[mdt]

Originally Posted by ttimbo

This..is a NIIICE car to drive

After a week or more, this is the sum total of your analysis.

[sxygtr]

Ignore Matt he hasn't had his morning coffee yet.

Love the plates suit the car well

[mdt]

C'mon, who doesn't want to drink their coffee with a decent review?

[johnnydad]

Originally Posted by Wizzzz

Congrats!!
Now there are 3 Aussies on here with AW M135i's (myself included).
Hmmm... I kinda feel like I need to post some pics of mine now

At least 5. I've had mine 2 weeks and agree it is niiiice.

[ttimbo]

For Matt

So, I now have about 800k on the M135, and thus some evidence upon which to make a preliminary review.

The first caveat is that I'm following the running-in procedure...basically, exercising a little mechanical sympathy, so there's no "at the limit, private road" stories to recount. In any case, I'm always mindful of the need for brakes and tyres to be run in as well.

This is a very adjustable car. In every sense -- not just driving, but heating, cooling, seating, listening, navigating....I suspect BMW dealers will soon have Genius Bars for owners to get on top of iDrive! I guess there's not too much that's different from the S3, it's just that Audi hides a lot of it away, sometimes requiring VAG-COM to make any changes.

The seating position is very good. When I first get a car, I set the position high while I get used to the car's boundaries. Relative the Audi, there's quite a long nose, and I'm sitting further back in the car, maybe right in the middle. Judging by the garage, the car is around 100mm longer than the Audi.

Getting into the car, the first thing I'm getting used to is not using a key, and using the start/stop button. Foot on the brake, push the button, and it starts with a nice throaty roar. It DOES sound nice!

The AT shifter is more a joystick than selector. Nice and smooth, without the jerkiness of the VAG DSG. Just using auto shifts, it's incredibly smooth, sometimes it's only the tachometer needle that lets you know a change has happened. You can override with the paddles in auto mode, or push the shifter to the left for a more manual experience. Shifts, even in Comfort mode, are very fast. In Sports mode, this tranny rocks!

I specc'd the M Adaptive suspension, and this also works really well. In Comfort, it's much more comfortable than my S3, meaning there were none of grumbles from the strife, that I used to get with the S3 . In Sports mode, it feels nice and firm, about the same as the S3. In addition to the suspension, steering, shift speed and throttle response all change between Comfort and Sports modes. Or you can mix and match...and save set ups. See what I mean?

Early days for the brakes. They bite quite early at the moment, whereas the S3 was nice and progressive. They'll bed in, or I'll get used to the difference. But they very strong.

Power? This car is quick to respond, and respond hard. Head snapping, even staying under 4,500rpm. I'm looking forward to really letting it have its head. And the noise, the noise...I don't care how it's created, it leads to pants tightening!

Handling? I've probably done most of the driving thus far in Comfort, and the steering is too light. Nice feel, but tto light. I know I can adjust this. I've attacked a few corners, and this car points in really well, better than the S3. There's a bit of understeer when you enter the corner, but this can be balanced through some lift-off or a tap on the brakes. Powering out of the corner is sublime RWD goodness...I just need to remember to use the paddle shifters rather than let it do its own thing, as it will kick down and step sideways.

Other stuff? Well, I'm still learning how to set up the a/c to accommodate strife's vastly different requirements to mine. This is a work in progress, and I'll get it right around the time I'm due to sell the car. I didn't option the HK stereo, and the sound is good but not great. I do like the fact I can have multiple sources: an iPod directly connected, and streaming Bluetooth to my iPhone, enabling me to stream Pandora and TuneIn radio. Very clear.

It's a comfortable car, quieter than the S3. Obviously, I can use the rear seats in this, whereas I think less than 10 people struggled around the recaros in the S3 in the last four years! That's a pity, because my preference is to have a car that repels boarders!

After five days, my conclusion is that this is a car that ticks nearly all my boxes, exceeding expectations in most areas. I like it.

Here endeth the first installment. Any questions? Because I need to get back to studying the manual.

[white 125M]

[BMW_M2]

Can anyone share with me the Ozzy spec / options list ? I use to be based in Sydney, wanna compare prices.

Thanks

[mdt]

Go to BMW Australia's website and select the configurator. It's all set out there. Is that what you're after?

[Alpine*]

Originally Posted by BMW_M135i

Can anyone share with me the Ozzy spec / options list ? I use to be based in Sydney, wanna compare prices.

Thanks

Try here

aus BMW site

[spree]

http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/resea...&spotid=320408

Options prices here - incl. gst.

[BMW_M2]

Thanks !!!

[ttimbo]

One more thing....




It's surprisingly economical (admittedly, I'm running in)

[sxygtr]

awesome Tim wait till you sink the boot in lol.

[OZChris]

Looks great Tim

[ttimbo]

Originally Posted by Ozchris8@gmail.com

Looks great Tim

Thanks, Chris.....sooo.....have you bought one yet!?

[Bobbo]

Nice car bit like mine!

How did you get pandora working. I couldn't fine the connecteddrive app on itunes.

[ttimbo]

I just run it either via streaming Bluetooth, or using the standard Apple USB to Lightning connector connected to the USB port in the centre console. Same for TuneIn radio, which effectively gives me DAB quality radio, but with much wider coverage and more stations. The downside is I have to use the smartphone (it works with both iPhone and Android) to change stations

[OZChris]

Originally Posted by ttimbo

Thanks, Chris.....sooo.....have you bought one yet!?

Soon ...

[sxygtr]

heard there was a good deal on a black one at Melbourne BMW

[WAY]

Only if you know the right people. . Seriously Richard, you should consider it!

[kaitan]

Originally Posted by ttimbo

One more thing....




It's surprisingly economical (admittedly, I'm running in)

Look at your average speed :P Mine is only about 40kmph and i get about 13ltr on a e92 n54

Plus welcome aboard from the dark side :P you will enjoy the driving experience more than the Audi overtime. Don't get me wrong Audi is a great car but it's something about their steering feel that makes it lack of that x-factor, if you know what i mean?

[ttimbo]

Originally Posted by kaitan

... Don't get me wrong Audi is a great car but it's something about their steering feel that makes it lack of that x-factor, if you know what i mean?

I'm being "good", mostly, for the first 2,000k

Actually, the m135i steering in Comfort, is nothing special, and certainly well less than the S3. I reckon this criticism of Audis is overdone, and especially in the case of the S and RS models. That said, switch the M135i to Sports, and the steering weights up nicely, with lots of feel.