally sensitive non-leather trims including perforated ‘Veganza’ material in a colour choice that includes Oyster, Coral Red or straight black.

The 19-inch M-branded alloy wheels are also part of the standard M135 xDrive package – which can be stepped up to a $2700 M Sport Package Pro that includes M Sport brakes with red callipers, M-branded seatbelts and a black rear spoiler.

The BMW M135 xDrive’s warranty period covers five years and unlimited kilometres, with three years of roadside assist.

As BMW’s servicing is dictated by a system that determines, dependent on how the vehicle is used, when a visit to the dealer is needed, there are no specific servicing intervals.

The company does, however, offer tailored service-inclusive packages that cover servicing requirements for three years/40,000km or five years/80,000km. The basic service inclusive package for the 1 Series BMW is priced at $2380, with a separate pricing deal applying to M models.

From 1 Series 118 M Sport level upwards, BMW’s Driving Assistant Plus system is standard and includes high and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-change/lane-departure warnings, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, and reduced-glare active-shadowing LED headlights.

In M135 xDrive form, the safety tech is ramped up via BMW’s Driving Assistant Professional system. This adds active cruise control with Stop & Go, lane-keep assist with active side-collision prevention, front and rear cross-traffic alert and a ‘crossroads warning’ function.

The BMW M135’s six airbag tally includes the now widely adopted front centre airbag that protects front passengers from striking each other in a side collision.

The fourth-generation BMW 1 Series is yet to be tested for an ANCAP safety rating.

The new 1 Series features BMW’s Operating System 9 with a super-wide curved display that extends from a 10.7-inch touch-screen in the centre dash area through to an integrated 10.3-inch digital screen directly in front of the driver, where the main functional readouts are displayed.

BMW’s QuickSelect system aims at speeding up access to functions via ‘zero layer’ technology that avoids the need to drill down through displayed functions to find the one you want.

In practice – and this would resolve itself through the familiarity that comes from regular use – the system takes a degree of acclimatisation before things become intuitive. For example, our review M135 seemed reluctant to raise or lower the view of its head-up display despite various attempts where simple intuition – rather than studying the owner’s manual – was the badly chosen option.

The M135 also gets a crisp and punchy 12-speaker Harman-Kardon sound system upgrade over the 118 M Sport’s milder six-speaker sound system.

The BMW 1 Series M135 performance hatch drives all four wheels via a version of BMW’s xDrive system, which (rather than the eight-speed auto used previously) now employs a seven-speed dual-clutch Steptronic transmission to sharpen the shifting and improve efficiency.

The latest-generation 2.0-litre four-cylinder M TwinPower twin-scroll turbo engine develops more kilowatts (233kW at 5750rpm versus 225kW at 6250rpm) but considerably less torque than the previous model. Producing 400Nm between 2000rpm and 4500rpm, it compares unfavourably with the third-generation model’s more muscular 450Nm, which was developed from a slightly lower 1750rpm.

As with its power delivery, the fourth-generation BMW M135 is fractionally in arrears of its predecessor.

Where the previous model’s officially claimed fuel consumption was quoted at 7.5L/100km, the latest version claims 7.8L/100km and a CO2 output of 177g/km compared with 171g/km.

Our review M135 seemed happy to return a constant, mixed-use figure hovering around the mid 8L/100km mark. The owner’s manual stipulates 98 RON unleaded as the M135’s required diet, although the fuel filler info makes mention of various ethanol blends including the readily available E10 mix.

Comparing the BMW M135 with what was then known as the BMW M135i shows a slight gentrifying aspect that makes for a relatively milder M-car. The M135 feels tamer than, for example, the feral A35 AMG Mercedes-Benz. The BMW is not quite as vociferous and not quite as sharp as the Benz at attacking corners but nevertheless retains enough aggression to qualify as a genuine rival.

The fourth-gen BMW M135 has been subjected to various tweaks, including tightened-up body rigidity, which make for plenty of superlatives even though it is quite rounded in its overall behaviour.

As the accelerative punch lacks the back-stabbing shock of some rivals, so too does the engine’s muted sound amplification (despite the quad tailpipes) and the firm but relatively pliable adaptive suspension. The upside is that the BMW M135 makes for a comfortably enjoyable long-term companion.

Accessible through the My Modes button on the centre console and touch-screen displays on the centre screen, various driving modes are available, extending from relatively muted and absorbent (all the time remembering this is a high-performance hatch) in the Comfort setting to firmly aggressive and vocal in Sport Plus mode.

This multifaceted behaviour is underpinned by the xDrive all-wheel-drive system that effectively maximises traction and cornering grip, while helping maintain stability under pressure. The 235/40R19 tyres strike a suitable mid-way point between comfort and performance and the larger-than-before red-calliper M Sport cross-drilled brakes are reassuring just to look at.

About the only concession made to the M135’s hi-po behaviour is an occasional, unexpected but primitive clunking in the dual-clutch gearbox when reversing.

In terms of towing ability, the BMW M135 is not alone in the high-performance small-car class, stating an ultra-conservative braked capacity of 750kg. The VW Golf R and Audi S3 are totally silent on this issue.

It could be described less as a new model than a well-considered update, but the BMW M135 xDrive does stand a little higher and measures a little longer than before and has a surprisingly spacious interior where tall rear-seat passengers are freed from concern about the availability of head, shoulder and legroom. The seats – particularly the massaging M Sport front seats in our review car – are grippy and comfortable.

The three-spoke steering wheel with its red-leather 12 O’clock insert and easily deciphered multi-function controls is thick-rimmed and nice to handle, while the illuminated M logos on the front seats are appropriately moody. The new, snub shift-lever on the centre console is a nice touch too.

As you would expect, the leather-free trim is premium-class and the quality and design of the fittings appropriate for a small, $80,000-plus premium-class super-hatch. Even though the 1 Series BMW is physically longer than before the boot space, at 380 litres opening to 1200 litres, has changed not one whit compared with the previous model.

Lined up against competitors such as the A-Class Mercedes-AMG, Audi S3 and even the Volkswagen Golf R, the BMW M135’s load spaces are similarly sized and entirely workable, helped by the power tailgate and the 40/20/40 split rear seatback. The BMW M135, VW Golf R, Audi S3 and Benz A35 AMG all use inflator kits to maximise luggage space.

If you’re already a fan of M-fettled BMW 1 Series – any generation, right back to the original rear-drive six-cylinder turbo version from 2011 – the latest ‘i-free’ M135 iteration will not disappoint.

The fact that the TwinPower turbo engine’s torque has been reduced from that of the previous model by a not insignificant 50Nm is counteracted by the stepped-up power, which comes at lower rpm and helps explain why the acceleration, despite the weight increase, is only slightly slower.

In every other sense – including new-tech shock absorbers and slightly-fiddled suspension geometry that increases front caster angles by 20 per cent – the M135’s well-considered blend of class and sportiness makes it as appealing as ever.

It continues as an ever so slightly milder alternative to its German rivals yet delivers plenty of driver-pleasing moments without compromising overall comfort.

2025 BMW M135 xDrive at a glance:
Price: $83,600 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 233kW/400Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.8L/100km
CO2: 177g/km
Safety rating: Not tested

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