BMW and M Power Owners

LiE said:
I really liked the 428i, but I want something a bit more special in terms of driving experience
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I can't imagine the 1 Series is this car. I'm not sure what is, but they are not going to feel THAT much difference.

Perhaps you need something older and a little more exotic?
 
I don’t think you actually know what you want any more. Last night we were talking about small hatchbacks and now you’re looking at chavvy estates. Make sure you get it right this time so you don’t cost yourself another couple of thousand :p
 
Steedie said:
I don’t think you actually know what you want any more. Last night we were talking about small hatchbacks and now you’re looking at chavvy estates. Make sure you get it right this time so you don’t cost yourself another couple of thousand :p
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This. I think you've been lucky to move your 428i on so quickly. Maybe it won't be so easy next time :p

@LiE The Golf R Estate is a good call. Huge boot but rear legroom is rubbish so heads up if you have a rear-facing child seat as they can be gargantuan. No idea on used car prices, but 335i or S4 out of budget/too old?
 
Dynamically an M135i/M140i won't feel much different to your 428i. A bit more agile thanks to its shorter wheelbase and slightly lower weight, but the rear axle is in a better location in the 3/4 series vs. the 1 series, and it makes the car drive better IMO.

The M135i/M140i will, however, be MUCH faster than the 428i. On paper it doesn't look so different, but in person you can really feel that extra power/torque, and the sound is much better too.

If you want a BMW to really excite and make your dingle tingle you'll need something from the M Power stable, but unless you're prepared to buy something much older you'll have to massively increase your budget.
 
I'll be hopefully test driving an M135/M140 and Audi S3 over the weekend. I think if there is some compromise to be made in terms of requirements it will be in the "fun" department, which could lead me to an 335i/340i Estate.
 
LiE said:
I'll be hopefully test driving an M135/M140 and Audi S3 over the weekend. I think if there is some compromise to be made in terms of requirements it will be in the "fun" department, which could lead me to an 335i/340i Estate.
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Good luck! I had my M135i for nearly three years and over 70,000 miles and loved it, and the only thing I wanted to change it for was an M3. I'm only up the road from MK if you want to have a ride some time.
 
I hear the 140i has a very different power delivery in comparison to the 135i (the 140i B58 is actually based on a diesel engine block and is very torquey mid range and doesn't reward you if you rev it out as much whereas the older N55 from the 135i doesn't have as much mid range punch but is more NA in feel)
I think the 140i also brought in an updated interior but not sure whether this was before the 135i was replaced or during the change to 140i, as well as shadow edition being added
 
OK so had a long chat with Mrs LiE and we agreed that a small hatchback isn't going to cut it for family duties. This then got us looking at 340i/335i estates... or should I say the lack of. There are some but they are pretty disappointing spec.

Eventually ended up arriving at the 335d M Sport xDrive. We are going to test drive one this morning locally to see if it works for us, if it does, then I have a deposit placed on this for collection later today : https://www.imperialcarsupermarkets...ies/u63679/335d-xdrive-m-sport-5dr-step-auto/

Spec is really good, so happy with that. Looks like they ticked pretty much all the options.
 
You wanted something more special than your Estoril Blue petrol coupe so have sold it at a massive loss and opted to spend 26 grand on a 4 year old diesel estate?!??
 
[TW]Fox said:
You wanted something more special than your Estoril Blue petrol coupe so have sold it at a massive loss and opted to spend 26 grand on a 4 year old diesel estate?!??
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Yep, I wanted, but reality is I need something that works better as an all round car. This is will be our sole family car so I cannot have a sporty hatchback, but I do need more doors. The diesel wasn't my first choice, but it looks like a good engine.

The age of the car is the only downside, anything newer is pretty poorly specced.

Unfortunately my wife has a say in the purchase so I'm having to find a middle ground.
 
I'm really stunned at how expensive that is and imho it reprents very poor value. Massive spec cars are often overpriced imho as people go nuts over them.

I'd be wanting a much newer car for the money, my 5 series wasn't hugely more and was a year old with 5k on it!
 
[TW]Fox said:
I'm really stunned at how expensive that is and imho it reprents very poor value. Massive spec cars are often overpriced imho as people go nuts over them.

I'd be wanting a much newer car for the money, my 5 series wasn't hugely more and was a year old with 5k on it!
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In terms of value I agree, there are better VFM buys. However for comparison this one (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805236791564?logcode=visc&fromSA=true) is 1 year newer, more miles, worse spec. I'd rather go 1 year older and get the spec.

Another example: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805216719286?logcode=visc&fromSA=true
 
Buy a facelift 330d instead. It's still really quick, it handles better as it doesn't have the silly Xdrive system with SE suspension and they are much better value.
 
[TW]Fox said:
https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/201806287927352?quoteref=f32f9cb8-0d2f-4773-b968-ad94ee465204

18 months newer, facelift, proper BMW warranty, cheaper.
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Thanks, I appreciate your input.

I really want adaptive suspension, for a more comfortable ride when carting the family about. I think that addresses your point about the xDrive suspension?

So comparing these 2 cars

330d
+ 18 months newer
+ BMW AUC Warranty
+ 1k cheaper
+ Facelift (cannot see the difference apart from the wheels)

335d
+ xDrive
+ Adaptive Suspension
+ More spec
+ 335d engine
+ Better interior colour
+ Better exterior colour
 
You’ll be best placed to tell as you’ve got a 428i on passive M Sport suspension so you’ll have to see for yourself but IMHO Adaptive does not ‘fix’ the the fact the xDrives ride higher and do not have M Sport suspension. There is a huge thread on it on Pistonheads in the BMW section so have a read, I think people have ended up replacing the suspension with ACS stuff to try and make it handle better.

The good adaptive system is Dynamic Drive which adds the decent active rollbars but this is not available on the 3 Series.

The facelift is not wheels – there are a number of incremental under the skin changes including standard fit LED headlights in place of the older Xenon lights on that 335d. It also looks a bit fresher at the back and should have the revised iDrive system as well (But don’t quote me on that as I’m not sure of the exact date that came in).

Btw, the 530/535d is a better car than all of these ;)
 
Actually my 428i has M Sport suspension delete... and I do find the ride pretty soft when pressing on. From reading, the adaptive suspension gives the car the best of both worlds - sport and comfort which really appeals to me.

I'll share my thoughts once I've driven a 335d xDrive this morning, it may turn out I don't like the car.
 
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