130i vs other hatches

[Yuvan]

imp:
Kartik, like I said when me and you spoke at the run.
My car is really strong up to 150, but you saw, when you put foot while we are doing 130, I struggle... :nonono:

130kmph....hmmmmm, i thought you guys were doing 120kmph, where is this road??? :rollsmile:

Just kidding gents!!

---

Yep, I have to say that the 130i is an awesome drivers car, guys not so long ago before the 135i was out, everyone was raving about it.

I can speak from experiance as I've test driven some of the hatches out there previously in stock form, which where around when the 130i was released, and actually came close to buying one after my experiances test driving it.

Test drove the following to compare to the 130i
VW Golf 5 Gti
Audi A3 3.2V6 S-tronic
Mini Cooper S (supercharged one)
Toyota RunX Rsi (lol)
Audi A3 1.8T and 2.0T
Volvo C30 T5

Didn't include the Ford ST and OPC as they dont appeal to me.

The A3 3.2V6 Quattro was good but the 130i always puts some smile on your face. Mini was a fantastic go-kart, but the ride was hard/harsh. Others had their plus points but just couldnt match the handling fun and engine of the 130i.

I dunno. Without having driven that car (but i have driven 120i, 125i, 135i) i'd say this sort of comparions are not necessarily relevant.

Sure, if all you are planning to do is go an hunt hot hatches to race on or off teh street, then its a legitimate comparison. But I think a lot of the value in teh 130i is not necessarily in straight line speed. Think about the engine you are getting, the sound it makes, the power delivery, the response you get from an NA engine - these are qualities these hot hatches have never had no matter how chipped they are. Further, RWD, weight distribution, balanced handling, these are things that contribute to the experience of owning and drive these cars. I would suggest that while a chipped GTi might have you in a race, who cares, when the overall driving experience from a 130 is probably far better in any case.

If it were me, I wouldn't give a crap about other hot hatches. By drawing these isolated comparisons, you're only isolating the car to metrics where it can be beaten, and not accounting for the metrics where it excels and differentiates itself.

Just my opinion.

Why did you LOL at the RSi

 

[Coisman]

Yuvan, remember the law allows for a 10km/h leaniancy on the speed of 120km/h, so us doing 130 is still ok.
Yes, I said my car pulls well up to 150, but I never said I did that speed on the run. :rollsmile:

 

[ASH]

The Runx just didnt cut it with the others in this group, reasons:-

Interior was ordinary
Looks were very plain jane
Handling was not up to the standard of the others
I felt like I was riding on stilts as the driving position is so high
Engine needed to be thrashed to delivery power
Then I heard about the manufacturers claimed power figures vs what the car was actually putting out, that was the last nail in the coffin

:thumbdo:

imp:
Kartik, like I said when me and you spoke at the run.
My car is really strong up to 150, but you saw, when you put foot while we are doing 130, I struggle... :nonono:

130kmph....hmmmmm, i thought you guys were doing 120kmph, where is this road??? :rollsmile:

Just kidding gents!!

---

Yep, I have to say that the 130i is an awesome drivers car, guys not so long ago before the 135i was out, everyone was raving about it.

I can speak from experiance as I've test driven some of the hatches out there previously in stock form, which where around when the 130i was released, and actually came close to buying one after my experiances test driving it.

Test drove the following to compare to the 130i
VW Golf 5 Gti
Audi A3 3.2V6 S-tronic
Mini Cooper S (supercharged one)
Toyota RunX Rsi (lol)
Audi A3 1.8T and 2.0T
Volvo C30 T5

Didn't include the Ford ST and OPC as they dont appeal to me.

The A3 3.2V6 Quattro was good but the 130i always puts some smile on your face. Mini was a fantastic go-kart, but the ride was hard/harsh. Others had their plus points but just couldnt match the handling fun and engine of the 130i.

I dunno. Without having driven that car (but i have driven 120i, 125i, 135i) i'd say this sort of comparions are not necessarily relevant.

Sure, if all you are planning to do is go an hunt hot hatches to race on or off teh street, then its a legitimate comparison. But I think a lot of the value in teh 130i is not necessarily in straight line speed. Think about the engine you are getting, the sound it makes, the power delivery, the response you get from an NA engine - these are qualities these hot hatches have never had no matter how chipped they are. Further, RWD, weight distribution, balanced handling, these are things that contribute to the experience of owning and drive these cars. I would suggest that while a chipped GTi might have you in a race, who cares, when the overall driving experience from a 130 is probably far better in any case.

If it were me, I wouldn't give a crap about other hot hatches. By drawing these isolated comparisons, you're only isolating the car to metrics where it can be beaten, and not accounting for the metrics where it excels and differentiates itself.

Just my opinion.

Why did you LOL at the RSi

---

 

[KarshS]

Dont ask me what those TRD freaks do with the RSI but dont underestimate the rsi when it comes to power especially after a little work.

But i agree on the interior and general feel of the car. Very plain...

 

[ASH M]

Dont ask me what those TRD freaks do with the RSI but dont underestimate the rsi when it comes to power especially after a little work.

But i agree on the interior and general feel of the car. Very plain...

My 20v back in the day (not shoe laced like now), was a force to reckon with.:rollsmile:

 

[KarshS]

Dont ask me what those TRD freaks do with the RSI but dont underestimate the rsi when it comes to power especially after a little work.

But i agree on the interior and general feel of the car. Very plain...

My 20v back in the day (not shoe laced like now), was a force to reckon with.:rollsmile:

lol i know they can be made very quick....

I had a 2.9 vr6 back in the day. Had quiet alot of work done to it and was very quick. Went down to Durban for a weekend and was driving along some deserted road to Umzinto. Bra this RSI passed me like i was nothing. Tried to catch up but it just kept going. He slowed down and i stopped him. Went for a short drive. When the VVt kicked in it felt like a turbo. From that day i respect those cars....

 

[Dmonic1]

2.9 Vr6...?

I know of the SAC 3.1 and that thing was awesome!!

 

[KarshS]

2.9 Vr6...?

I know of the SAC 3.1 and that thing was awesome!!

Yip import motor. think its from the Sharan.

My friend had the 3.1 and it was not very far off the 2.9. Problem with the 3.1 is that it had a very short lifespan under heavy driving...

 

[Coisman]

imp:
I still think that compared to the other hot hatches out there bmw is in a class of their own, even if its not the fastest.

 

[Bayn46]

If I wanted a car to race with, I would buy/build a track car. I definitely didn't buy my car with the intention to race everything with 4 wheels and an engine.

My opinions is that, I'm not going to spend close on 400k on a VW (including mods). I'd rather have the quality and brand of the 130i over some of those other hatches.

 

[Krake130i]

Yah totally agree with Bayn46, I have a 2006 130i with keyless entry keyless start and basically every single extra except the Xeon lights and My one Buddy recently bought a G6 GTI brand new and could not even find half of the extra's I have for his G6

I have also pulled against a G6 GTI and ST numouros times down here in CT and left them from the launch up untill the limit like 1.5km's they dont even come close about 4/5 or even more cars behind me.

I my opinion the best hatch if you are down at coast.

 

[Yuvan]

Yuvan, remember the law allows for a 10km/h leaniancy on the speed of 120km/h, so us doing 130 is still ok.
Yes, I said my car pulls well up to 150, but I never said I did that speed on the run. :rollsmile:

Im just pulling you leg buddy, its chill, BTW thanks for that info about the 10kmph over and above the 120kmph mark, i didnt know that but nevertheless i doubt i will actually use that to my advantage on normal driving days, except in an emergency.

 

[Coisman]

:thumbs:

 

[ASH M]

Dont ask me what those TRD freaks do with the RSI but dont underestimate the rsi when it comes to power especially after a little work.

But i agree on the interior and general feel of the car. Very plain...

My 20v back in the day (not shoe laced like now), was a force to reckon with.:rollsmile:

lol i know they can be made very quick....

I had a 2.9 vr6 back in the day. Had quiet alot of work done to it and was very quick. Went down to Durban for a weekend and was driving along some deserted road to Umzinto. Bra this RSI passed me like i was nothing. Tried to catch up but it just kept going. He slowed down and i stopped him. Went for a short drive. When the VVt kicked in it felt like a turbo. From that day i respect those cars....

I miss that car the most

1.6 with big balls. The party trick of that engine was its VVT, ITB's and cylinder head design, that's what separated it from the original 4AGE which was used in the GLI twincam. The cylinder head was designed and built by Yamaha racing and coupled to a beautiful set of cams it revved to 8800rpm, time after time.

Only problem with them was the rate that they used to chow oil. This only applys to the first 5 speeds, which didn't have oil coolers. I used fully synthetic oil only but it still consumed oil at a rate that wasn't normal.

Its because of this little car, i love my M3 the way i do now. Both are high revving NA vehicles which push out a very high BHP per litre. Since i'm at the coast they are at their full potential and even if certain Turbo vehicles maybe quicker, nothing beats revving the shit out of a NA vehicle with a great throttle response that no FI vehicle can match. :thumbs:

 

[Diablo Jnr]

Now that we have concluded that the 130i is an awsum car, anyone looking to buy one can pm me...:fencelook:

 

[akash]

Funny enough Top Gear a week ago had a shoot out with the BMW 130I and the Golf 5 GTI.

Based on the Clarksons review, if you looking for value for money, great power with control and sheer driving pleasure..........

The GTI wins.

Sad to say he makes some really good points. Before the start of the episode i was sure the 130i would wins his praise.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
I would STILL not buy the Golf, just because of the quality of the bmw, and the rear wheel drive, and the fact that every 2nd @-hole owns a Gti...

'The G5 Gti sold more units, than all the other G5 derivatives put together, so there are more G5 Gti's out there than any other golf in that range.

 

[KarshS]

yeah but take into consideration no mater how good a BMW was Clarksons would have still hated it. If you follow every episode you could have noticed he disliked BMW with a passion. Up until recently he had a change in attitude.

 

[Coisman]

yeah but take into consideration no mater how good a BMW was Clarksons would have still hated it. If you follow every episode you could have noticed he disliked BMW with a passion. Up until recently he had a change in attitude.

imp:
The change of attitude came after season 15 or 16 when they did a 24 hour race, and the car they chose was an E46 330d f/l, and at the end of the 24 hours, he actually cried, and said he is inlove with the car...

After that, he hasn't talked trash about a bmw.

 

[KarshS]

yeah but take into consideration no mater how good a BMW was Clarksons would have still hated it. If you follow every episode you could have noticed he disliked BMW with a passion. Up until recently he had a change in attitude.

imp:
The change of attitude came after season 15 or 16 when they did a 24 hour race, and the car they chose was an E46 330d f/l, and at the end of the 24 hours, he actually cried, and said he is inlove with the car...

After that, he hasn't talked trash about a bmw.

Thats true...I remember that.....think that was S15.....