Facts and figures
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All things to one man - BMW 135i
16.07.2008 |
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Our 135i owner rates the BMW’s blend of pace and practicality
During the past couple of weeks I’ve had the opportunity to jump from my 135i coupé into first a 123d coupé and then a 123d five-door hatch, and it’s been quite an eye-opening experience. Both of the oil-burners are terrific in their own way – they could hardly fail to be with that superb new twin-turbo, four-pot diesel engine – but they feel quite different from the six-cylinder petrol 135i.
The main reason for this is the steering. Four-cylinder versions of the 1-series have an electrically assisted rack that’s quite light and undemanding. It gives the 123d an almost skittish feel, especially on 17in wheels and low-resistance tyres.
The 135i, on the other hand, has a hydraulically assisted system – retained for packaging reasons rather than any nobler cause – which is heavier and more natural in feel than the electric rack. This, in conjunction with the standard 18in wheels, fatter run-flat tyres and noticeably more weight over the nose, makes the 135i seem more substantial than its 1-series relatives – more planted on the road and more deliberate in its actions.
In some ways this seems a bit perverse – you’d think that the most enthusiast-oriented model would be the light, agile one – but personally I prefer 135i’s more macho character. Spending a bit of time in the five-door hatch also served to highlight some benefits of the two-door layout that had previously escaped me. I’d always believed that a five-door would be more practical and more usable than a two-door coupé or a three-door hatch. While that may be the case if you regularly carry three or more people, the opposite is true if there’s just one or two of you in the car.
I was shocked at how much easier it is to get in and out of the coupé than the five-door, due to the fact that the doors are much longer and the B-pillars are further back. The location of the B-pillars in the coupé (and the three-door hatch, of course) also means visibility to the left and right is much better at junctions. All of this may seem like obvious stuff, but the exercise helped to clarify in my mind why the 135i fits into my life so well. It satisfies on an emotional level and also on a practical one. You can’t ask for more than that.
