M140i First impressions

[CreedBratton]

Have you driven the M135? if so how would you compare it to the M140?

No, I haven't. Its my first 1 series and in fact my first BMW.

Perhaps someone else has and can comment, would be interested too

 

[r0ckf1re]

Have you driven the M135? if so how would you compare it to the M140?

So picked up my car yesterday and have not been able to stop driving all day.

First the comfort, the seats are extremely comfortable and soft and with so much adjustment I was able to find the perfect driving position, better than anything I had before. Interior space is good i would say, good enough for someone of my height 6'3", but there isn't a lot of space in the back (but i don't really care about that)

The ride is comfortable very firm, but I would say not harsh, I definitely think its softer and more comfortable than the Fiesta ST . On a rough road I'm bouncing around a bit but its still soft and comfortable, this might be partly due to the seats. I have to say switching the modes, Sport, Comfort, ECO, I don't really feel much difference in the ride comfort

Impressed by BMW build quality so not a single rattle. But maybe I just got used to the Fiesta ST where rattles are just the norm. My car came with the leather option which I'm really happy about and adds to the seats awesomeness.

The engine just sounds EPIC, whether you are idling blipping the throttle or foot down, it just gets better and better.

Putting my foot down the first few times, the acceleration is just mind boggling. I can understand how this car can take on serious sports cars, the performance is just there in a different league.

The 8 speed auto gearbox is just fantastic coming from a manual for so long, a little is lost in driver involvement but thats quickly replaced by the thrills of the quick shifts and paddles. I have to say the gearbox takes a bit getting used to and I'm still figuring out how it behaves based on your foot, since in sport M it will rev to 7k rpm, but in drive it revs to based on where your throttle pos is. And frankly the car feels quicker when its shifting at lower rpm (4.5k) at less throttle, however this might be an illusion since this is probably just where the boost is and higher torque, not sure.

I did find when using sport mode and using the paddle shifts that the gear shifts are harsher and I feel a bit of a jerk while shifting, I think this is just the gearbox trying to speed up the shifts in this mode, not entirely sure but I'm not sure i really like that, feels harsher on the gearbox. Might just end up sticking more to the auto mode to ensure the gear shifts are smoother. In full auto its silky smooth.

When you stop having fun driving and take a moment to enjoy the interior or go over the car's features you realize that even though its a quality interior this is a 1 series and its fairly basic, there aren't many gadgets and interior features. Of course you can add more options but i dont think its the point of this car, it's certainly not for me. The car delivers exactly what I bought it for, no more or less.

So there's much more to talk about but thats my first impression. Glad I bought this car, I really know for a fact now that it was the right choice, its the ultimate driving machine.

Some pics I took before I picked her up

Here is my thoughts.

I had an M135i and now have a 440i vert. Not to sure if this would be a fair comparison but the power delivery on the cars are totally different giving you a very different driving experience.

For me, the 1 series seemed more aggressive and tail happy. Not sure if it's the 4 series thing but it feels more grown up, a linear power delivery and less tail happy. Don't get me wrong, the 440 feels more rapid, and the one or two M135i I was lucky to test against found themselves struggling to keep up. Especially on a roll.

Im pretty certain the M140 would be significantly quicker than an M135i. I know there stock dyno wkw could be as much as 20wkw apart with the B58 being stronger.

I'm still keen to test drive an M140 or even go back to one. These are the most fun hatches and well other together imo.

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[M135i]

Having had a look at some YouTube vids. The M140i seems quite a bit quicker than the M135i...
That new engine is amazing I'd say, i have a feeling it's quicker than the A45 stock for stock where the M135i wasn't... In a straight line at least


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[HitokiriZed]

Have you driven the M135? if so how would you compare it to the M140?

I owned a M235i and have had the pleasure of driving a M140i - the x35 is more brutish whist the x40 feels more smooth and refined. No doubt the x40 is faster stock vs. stock. Both great cars/engines imho.



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[michael.joseph]

Congrats bro. She's absolutely gorgeous.
:clapper:

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

The x40 has a different diff ratio as well if I have it correct..

So I saw some logging data regarding x35 vs x40 albeit for the F30 sedan, the x40 is far superior, especially once it is up to speed it really pulls away.

A45, RS3, etc are all too clinical that has been a complaint from a few people I know too, bit oddly not many considered the M135i as on paper it was too under powered compared to those hatches. The M140i is under rated as with all 3.0l BMW motors.

Once it is run in you should go do a stock dyno run, you will be surprised to see what is said on paper vs what the car is pushing out... :coolShake:

 

[CreedBratton]

The x40 has a different diff ratio as well if I have it correct..

So I saw some logging data regarding x35 vs x40 albeit for the F30 sedan, the x40 is far superior, especially once it is up to speed it really pulls away.

A45, RS3, etc are all too clinical that has been a complaint from a few people I know too, bit oddly not many considered the M135i as on paper it was too under powered compared to those hatches. The M140i is under rated as with all 3.0l BMW motors.

Once it is run in you should go do a stock dyno run, you will be surprised to see what is said on paper vs what the car is pushing out... :coolShake:

I have also heard the cars are actually making more power than what is advertised. One guy who had it dyno'd stock made 358bhp as apposed to the 340 that is advertised.

This was one of the main reasons I wanted to buy this car is because it is so under rated and not yet that popular, i think this car is a real bargain for what you get compared to the competition. If it had an M1 badge BWM could charge close to a million for it, so I wanted to buy it before they realize this.

I think BMW definately came up with a winning recipe here, where the others are using 4cyl with more turbo boost, bmw uses a stronger motor and turbo, so you get best of both. I always felt that a bigger engine pulls stronger at top end than a smaller engine with the same kw but turbo charged, dont know if that is my imagination, but I feel that this is the case with this car.

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Also I read some rumours online that this will be the last 6 cylinder RWD, and the next lineup will have FWD, presumably the replacement for the M140i will be an AWD 135ix this time with 4 cyl turbo like the A45, they say making slightly less power than the M140 (330hp)

So also wanted to buy this one while i could still get the 6 cyl, if this is true then i think a number of BMW fans will be disappointed, and sadly this one would probably be a little weaker in the real world. But i thought it would still be an awesome car with 4wd though and still maintain the same 0-100 and track performance, even if a little less special.

Hope BMW backtracks on this decision though

http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/02/07/next-generation-bmw-1-series-gets-rendered/

 

[Ash225]

Congrats Dude!

These are amazing cars! You will just grow more love for it over time...

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Have you driven the M135? if so how would you compare it to the M140?

I owned a M235i and have had the pleasure of driving a M140i - the x35 is more brutish whist the x40 feels more smooth and refined. No doubt the x40 is faster stock vs. stock. Both great cars/engines imho.



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Very true, although I must say that you need to feel the M140i from 3rd onwards...in the first 2 gears the is limited and from 3rd she's definitely just as if not more aggressive than the N55's....

 

[JENICH]

I am currently driving a M135 and the power through the gears is nothing short of amazing.
Changing gears with the padals do feel a lot harsher, but adds to the thrill of driving it in Sports.
The back end does tend to shimmy a lot under heavy acceleration.

Can only imagine what the 140 is like, judging from the 135i.

Have fun dude, it truly is an amazing machine.

 

[nathi9c]

Awesome car :clapper: surely you will enjoy it

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I am currently driving a M135 and the power through the gears is nothing short of amazing.
Changing gears with the padals do feel a lot harsher, but adds to the thrill of driving it in Sports.
The back end does tend to shimmy a lot under heavy acceleration.

Can only imagine what the 140 is like, judging from the 135i.

Have fun dude, it truly is an amazing machine.

I am driving an M135i LCI as well.... I just love it when those gears start banging, its just so lovely and thats what these ZF's are made for. You feel like the car wants to take off, its so amazing.

 

[Silverbird_96kw]

Congrats on the car - More pictures though raise:

Also find when using sport mode and using the paddle shifts that the gear shifts are harsher and one feels a slight jerk while shifting - don't like it really, also not sure if i'm used to a DSG feel... :hammerhead:

 

[CreedBratton]

Congrats on the car - More pictures though raise:

Also find when using sport mode and using the paddle shifts that the gear shifts are harsher and one feels a slight jerk while shifting - don't like it really, also not sure if i'm used to a DSG feel... :hammerhead:

Im not used to a DSG, since im used to manual but i know exactly what you mean.

My issue with the harsh shifts or 'kick' is more around the extra wear and tear, but i don't know if its really an issue with this transmission, and doubt it's any worse than a manual transmission

I have though been trying out manual shifting while in D and it is much smoother than when in S, and this is nice for when you feel like
some manual shifting where you don't really need to race or go super fast but then the car just switches back to auto after 'some time' of
no shifting or throttle changes, but many times i find it quite unexpected. So wish I could change that behavior, you can switch back to auto by long pulling the right paddle

I wish there was a rocker switch like the M5 with various levels of ferocious shifting. I do find manual shifts in D you feel more of a delay, but at least you could have a choice between delay and harshness.

 

[Sven 142]

That's a hot hatch!!! Welcome to the 1 club, I would love to see your dyno results when done...

 

[Shuaib1]

Congrats it's a very nice buy. Enjoy.

 

[rsgordini]

Nice write up..