BMW M135i 2015 Review

BMW M135i
Road Test

Updated earlier in the year, BMW's M135i benefits from a meagre power hike of 5kW. But as stingy as that is, it's 5kW on top of 235kW, so the turbocharged, six-cylinder hot hatch was hardly in desperate need of more grunt anyway. More significant than the power boost, it might be argued, is the restyled nose of the M135i by Aussie stylist Calvin Luk. It makes for a marked improvement in the looks department. The M135i is priced from $62,900 (plus on-road costs).

Sliding in behind the wheel of BMW's M135i never gets old, which is just as well, since the most significant difference between this facelifted model and the pre-update F20 model I tested back in January 2013 is basically cosmetic.

It's therefore probably appropriate at this juncture to recall the old Mortein slogan – 'if you're on a good thing, stick to it.'

Along with the facelift, the twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine gets slightly more power – up 5kW from 235 to 240kW. The straight six continues to be very docile, for all its potency, making it a doddle to drive around town.

But shift the Driving Experience Control to Sport or Sport+ and the BMW will startle the driver with its immediate response to even a gentle prod of the accelerator. Most will find the M135i provides better than satisfactory performance in Comfort or fuel-saving EcoPro mode, but that leaves the driver unprepared for the storm of power and torque that can be unleashed in Sport or Sport+ modes.

A quick flick of the right foot provides an instant surge of power and torque for zipping past slower traffic – and at intermediate speeds that surge arrives with just a fraction of the car's turbocharged fuel delivery system's capacity required.

Just like its pre-facelift antecedent, the M135i offers BMW's classic six-cylinder soundtrack to match the performance. That soundtrack happens to be omnipresent however, with only tyre noise dominating it at touring speeds.

BMW and ZF make great partners in crime, and the calibration of the eight-speed automatic to the straight six is proof of that once more. Even in Sport mode the auto changes up smoothly. In EcoPro mode it's still adaptive to the driver's needs too. The transmission is also highly responsive to shifting with the paddles.

This time around, the M135i spent more time in EcoPro mode for the daily commute, and that seemed to pay dividends. Whereas the previous car averaged 11.5L/100km for the week, the facelifted model came in under at 9.8. That's a very good figure for a car of this performance potential, but also a reflection of being driven a fair bit more conservatively than the previous occasion.

The idle-stop system cranks the engine over during restarting with very little in the way of compression-bump roughness. That's almost certainly a consequence of the engine's extra cylinders and inherent balance. In combination with the EcoPro mode, it seemed to make a difference to fuel consumption during the week – for what that may be worth to typical M135i buyers.

Cornering, the M135i would turn in rapidly and maintain a neutral stance, but there was no hint of lift-off oversteer. Braking was strong and dependable too.

The M135i thus remains a joy to drive, but frankly, there's a surfeit of power and torque for point-to-point driving in tight going. You just won't be able to use it in its entirety all the time; and this was made clear by the active safety systems stepping in on an uphill hairpin to rein in the engine rather than let it rip loose with full-throttle output.

Yet the BMW found its own balance and kept pointing in the right direction, without backing off altogether.

Ride quality is fine around town, but a little unforgiving on rough and ready country bitumen, as noted in the past.

From a packaging point of view, the M135i offers a wonderful driving position with beaut sports seats up front, but slightly cramped rear-seat accommodation. It's slightly better conceived as a place for older teens and average adults to squeeze into than the conceptually similar Mercedes-AMG A 45 AMG, in my view.

Styling is always a subjective quality, but I personally rate the facelifted 1 Series, including this M135i a significant advance over the car tested previously. It still seems a little oddly proportioned, with a nose designed to house an inline six-cylinder, grafted on a hatchback body that would look 'right' with a front-end calculated to accommodate an east/west drivetrain.

But the whole point of the M135i is it's a car to be driven, not so much to be appreciated aesthetically. Measured on those terms, it's a winner.

2015 BMW M135i pricing and specifications:
Price: $70,344 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 240kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: TBA
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Audi S3 Sportback (from $61,100 plus ORCs)
>> BMW M235i (from $79,540 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-AMG A 45 (from $75,700 plus ORCs)