Either way, this new three-door 1-series is eagerly, muscularly and excitingly quick with the potential, you may think, to become a flailing handful if you dare to meddle with the ESP button. But the first bold dive into a rain-sheened bend uncovers grip reserves far deeper than expected – deep enough that when that DSC button is prodded for partial disengagement, it takes some lead-foot ambition to get the rear axle’s wider 245/35 R18s to get a skate on, the slide part-managed by a brake-deploying virtual limited slip diff.
So it’s pretty neat, controllable and reassuring, the more so because this rear-driver is quite a finely balanced tool, as proved by a too-fast arrival into a tight, low speed turn that fails to bring on any plough-on understeer. That said, you can expect to see plenty of the orange light that confirms an active ESP system, which is no surprise given all this energy and rear-wheel drive.
Perversely, it’s best to experience all this in the Comfort setting of the £515 Adaptive M Sport suspension, an essential option. It softens off the electronic dampers and lightens the steering effort to produce a satisfyingly communicative, more absorbent chassis and best of all, usefully more feelsome steering. Of course, tripping the Comfort mode slows the shift times and the gearbox’s willingness to hold a gear, but that’s easily undone by sliding the gearlever to leftwards to Sport, which gets you a more eager gearbox.
The result is a an excitingly rapid drive that sits just the right side of hectic, the excitement of the six’s keen blare built on by the ‘box’s light thumps in sport, the ra-ta-tat of the exhaust’s over-run, the lightly clasping support of the seats and an excellent driving position. While some may desire the more uncompromising character of the 1M Coupé, the fact is that this M135i’s ride is less maskingly firm, its steering more delicate and its character easier to live with. And it’s also a whole lot cheaper, being almost £10k less.
Of course, you do without the some of the 1M’s alloy suspension hardware and massive brake rotors – although the 135i’s enlarged blue-calipered discs are entirely effective – but remember that the M135i rides on the latest 1-series platform besides benefiting from bespoke suspension geometry and its own springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and bushes.
More immediately noticeable M135i identifiers include a new front bumper unit with larger air intakes, a rear bumper with twin exhausts and 18in alloys, and tyres, that are wider at the rear. Inside you get leather sports seats (the UK won’t be getting the appealing Alcantara/hexagon cloth mix of the test car, which seems a pity), a black headlining, an M footrest, blue accent stitching to the seats, patterned aluminium trim inserts and modified instrument faces. Not a huge amount of differentiation then, but enough to mark this 1 out as something sportier. The cabin is robustly constructed too, although it’s not as finely, designed, finished or textured as the cabin of the latest Audi A3.
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Looks pre-crashed to me
First of all I love BMW and have had 8 of them, but this new one series looks pretty much like someone drove is slowly into a wall to pre-crash the front end. Its got none of the style or delicacy of the 3 series, 5 series or Z cars which is a huge shame because the last version was a very pretty little car especially in couple and convertible form.
Just my opinion
Great package, shame for the looks
I think it seems like alot of bang for your buck, and definitly a great driver orientated car, i still dont feel it looks good though, thats the main reason im not a huge fan
Great powertrain
Looking for a decent body. Shame. And I'm still £29k short of buying this 'bargain'!