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I don't get inside brand new cars often - so this was a special treat for me. Let me introduce the MY15 BMW F-Series 'M' 135i.
What a drive! I can hand on heart say it was a truly pleasurable experience, and I double-booked this car because I wanted to exploit the chassis around Norfolk when the roads were dry ;-) Standard Figures > Tuned Figures 326HP (450NM) 370HP (515NM) The drive itself is nice. You get a good feeling from the steering wheel, and it is easy to adjust things like ''Comfort'' ''Eco-Pro'' and ''Sport+ Mode'' without losing focus. The engine is nice and smooth in ''Comfort'' mode. I could sit in this car on a long journey and enjoy myself, perched on Michelin Pilot Super Sports (Front - 225/40/18 and Rear - 245/35/18). Now where is that bloody traction button... Oh wait - here we go! For both tests I ran the car with traction control completely off. I want to feel what this car is like.. and not have an old man in Germany take away the power because he thinks I am an aggressive maniac. Traction control works well in Porsche 911's (997 and 991) and doesn't interfere with my drive. Other than that it should be switched off in everything else. Further exceptions are Ferrari and Lamborghini - they drive perfectly and don't really need switching off (they allow sideways action without inteference). This car is a lot. Admittedly I would use it as a daily hack more than a real purists passion wagon - but there is definitely something special about the new F-Series BMW's whatever the marque. I could happily settle for a brand new BMW F-Series 420D and drive it daily. It seems growing up and getting boring is becoming more appealing by the day, haha! But honestly - the F-Series are all so nice I know I'll settle for one when I grow up! The Chassis Too good - but what do you expect from a leading German Car Manufacturer? The BMW E92 will always be my FAVOURITE chassis (ever) and the new 1 Series didn't fail as I threw it around and forced it to oversteer. The Body I'm loving the front bumper and 'nostril' combo on this car. It is my reason for loving the F-Series so much. The front of these cars dominate both at idle and when driving. It is a 'drivers' car - its impression is fierce, and I'm loving the new lines on the body. The Throttle This is a 'digital' car. I will be completely honest with how the throttle responded. Once the car gets going its a joy to drive - nothing wrong with the engine when you're giving it some, but throttle response is 'computer' and reminds me of the new Porsche Cayman and Porsche 991 Carrera. Even the new VAG cars have this '8-bit Mario' delay (I made that phrase up) and it can be annoying if trying to manoeuvre quickly and want the power straight away. If I ever work on this vehicle (remapping) I would find Relatives Fahrerwunschmonent aus Fahrpedal (0-100% Pedal Position vs RPM) and increase throttle sensitivity to make the drive more realistic, please see image. Other than that the car itself is fine with its standard power output. The Exhaust Not bad for a standard car. The subtle ''DSG'' sound when changing gear is inviting - and when you start and 'blip' the throttle you get that lovely crackle that all Direct Injection cars share with us. The exhaust isn't intrusive - but makes enough noise to let you know what's happening. Not bad at all. Nicholas Lawrence //ON CARS |
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