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Choices
I just posted a version of this on the 3 series site
I bought an M135i as an interim car while I was waiting for the yet to launch F80 M3 and loved it. When the M3 finally launched I expected my test drive to diminish how I felt about the M135i but in fact the opposite happened and I ended up having even more respect for the M135i, which outperformed or equalled the M car in several areas, especially low down acceleration, auto mode shifting and purity of the exhaust note. In fact I was so impressed with how the M135i compared, I didn't buy the M3 and bought an M5 instead. While its power and luxury are in a different league, I missed the M135i for a full 6 months while adapting to the bigger M car
I am now coming up to 18 month of ownership of the M5 and am considering either an M2 or M240i as its replacement.
Forget tuning an M135i unless you're willing to spend a lot on upgrading brakes, suspension, anti-roll bars, diff. and wheels. As delivered, the M135i is an extremely well balanced car that gets a little scrappy on the limit. With a tune, the extra power and torque will become a real liability so you'll spend your life 'being careful' and 'not pushing too hard' instead of just enjoying a beautifully balanced engine and chassis.
I also compared my M135i to an A45 AMG and was rather underwhelmed by the MB. On the first motorway on ramp I'm used to the BMW howling its way onto the road in a series of rapid fire upshifts. Not so the MB, which felt reluctant by comparison. I also much preferred the BMWs 8 speed to the DCT of the MB
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