Very tempted by a M135i lease

[karl210]

Put £250 a month away for 2 years and buy an m3  which you will be able to sell in the end, with the added benefit of not having to look at that awful looking car

[Shorty]

Put £250 a month away for 2 years and buy an m3  which you will be able to sell in the end, with the added benefit of not having to look at that awful looking car

But what do i drive in the meantime? Lol.

If you look at all the reports they are meant to be drive really really good, yeah its not the prettiest thing in the world but i could get past that. At that price its awesome VFM i think.

[Fozzy]

If you haven't driven one and not a fan of the looks believe me once you have driven it you will not be bothered what it looks like....get a test drive booked!!

Also in that car Auto is a must and I'm a manual man all the way!

[tony_danza]

Really? I love my manual, and its box is a huge improvement over my old 135i's notchy unit.

I had mine at a very wet Oulton last month with another auto M135i - there wasn't a fag packet between them, ok so I was having to work a bit harder with heel & toe and shifting, but I consider that challenge more fun. There's no gap in performance other than a tenth or so off the launch to 60 time.

[Kregiel]

I don't understand what the look thing is all about

I actually like the look of 135i M. I would see it looks nicer than mark 5

Peace bros

Paul

[Scottymon]

Nice little video of M135i vs M3 E92 at the Ring... think a Mk6 Golf is in there somewhere too:

[Scottymon]

Not that it would be a problem for me, but just seen the service interval on these, not sure if it's correct.............. 30k miles! WTF, are manufacturers trying to FU engines?  I thought the SAAB Aero was daft at 18k.

[SkyJawa]

I've had my 330d for over 3 years and 35k miles.  Its had 1 service in that time.  However it is now due a second.

The service items are separated out and on different schedules on my car, so coolant is separate, brakes is separate, brake fluid is separate, engine oil change separate etc....

[Deako]

Deako has one as well (although he has probably already swapped it  )

Not this one!! I love it!!! 

[Deako]

Whadda you want to know??

A lease deal is slightly different to a PCP from BMW, but both are viable prospects to get you in a good car for not a lot of money. There's a pukka BMW dealer on BabyBMW cutting deals of around 15% off list. I thought I did well with 10% and a free servicing pack 12 months ago (but then I did get in before the price rise).

The looks I've kind of got used to, I can't say its pretty, but it does look better in the metal. The interior is better than a MK7 Golf and not quite as nice as a new A3... as you'd kind of expect really.

Standard equipment is very high: leather, xenons, all the electronics, big Brembos all round. The engine puts out around 340hp out of the box, many have been tested now. The chassis is completely bespoke to the car from M-division (hence the M135i badge) - shocks/springs/arbs/wishbones/hubs/bushes, as is the eLSD, stability settings etc etc. It isn't just an M-Sport with a bigger engine. Oh, and that engine is a peach!

It drives outstandingly, backed up by every respected motoring journo's reviews. I couldn't be happier with mine.

Cons:

It has an incredibly quick rack (2turns lock to lock) but it's ePAS. Lacks a bit of feel, but is direct enough.
Whilst very light on fuel when it needs to be, it'll rinse through it when you're 'on' it.

What he said. Took mine for a 7 hour blast through the Welsh mountains a few weeks back. So much fun!!


Untitled by LukeDeakin, on Flickr


Untitled by LukeDeakin, on Flickr

[N8KOW]

Cant stop looking at these now...

Gateway2Lease are offering £272 for an auto one. Wonder how much options would be? Its £6 a month more for metallic paint.

Thats with £1600 down too. An absolute bargain if you ask me, they're meant to be awesome.

Has anyone else found any better deals?

Before you do anything Dave, test drive one.

[tony_danza]

Not that it would be a problem for me, but just seen the service interval on these, not sure if it's correct.............. 30k miles! WTF, are manufacturers trying to FU engines?  I thought the SAAB Aero was daft at 18k.

Condition based, so mine at the moment will want doing at 16-17k.

[Deako]

And you can still do an oil change anytime you want for peace of mind.

[tony_danza]

Cant stop looking at these now...

Gateway2Lease are offering £272 for an auto one. Wonder how much options would be? Its £6 a month more for metallic paint.

Thats with £1600 down too. An absolute bargain if you ask me, they're meant to be awesome.

Has anyone else found any better deals?

Before you do anything Dave, test drive one.

Well yes, it's easy to get excited by watching all the Chris Harris and EVO vids with them sliding it around and declaring it to be the best car ever.... But you still need to drive one!

EVO and Autocar have had a long term car, it's worth looking up the monthly reports to see what they thought of it in the real world.

[Scottymon]

Great shots there (Penygarreg I take it)... car looks good, I really like it in 3 door white (Blue would've been my other choice).

Supposedly the M135i in the vid against the E92 M3 is standard, which really places a lot of respect on the driver, a mapped M135i is interestingly (as much as makes no difference) the same PWR to weight as the M3... so my thoughts are it's running a Stage in that video, as he's feathering the throttle on the straights in places.