Project 135i- Initial review

I've had a few requests for a 135i review. I can accomodate that, but only partially, because the engine isn't fully broken in yet. So far, I haven't spun it higher than 4500rpm. I have a Vishnu PROcede en route and dyno time scheduled, so the power portion of this review will have to be saved for a slightly later date.

The first thing that struck me about the 1 series was its fit and finish. This car was screwed together much better than the Evo it replaced. It also has higher quality components than the Evo: Instruments, dash, seats, body panels, headlights, paint, etc. This lessens somewhat when compared to my 335i. While the instruments and seats are the same, the dash plastics and materials are visibly downmarket from the 3 series. I guess they have to have a few solid reasons to justify the price difference.

I am loving this transmission. The notchy shifter in the Evo X was one step from making me go completely postal; the shifter in this car is like butter. Slow standing starts on an incline couldn't be easier thanks to the hill holder feature, which also helps to minimize clutch wear. The gearing has allowed me to return better fuel economy than the Evo, even with two extra cylinders and another liter of displacement. Since the powerband is wide, the somewhat taller gears are not a problem.

This car is more nervous than an E90. Again, I haven't really had the chance to really put it through its paces, but it has less poise than the E90. The wheelbase is suspect, as well as the small front tires. The car can go from understeer to oversteer with throttle lift, but it pushes way more than I would like. This is not to say the car does not handle well, but its a pretty convincing downgrade when coming out of an SAWC Evo X.

The drive by wire on this car is a bit laggy. The engine and turbochargers are NOT laggy, building boost strongly from 1400rpm, but I never thought I'd say the throttle mapping on a Mitsubishi would be so superior to a BMW.

The powerband of the BMW's N54 engine is lucious. I have awesome passing power in sixth gear from low speeds, something you'll never see in a turbo four. With this car weighing in at 200 pounds less than my Evo X or my 335i, its gonna be downright nasty-fast with the PROcede installed.

The runflat tires are garbage. This is evident when you hit a pothole or especially an elevation imperfection. There's one such spot on the Interstate I hit going home everyday that makes me feel like I am being uprooted when I strike it. Really bad.

The open differential is cheese, and I'm sure I'll notice that more when a few miles pile on.

This car shines at just being a great vehicle. Its quiet as a church mouse, its comfortable, the leather is of high quality, and the ride is fine if you aren't testing the runflats over bumps. The standard hifi radio is even good, even though I had my heart set on the premium unit. I upgraded the tweeters from some leftover Focal Polyglass componets, and they sound brilliant. Even at 25x4 on the main speakers and 40x2 on the subs, it seems to have plenty of power.

Although this review is a mixed bag, I think this car is a way better canvas for performance than a 335i. It is a couple hundred pounds lighter, after all. The brakes are just massive, and should be amazing with better pads and a good aftermarket fluid. The understeer could be helped with wider front wheels and tires to match the sizes of the rear. A rear swaybar and a hot alignment should help a ton as well. None of this stuff is expensive. All that with the aforementioned PROcede should make this one heck of a run ride. Add all that in with the fact its a RWD car with an almost 50:50 weight distribution, and things are looking good.

As a total package, I have absolutely no regrets going from the Evo to this car.

More coming soon...