F40 M135i - opinions

[Greendubber]

Hi all,

I'm changing my car at the end of September and being as leasing is just silly money these days I'm doing to actually buy a car (first time in a long time)

I had been looking at Mercedes A35's butthe reliability issues put me right off.

I after something in a 5 door hatch, circa 300bhp and all wheel drive. I'm not interested in a Golf R or S3 but do like the look of a 135i.

Does anyone have any opinions on them, real world experiences etc?

I know it's not rwd F20 etc but I've had one of those and the cabin was outdated and tiny so I'm wondering how the F40 shapes up.

Budget is around £25k so hopefully something 3 years old.

Thanks

[Deviation]

I’ve heard the gearbox is a bit naff, and not as good as the ZF8


That would be an issue for me because I think the ZF8 is decidedly average anyway. I’ve had it in 3 cars and really don’t rate it.

[smashy]

Greendubber said:

Hi all,

I'm changing my car at the end of September and being as leasing is just silly money these days I'm doing to actually buy a car (first time in a long time)

I had been looking at Mercedes A35's butthe reliability issues put me right off.

I after something in a 5 door hatch, circa 300bhp and all wheel drive. I'm not interested in a Golf R or S3 but do like the look of a 135i.

Does anyone have any opinions on them, real world experiences etc?

I know it's not rwd F20 etc but I've had one of those and the cabin was outdated and tiny so I'm wondering how the F40 shapes up.

Budget is around £25k so hopefully something 3 years old.

Thanks

Never saw a positive review about that car ever ,but every review of the 128ti was a massive positive. Just saying

[Greendubber]

Good point, I do need to check the 128ti out as well...

[Court_S]

The interior is massive step up from the F20 although it still feels less spacious than say a Golf.

The mandatory safety nanny’s are massively annoying, the lane assistance in particular is hateful and has to be turned off every time you start the car.

The Aisin gearbox is a bit crap.

The 128ti seems to be better received.

[smashy]

Re my mention of the 128ti , I do not know when they did it but read that they put the 128ti suspension into the later M135i's (that suspension had got rave reviews in the 128ti) However that was only on passive suspension ,the adaptive stayed the same.

[SteBrown91]

smashy said:

Re my mention of the 128ti , I do not know when they did it but read that they put the 128ti suspension into the later M135i's (that suspension had got rave reviews in the 128ti) However that was only on passive suspension ,the adaptive stayed the same.

Yes I think it was for the 2022 MY they gave it the same suspension tweaks as the ti. I think it was the same time they started offering the F40 in individual colours, as the press junkett BMW put on they had a fleet of M135is in an indidual yellow/green colour

[ThePrisoner]

Another F40 M135 bashing thread .

Probably from people who have only had the car for a day
It's a brilliant allrounder . An Interior to die for and TBF performance to match the tacky A35 and Golf 'R'. and the pimped S3 .

[Greendubber]

ThePrisoner said:

Another F40 M135 bashing thread .

Probably from people who have only had the car for a day
It's a brilliant allrounder . An Interior to die for and TBF performance to match the tacky A35 and Golf 'R'. and the pimped S3 .

It's not intended to be a bashing thread from my point of view.l, I'm ust after some real world experiences if those who have had them because on paper they look.just what I'm after without the wideboy image of a Golf R/S3.

I will look at the 128Ti but the xdrive on the M135i appeals to me as we have some pretty crap roads in the winter around here and don't fancy getting stranded.

[ThePrisoner]

Greendubber said:

It's not intended to be a bashing thread from my point of view.l, I'm ust after some real world experiences if those who have had them because on paper they look.just what I'm after without the wideboy image of a Golf R/S3.

I will look at the 128Ti but the xdrive on the M135i appeals to me as we have some pretty crap roads in the winter around here and don't fancy getting stranded.

I've had mine for over 3 years. Interior absolutely streets a head of the other offerings. Let's face it , you drive the car from the inside. Superb handling . I'm getting an average of 35 MPG .

The 128 Ti is a brilliant car , but the M135 is where I would like to be .

[Greendubber]

ThePrisoner said:

Greendubber said:

It's not intended to be a bashing thread from my point of view.l, I'm ust after some real world experiences if those who have had them because on paper they look.just what I'm after without the wideboy image of a Golf R/S3.

I will look at the 128Ti but the xdrive on the M135i appeals to me as we have some pretty crap roads in the winter around here and don't fancy getting stranded.

I've had mine for over 3 years. Interior absolutely streets a head of the other offerings. Let's face it , you drive the car from the inside. Superb handling . I'm getting an average of 35 MPG .

The 128 Ti is a brilliant car , but the M135 is where I would like to be .

Thanks very much, good news on the MPG as well.

Have you had or aware of any issues? I was sold on an A35 but then read about how often they have cylinder head and diff issues.

Thanks again.

[toon10]

Deviation said:

I’ve heard the gearbox is a bit naff, and not as good as the ZF8

That would be an issue for me because I think the ZF8 is decidedly average anyway. I’ve had it in 3 cars and really don’t rate it.

Interesting take. I've not heard many people criticise the ZF8. I'm on my third car with this gearbox and it's the best auto I've ever used.

[chil84]

On my 3rd year with our m135i. Quite honestly I think it's a great car! for day to day driving it ticks all the boxes, flick it into sport and there won't be much that could stay with it cross country then put it into eco on cruise and your easily get 40mpg (my best is 53).

The seats are very comfortable and the interior like previous people have stated is excellent compared to others.

Running costs are minimal tbh on par with any other car really, because it's front bias i tend to go through 2 front sets to 1 on rear £150-180 a tyre.

Touch wood the only thing that's gone wrong with mine are door seals as they are just stuck on with tape so they detached but that was done under warranty with ease.

I had the old m135i for 3 years when they first came out and tbh there is no comparison. Yes the 3.0 was great other than that unless you spent a fortune tweeking suspension/brakes etc it isn't a patch on the f40.

People moan about the gearbox compared to the ZF8, I really don't know why normal driving around town etc it's smooth much like the ZF8. If you have it in sport it does everything you ask of it with a bit more urgency.

For the price I don't think you can go far wrong.

[Massive Greylord]

I've had 2 of them - 2020 car & the 2023 which I have now (and an M140i prior to those).
Cons:
Gearbox definitely not as good as the ZF8 in the 140. It's harder to move off smoothly at lights etc.
Engine sound - doesn't compare to the 140 but that's just 4 cylinders versus 6 I suppose. The 23 plate does sound better than the 20 plate though.
Pros:
Interior is much better - obviously the tech is more modern but the seats are comfier too. It's a nice place to be.
Despite it being 10% down on power & torque compared to the 140 I find it easier to drive quicker especially through corners (though this might say more about my driving ability than the capabilities of either car!). The 23 plate handles noticeably better than the 20 plate to the extent that my wife commented on it the first time she drove the newer car.

I have managed to turn off the driver aids permanently - I can't remember how but it's out there on YouTube.

[balise]

Serial 13x owner here with a slight diversion into a 340 on the way.

I’d echo most of the above. Quite how the gear box got signed off is a mystery to me, coming from the 340 it’s a backwards step. However, all other things are much better, it’s noticeable quiet in the cabin and the move away from non leather seats is great.

I do quite a lot of long motorway drives and it excellent for this, I suspect if I was a driving god I’d find it lacking.

Should be reasonable value as a second hand car given the discounts on new cars again.

[scz4]

We had an X2 M35i, so same car underneath. Worst car we've ever had, sold it earlier this year after 8 months, losing a small fortune I didn't appreciate it wasn't a ZF gearbox when we bought it, a gearbox I've had in 7 or 8 cars now and love it.

As mentioned above, the gearbox is awful! Actually, it's quite good when using the paddles on full throttle changes in sport mode. But terrible any other time, especially pulling out junctions or onto a roundabout, dangerously bad. You just never knew if it was going to go or have what feels like a 3 second wait. Not helped by the fact the engine is a bit gutless low down.

Sounded ok when the exhaust valvie disconnected, but it's always going to be a 2.0 4 cyl.

Also, the mpg was atrocious. Now in a B58 car with ZF 8 speed which averages 33mpg, the M35i was around 27mpg.

Remember it's predominantly a FWD car and you could certainly detect torque steer when wet until the rears kicked in.

The only plus was it was quite a nice place to be with the panoramic sunroof and was 100% reliable.

Don't do it! It was a very expensive mistake for us.

Edited by scz4 on Thursday 15th August 08:41

Edited by scz4 on Thursday 15th August 09:52

[Greendubber]

Thanks for the info all, it's certainly interesting hearing the opinions on the gearbox. I've joined a Facebook page and there isn't much mention of it on there.

I'll be sure to try and get into most scenarios when I get to drive one. I am quite used to hesitant, sloppy gear changes as my current car (2021 Tucson) doesn't have the most dynamic of 'boxes.

[scz4]

Greendubber said:

I'll be sure to try and get into most scenarios when I get to drive one. I am quite used to hesitant, sloppy gear changes as my current car (2021 Tucson) doesn't have the most dynamic of 'boxes.

In which case I think you'll really enjoy the car as it feels modern and has good tech. But if you've experienced the ZF gearbox connected to a 6 cylinder engine (diesel or petrol) it's quite a disappointment & downgrade.

[balise]

scz4 said:

In which case I think you'll really enjoy the car as it feels modern and has good tech. But if you've experienced the ZF gearbox connected to a 6 cylinder engine (diesel or petrol) it's quite a disappointment & downgrade.

Agreed. It’s better in sport mode, but the car is too hyper in daily use for me. YMMV.

[Tea Pot One]

A guy I used to work with had one and absolutely loved it, performance, build and solid handling. I asked him about the gearbox as I was in an X3 M40i at the time with the ZF8 .... his reply was he had no issues with it and didn't understand the comments. He was 56 and described it as the best all round car he had owned. FWIW.