F12 M6 & M135i Drive

Stephen B · 18 Apr 2013 at 18:01

Housey said:
I like the M135, but it's not Boxster good.

in your opening post you say "M135i is utter genius", so I'm interested in how you describe a Boxster after your latest statement

Never driven a Porche in any form and never really been that interested to be honest but I can appreciate the views of those who are in a position to judge, so bearing in mind the proper journalists from Top Gear couldn't decide between the two, surely it must suggest they are both excellent examples in there own ways.

Housey · 18 Apr 2013 at 18:17

Stephen B said:
in your opening post you say "M135i is utter genius", so I'm interested in how you describe a Boxster after your latest statement

Never driven a Porche in any form and never really been that interested to be honest but I can appreciate the views of those who are in a position to judge, so bearing in mind the proper journalists from Top Gear couldn't decide between the two, surely it must suggest they are both excellent examples in there own ways.

They are both exceptional cars, different of course, but both brilliant fun. The Boxster for me is the sharper tool, steering is ahead of the M135 as are the brakes and it does have for me the more charismatic engine. However the little 1 is a proper 4 seater (with my small wife in the back) and more practical, probably a little swifter too and very well set up in soft settings for bumpy British roads. It is a very easy car to drive quickly and inspires confidence very quickly, I suspect it has few vices and will look after you. Like good BMW's have always done.

However.....it might not be all perfect with the little 1, I am hearing of an issue with one that might effect them all. I will share more when I know more.

Stephen B · 18 Apr 2013 at 18:38

Housey said:
They are both exceptional cars, different of course, but both brilliant fun. The Boxster for me is the sharper tool, steering is ahead of the M135 as are the brakes and it does have for me the more charismatic engine. However the little 1 is a proper 4 seater (with my small wife in the back) and more practical, probably a little swifter too and very well set up in soft settings for bumpy British roads. It is a very easy car to drive quickly and inspires confidence very quickly, I suspect it has few vices and will look after you. Like good BMW's have always done.

However.....it might not be all perfect with the little 1, I am hearing of an issue with one that might effect them all. I will share more when I know more.

Buckled alloys seem to be the latest "issue" for M135i atm, like all previous issues mine does not seem to suffer.

Housey · 18 Apr 2013 at 19:18

Stephen B said:
Buckled alloys seem to be the latest "issue" for M135i atm, like all previous issues mine does not seem to suffer.

Yea you got it, 4 of them on the one I drove.

pioneer2000 · 18 Apr 2013 at 19:19

I'm unsure how people expect to get a sports car driving position from a hatchback really. The reason why it's good value for money is because its a good engine in a mass produced chassis. So the cost of the performance is offset by the savings in dynamics.

Barks · 20 Apr 2013 at 10:54

I would guess from what others have said that the Boxster is more of a precision instrument, but the M135i would go faster in a straight line.

Stephen B · 20 Apr 2013 at 11:49

scott212 said:
I would guess from what others have said that the Boxster is more of a precision instrument, but the M135i would go faster in a straight line.

if straight line speed and bragging rights mean a lot to you, go test drive a Boxster

a lot of money to spend and not be happy

Sam · 20 Apr 2013 at 19:18

Mine was due to be delivered to the dealer week 17 however BMW customer services said its still awaiting export in Germany and now expected delivery is 16th May ... How can it have gone up by 3 weeks, it's been built for gods sake!

SDK^ · 20 Apr 2013 at 19:48

The process to finish the build of the car only takes a couple of days. The rest of the delivery timeframe is taken up with delivery hand offs and travelling.

Ben Cole · 20 Apr 2013 at 20:28

scott212 said:
I would guess from what others have said that the Boxster is more of a precision instrument, but the M135i would go faster in a straight line.

You said it would ANNIHILATE a Boxster whilst carrying 5 people.

Like I said in my earlier post, am I missing something or do you stand by this?

TS7 · 20 Apr 2013 at 20:59

scott212 said:
I'm pretty sure from other threads Fox said he wouldn't be surprised if I lost my license as a young driver in that car. I still remember distinctly from the test drive we pulled onto a dual carriage way, I was doing 40mph on entry and I had to stop when the dealer pointed out I was doing just south of 100mph, within seconds. I'm still thinking perhaps I would have been better off with something fairly but not as fast in between cars. Going from 120bhp to 320bhp is going to be a shock to say the least!

I think it's important to remember the car will go as fast as you decide...

It's the individual and not the car which causes danger / licence losing situations.

I'm well aware no one buys a M135i to drive at 30mph all the time. However pick your moments, choose the right roads and you'll have a great time.

But if you're intending on pulling the trigger every at every opportunity a bit space clears up in front irregardless of where you are, you are likely land in a spot of bother at some point. This is not only from a 'being caught' perspective, but also being a danger on the roads. Most people pulling out of a side road or pedestrians crossing the road do not expect cars to be firing down the road at 70.

Enjoy the car

Drollic · 21 Apr 2013 at 10:37

I want to really like the m135i as I do the 1m, but just can't get past the look of it. It somehow just looks awkward?

Barks · 21 Apr 2013 at 11:49

Ben Cole said:
You said it would ANNIHILATE a Boxster whilst carrying 5 people.

Like I said in my earlier post, am I missing something or do you stand by this?

If you want to be pedantic then, no, 'annihilate' isn't the best word.

Although a non-S Boxster is going to struggle against it in a straight line.

pioneer2000 · 21 Apr 2013 at 14:15

scott212 said:
If you want to be pedantic then, no, 'annihilate' isn't the best word.

Although a non-S Boxster is going to struggle against it in a straight line.

Hmmm, and the BMW will struggle against a Boxster S in a straight line.

Not to mention on any corner, where the lower weight and higher grip will best the BMW.

SDK^ · 21 Apr 2013 at 15:16

pioneer2000 said:
Hmmm, and the BMW will struggle against a Boxster S in a straight line.

They are both cars aimed at completely different markets but they are matched on performance.
The latest 2012 Boxster S (3.4) and M135i have pretty much identical performance numbers up to the limited 155mph of the BMW.

The BMW can carry 4 people and baggage no probs for less money (£15k less). The Boxster is a better drivers car, track machine and has a convertible roof.

pioneer2000 · 21 Apr 2013 at 16:28

I'm not convinced- the M135 is not comparable to the Boxster S on "performance".

The BMW uses a smaller displacement, turbo engine (so worse performance in this case, slower throttle response, turbo lag) mated to a standard hatchback chassis that has been overhauled for more sporting prowess. (Ie it still features the same limitations of a hot hatch, being high centre of mavity, poor drag coefficient, not ideal weight distribution and the like).

SDK^ · 21 Apr 2013 at 16:56

Max torque on the M135i (332 lb/ft) is from 1300 rpm compared to 5800 rpm on the new Boxster S (266 lb/ft).
There is little to no lag on Turbos produced today.

The previous gen Boxster S is eating dust in a straight line.

pioneer2000 · 21 Apr 2013 at 17:25

Why are you talking about the previous gen car now?

The boxster S is faster than a M135.

Both the standard boxster and the S are better handling, with greater agility and higher levels of grip.

The boxster looks like a sports car, the M135 looks like an everyday hatchback. The Porsche has a much nicer interior.

The BMW is in no way in the same league with the Porsche.

Turbo engines will never be quite as responsive as a NA engine - sure they've improved, but saying otherwise just isn't true.

This mentality of "oh it's quick so it must be better than X" is so odd to me. I just don't get it. Generally the people that buy these cars are fixated on "racing" on public roads with proper sports cars. (That's not aimed at anyone here, just an observation). The ridiculousness of it all is that to ever get anywhere near using the straight line speed of the BMW, you're going to be braking the law. At least you'd look good in the Porsche doing it!

PMKeates · 21 Apr 2013 at 17:28

SDK^ said:
Max torque on the M135i (332 lb/ft) is from 1300 rpm compared to 5800 rpm on the new Boxster S (266 lb/ft).
There is little to no lag on Turbos produced today.

The previous gen Boxster S is eating dust in a straight line.

Is the Boxster S restricted to 3000 RPM in this race?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNB9MTsDSDM&#t=45s

As far as I can tell, it will be spending pretty much 'no time' at low RPM

EDIT: Oh, you mean old gen. Sorry, missed that 'criteria'! Either way, point still stands, the fact it produces peak torque at a high RPM vs. a low RPM for the M135i doesn't make the M a faster car. My 535d produces 515 lb/ft at about 1800 RPM - does that mean past 1800 RPM my car is faster?

SDK^ · 21 Apr 2013 at 17:31

pioneer2000 said:
Why are you talking about the previous gen car now?

The last sentence was the only reference to the previous gen Boxster.

I also agree with every else you said. I'm saying in simple straight line performance the Boxster S is at best equal.