BMW M135i a conformist

I’m certain that many who may buy a small BMW likely don’t know or care that the previous generation was rear-wheel drive.

The architecture in question is shared with the Mini and is designed for a transverse engine layout, also meaning that four-cylinder engines are now the order of the day, with yet more enthusiasts bemoaning apparent loss of the six-cylinder in the more performance-oriented models, making this a more practical car in terms of packaging in the process. I recently received the keys to the current flagship 1-Series, the M135i, to see how this revolution for the Bavarian brand works out.

The loss of a USP

In the mind-numbing marketing courses that I was forced to take during my journalism degree, we were told that when opening up a business, one must find a unique selling proposition (USP) to attract customers to your specific brand or product. For BMW, its USP has most certainly been that it provides some of the best rear-wheel-drive straight-six performance cars on sale, particularly in the small-medium hatchback, coupe and sedan segments.

I worry that this new M135i has lost everything that made its predecessors so great. It is now essentially the same recipe as a Volkswagen Golf R, Audi S3 and the Mercedes-AMG A35. That means that when shopping for a hot hatchback in this segment, all of the cars are four-wheel drive, 2.0-litre turbo robot-to-robot racing machines, so which one do you pick?

Performance

There’s a lot of performance to exploit in the new M135i though, some 225 kW and 450 N.m from a 2.0-litre turbo-four with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox from Aisin. A Torsen LSD upfront and a trick all-wheel-drive ensure fantastic traction an indeed, surefooted handling. This is a fast car, regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. As an A-to-B performance hatch, the Beemer makes for an effective tool, expect 100km/h to come up in less than 5.0 seconds and for the car to reach an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h. The ride and handling are also rather confidence-inspiring, with the assurance of all-wheel drive and a lovely handling balance making this an easy car to drive quickly when the mood strikes.

Where things become a bit disjointed is with the pukka driving enthusiast where the synthetic engine sounds piped into the cabin combined with the overly-assisted driving experience will make this just another point and squirt four-door hatchback, without any discernible characteristics from its key rivals for those looking for raw feedback from their driving experience. There is certainly space for a more driver-focussed small BMW based on this architecture, although, at R880 000 for my press car, I couldn’t imagine a ‘1M’ being all that affordable. I’d wait for the new Volkswagen Golf R or Audi S3 before taking the plunge on this baby Beemer.

Verdict

The M135i is likely the sort of performance hatchback that the masses are after, its performance is accessible, the car is fast without being intimidating and it is now more practical and efficient than ever. For those looking for the ultimate hot hatch driving experience, perhaps look at the Honda Civic Type R or the soon-to-be-released Renault Megane RS Trophy, but also don’t expect the same sort of straight-line performance or level of refinement. Having your cake and eating it is tough in this segment, which is why many a South African opts for the Volkswagen Golf R, for its overall offering as a package.

Pricing

BMW M135i xDrive R 711 452