BMW's really look better on their OEM rims, any aftermarket rims usually give it the yobo look. And any NA car will sound better, it is what it is. My Turbo Civic sounds like a vaccuum cleaner that swallowed a cricket, whereas my NA Accord sounded amazing. But then you merge into the highway, and you know why you're driving a turbo again..
In all fairness, K24’s are one of Honda’s best sounding engines whereas the L15 turbo is one of their worst haha. BMW turbo 6’s imo sound just as good as the N/A ones. And yeah much more power too
@@KiwiCarLife Haha, agreed, there is no comparison between the sound of the N55 straight 6 turbo vs any turbo 4 I've driven. The former wins hands down every time.
They really do shine on OEM wheels. Kept mine on and refused to change them as I felt the same with aftermarket wheels on it. Looked horrid, out of place and ruined the overall look of the car. I didn’t have much trouble getting on highway tho as it’s a 3L.
Nice comparo, and another great vid. Imo, I think the 130i just has the 135i on sound, but it's close the 135i sounds pretty good too! Two really good cars, I think you cant go far wrong with either, especially with those great NZ used car prices! Enjoy the heck out of the 135i mate!
Great vid as always - small correction on the N55 problems, you don't have to worry about carbon build up because of the valvetronic system. The N54 doesn't have valvetronic and that's why it needs to be walnut blasted regularly. The oil starvation issue - if you're a hardcore track person then I would look into implementing the S55 oiling system ($$$) but for 99% of people overfilling the oil by a small amount will be more than enough. A 6hr bathurst m135i won in its category (it was mostly stock) and all they did was overfill the oil by 750?mL I believe. MMR sell a baffle but apparently it doesn't really do anything Also I would add oil pan gasket to the list of N55 common problems, mine is leaking at 120k and a whole bunch of people had it start leaking at under 100k. It's a nightmare job to do aswell because the subframe needs to be removed so the engine has to get lifted on a hoist
Direct Port meth sorted the intake valves on my N54 😅 subframe removal is definitely annoying, done it twice on my N54 to upgrade and then replace upgraded turbos, still haven't done the sump gasket, somehow still not leaking, luck of the draw sometimes.
@@WayToManyAssassins Not necessarily, honestly if you do the work yourself N55s are pretty cheap to maintain! The valve cover gasket is $50. The oil filter housing gasket is $50. If the charge pipe cracks, you only need to replace it with an aluminium one once and it's $400 (most already have this done). The oil pan gasket and bolts is $200. Outside of this stuff if you service the car on time, do the transmission services on time - they should be bulletproof!
True that’s some good advice there. I’m surprised to hear about the lack of carbon buildup though? Need to do some more research into that. And yeah mine already has aluminium charge pipe. Valve cover is fine, need to have a look at my sump gasket
@@WayToManyAssassins to be fair Subaru's are a different class in terms of engine issues, it normally just come down to them being horrible to work on meaning maintenance is put off till something goes bang and then the big bills start coming in. Even the non turbo subi's can be quite expensive to service/repair compared to other Japanese cars of the same class and era. The NA B6 engines are especially bad, but the B4 ones are still not ideal. In general you are 100% correct about turbo engines, I just wouldn't use Subaru as a reference due to the boxer design having its own list of drawbacks.
Owner of your old 130i here ,going superbly btw, I have to say I am not really a fan of the manual box either, the shift action is "rubbery" is the best way I have heard it described.
The manual gearbox it's self is excellent however you are right about the shift action being a bit rubbery, this is due to the rubber bushes. I would recommend Rogue engineering rubber transmission mounts and if the gearlever itself has too much slop/play Garagetastic shifter bushing kit - this makes a massive difference without additional NVH. Tried poly transmission mounts made the shifting amazingly good but too much NVH for a daily. The transmission mounts are easy to do, the shifter bushings a little more work..
When I was looking for a 1 series I drove a 120i, 125i, 130i before finally settling with a M135i. I think if I had settled on any of the others, I would have already sold it by now and changed to the M135i. I'm stage 2+ now and 400hp+ out of a rear wheel drive hatchback is amazing.
Yeah if you want that kind of power then the M135i is the way to go for sure. I’m not necessarily after massive power but a good engaging driving experience and the new one is right on the cusp of when cars started to lose that. Hence why generally I’ve bought 2000’s cars not 2010’s cars
@@roysampson182 yeah that’s the thing aye. The newer ones are better overall but the 130i is such a bargain. Mind you I bought my M135i for 13k too so they’re really cheap too
The 130i really is a performance bargain at current prices. I recently built one for gravel rallying as it made for a great power/price/reliability combination for a modern(ish) RWD build. Can confirm that it is a lot of fun to drive.
Another awesome vid mate! You’re born to do this! I love 6cyl engines; they’re bloody awesome, but the 135i pips the 130 for sound. Only just though… Something about the 6 plus turbo plus shift farts is so addictive. We have a Tig R which does the same (albeit 4cyl), and it just bring so much visceral pleasure to the drive. Any way we can support you further to keep up the awesome works? Cheers mate!
Glad you’re enjoying it! And yeah I’m not a huge fan of crackle tunes but the upshift farts are cool eh! Just keep watching my videos man! Appreciate it!
@@KiwiCarLife My LCI M135i has the optional M Performance exhaust - that sounds a lot better still (I owned the pre LCI like the white one in the vid too). Have also installed a sports cat, which opens it up further, love it.
It really comes down to two things. What is the price difference? And what is your goals with the car? Instagram and car media have completely overblown the B58 into being some sort of god sent gift to motoring - yes it's a fantastic engine, a fairly big improvement over the later model N55s. A stronger block and internals, a better standard cooling system and overall reliability was improved - I'd say the only problem it shares with the N55 is the valve cover gasket leaking. People tend to overlook that when both cars are tuned with standard bolt ons, the B58 puts down about ~14% more peak power. Is a potentially 40% pricetag increase (this depends on where you live) worth 14% more power? Especially when the chassis and interior are basically the same? I think the B58 starts to make sense when you wanting to go further than what the standard turbo allows. The will safely reach 550whp on stock internals with a turbo upgrade/hpfp upgrade, whereas the B58 can go well into the 700s without breaking a sweat. So, imo - for 90% of people, I think the N55 is better value for money. It even sounds better. For the 10% who want to dominate just about everything on the street, the B58 is king.
@wingman548 very fair assessment. The n54 can make 700hp on stock internals also with a massive single turbo. Probably a cheaper build than a built b58 also
@@craigauty6756 Yes the N54 internals are strong but everything around that motor will break and cost you way more than you would have spent on any B58/N55 build
Yes that would be interesting! Got a 440i lined up so could maybe compare that with my M135i. But yeah that’s been my conclusion, yes the B58 is better but the N55 is good enough and is much cheaper.
I have a 130iLE manual which is a fantastic driver's car. Just added a 140i Performance with BMW LSD. Insanely quick(stock) and sounds good for a turbo. Much different money. Next few weeks will tell.
Hey mate great video. Thinking about either a GR Yaris or a M1/240i as my next car. Similar prices here in Aus, but the BMW will be about 4-5 years older and have 2-3x the KM. Could also consider the much cheaper 35i with the N55 but am slightly concerned about reliability. Thoughts?
Yaris GR will probably hold its value better, but imo the M140i is a better car. RWD, more stock power, more modification potential, more features and more practical, for less money.
I've had 3 x N55s over the years. I've popped one coil and one charge pipe (both off the back of bumping up the boost) and a couple of them had minor valve cover gasket leaks, otherwise solid. My current one is an LCI M135i, which looks the same as the 140, but sounds better ;-) Being a bit newer, it has the electronic wastegate (and bigger compressor wheel I think), which is noticeably more punchy and responds well to a tune. I can't justify another ~10k of the the 140.
Hi mate, sorry to hi jack this video with my question, and I’m not sure if you’ll see this amongst all the other comments, I’m looking at an Accord at around the 2008-2011 years, specifically the 2.4 petrol version, as the 2.0 petrol is abit underpowered for me. I’m in the uk so I believe it’s the k24a8? With around 200bhp? I’m abit confused with all the different engine codes.. The K24 is a great engine isn’t it? Much better power than the 2.0 right?
I lost my first MT 130i and looked for another drove the M135i, M140i ,among others and yes agree the M135i is better as a day to day car as is the M140i both are obviously way faster also and the zf8 is very good. Both had less feel and felt a bit boat like in comparison the 140i would accumulate speeding tickets faster than hot dinners. For me the 130i can't be bettered it's fast enough, handles well. I tried to find another option but there isn't without going to a 2 seater. So i got another MT 130i!
Is this the PWG N55 or EWG N55 M135i? The last 6 months of the non LCI facelift M135's got the electronic wastegate (bit more power, but more power potential from mods). Best mods i've done is the VRSF catless downpipe & charge pipe, xhp stage2 the ZF8 box (much faster up & downshifts. DCT like up shift aggression in sports+), BMS air intake (by far the best bang for buck & 10min install), and mHD stage 2 map. Also pays to run one step colder plugs. Will go stage 2+ once get the VRSF HD I/C. Some pretty cool stuff you can add with Bimmercode too. 20mm wheel spacers give the oem wheels a flush look too. These cars are far too over dampened for NZ roads, especially the passive M-Performance suspension. The Bird's suspension kit, made especially for these cars for bumpy roads, totally transforms the car. You can get the power down so much better. No crashing of bumps, and no odd floaty feeling under acceleration. Add a Quaife LSD (way better than the M-performance one) & do all these above mods, and you have a real M car in hatch form.
@@KiwiCarLife I went through all the pros and cons, and found mHD the best for N55's. Use an OBD cable, rather than wireless sender, or the reflashes take forever. Also, if you are ever going to do a trackday, you have to get a baffled sump, cos the oem doesn't have baffles, and hard, prolonged cornering leads to oil starvation, and if you know about N55 big end bearing shells, you know that is the last thing you need. Also if you are going to many hard pulls in a row, you get significant heat-soak from the tiny oem intercooler, which is actually the size for the 116i. Not a dangerous thing like the charge pipe or non-baffled sump, but does affect consistent power. Cheers.
@@KiwiCarLife So it's more like 220kw then, not 235. And are you sure it has adaptive suspension? My old one was quite obvious when switching to sport. My LCI one doesn't have adaptive, so was somewhere in between in terms of firmness (but more recently running Eibach spings, which are pretty good).
My dad had a manual 130i about 15 years ago, and while it handled well enough and was pretty quick (0 - 100 in about 6 secs I think), I found the engine so flat and boring... I think they had the fancy constantly variable valve lift, which allowed them to negate the throttle butterfly, so maybe that was a factor. Flat as torque curve but it just fell off a cliff at about 6k or less (can't recall specifically). I test drove another a couple of years ago, and as much as I really wanted to like it and buy, it was equally disappointing. Since read that a tune can liven up the top end some. Also found the most recent one lurched about in the corners and didn't handle anywhere nearly as nice as my M135i, but then she was an old car with 120k on it, so maybe shocks and bushes were shagged. Each to their own aye. Probably one of those cars you need to own and learn to get the most out of.
@@Sirodjw maybe the vanos or valvetronic on the ones you drove were a bit shot? These N52’s do have soft limiters so they do naturally start to back off as you approach redline but that’s only at like 6700 ish. Surprised you felt that way about it the N52 is regarded as one of BMW’s best engines
130i for me! NA inline 6 N52, hydraulic steering, no stupidly large infotainment screen protruding at the top of the dash, and no stupid electronic stuff like drive modes or adaptive suspension - just straight driver-focused machine!!
@@KiwiCarLife to be honest I never heard a proper I6 in person by side where I live or travel 😅. Maybe if the 130i had a proper aftermarket exhaust I would definitely go for the 130i. The 135i with that up shift sound nice tho
@@KiwiCarLife How many ks on it? I'm looking at them after your comment about the isf haha, I'm not big on euro usually, it sounds like the suspension may give issues in the 135? I think the isf is better but at half or less of the money if these were reliable I might look at them
@@sircefiro they are reliable! N55 is known to be a solid power plant and ZF8 is indestructible. Any extra maintenance you might spend will be more than made up for in the fuel savings. Transmission and infotainment are miles better in the BMW too. Having owned both, I’d take the M135i any day. Much better value for money.
@@KiwiCarLife I didn't like the rear lights on the earlier M135i either, if I'm honest, just square blocks. The later lights were nice, same design as on the M140i which I owned for 4 years. It was a very good car, fast after a bit of tuning and a 200 cell wagner cat, but the chassis never felt settled. I actually went backwards in years, to a late 2016 OG M2, which I still have. Now this is just beautiful looking, and obviously on another level for balance, ride, handling, cornering, etc.
Loving the new videos! Keep going legend.
@@liamfebruary1622 thanks man!
BMW's really look better on their OEM rims, any aftermarket rims usually give it the yobo look.
And any NA car will sound better, it is what it is. My Turbo Civic sounds like a vaccuum cleaner that swallowed a cricket, whereas my NA Accord sounded amazing.
But then you merge into the highway, and you know why you're driving a turbo again..
In all fairness, K24’s are one of Honda’s best sounding engines whereas the L15 turbo is one of their worst haha.
BMW turbo 6’s imo sound just as good as the N/A ones. And yeah much more power too
@@KiwiCarLife If you didn't know it was a petrol, you could mistake it for a diesel on a cold start haha.
@@KiwiCarLife Haha, agreed, there is no comparison between the sound of the N55 straight 6 turbo vs any turbo 4 I've driven. The former wins hands down every time.
They really do shine on OEM wheels. Kept mine on and refused to change them as I felt the same with aftermarket wheels on it. Looked horrid, out of place and ruined the overall look of the car. I didn’t have much trouble getting on highway tho as it’s a 3L.
I guess Apex/vorsteiner wheels are yobo 🤣
Global quality reviews. Seriously. Do what you're doing and keep sharing your love mixed with knowledge of cars.
Thanks man yep I’ll try to keep at it!
Nice comparo, and another great vid.
Imo, I think the 130i just has the 135i on sound, but it's close the 135i sounds pretty good too!
Two really good cars, I think you cant go far wrong with either, especially with those great NZ used car prices!
Enjoy the heck out of the 135i mate!
Thanks man! Yeah admittedly the 130i had a 135i muffler so helped it a bit but certainly driving both back to back the n/a sound is pretty excellent
I'd take the manual any day of the week, we ain't 40 yet bro
Haha what if it was a manual M135i though?
Great vid as always - small correction on the N55 problems, you don't have to worry about carbon build up because of the valvetronic system. The N54 doesn't have valvetronic and that's why it needs to be walnut blasted regularly.
The oil starvation issue - if you're a hardcore track person then I would look into implementing the S55 oiling system ($$$) but for 99% of people overfilling the oil by a small amount will be more than enough. A 6hr bathurst m135i won in its category (it was mostly stock) and all they did was overfill the oil by 750?mL I believe. MMR sell a baffle but apparently it doesn't really do anything
Also I would add oil pan gasket to the list of N55 common problems, mine is leaking at 120k and a whole bunch of people had it start leaking at under 100k. It's a nightmare job to do aswell because the subframe needs to be removed so the engine has to get lifted on a hoist
Direct Port meth sorted the intake valves on my N54 😅 subframe removal is definitely annoying, done it twice on my N54 to upgrade and then replace upgraded turbos, still haven't done the sump gasket, somehow still not leaking, luck of the draw sometimes.
Anyone thats buys a turbocharged petrol engine should expect big maintenance bills, just ask subaru owners...XD
@@WayToManyAssassins Not necessarily, honestly if you do the work yourself N55s are pretty cheap to maintain!
The valve cover gasket is $50. The oil filter housing gasket is $50. If the charge pipe cracks, you only need to replace it with an aluminium one once and it's $400 (most already have this done). The oil pan gasket and bolts is $200.
Outside of this stuff if you service the car on time, do the transmission services on time - they should be bulletproof!
True that’s some good advice there. I’m surprised to hear about the lack of carbon buildup though? Need to do some more research into that.
And yeah mine already has aluminium charge pipe. Valve cover is fine, need to have a look at my sump gasket
@@WayToManyAssassins to be fair Subaru's are a different class in terms of engine issues, it normally just come down to them being horrible to work on meaning maintenance is put off till something goes bang and then the big bills start coming in.
Even the non turbo subi's can be quite expensive to service/repair compared to other Japanese cars of the same class and era. The NA B6 engines are especially bad, but the B4 ones are still not ideal. In general you are 100% correct about turbo engines, I just wouldn't use Subaru as a reference due to the boxer design having its own list of drawbacks.
Owner of your old 130i here ,going superbly btw, I have to say I am not really a fan of the manual box either, the shift action is "rubbery" is the best way I have heard it described.
Great to hear! I guess it’s just personal preference but I thought it was great!
The manual gearbox it's self is excellent however you are right about the shift action being a bit rubbery, this is due to the rubber bushes. I would recommend Rogue engineering rubber transmission mounts and if the gearlever itself has too much slop/play Garagetastic shifter bushing kit - this makes a massive difference without additional NVH. Tried poly transmission mounts made the shifting amazingly good but too much NVH for a daily. The transmission mounts are easy to do, the shifter bushings a little more work..
@@Inspherespace Yeah the shifter bushings are on the to do list
Raw driving experiences are dying. Good to see the 1st gen still deliving the thrills
Yeah absolutely man it’s like the perfect combo of comfort and raw fun
Only 95,000km on the 130i! That definitely needs to be driven more XD
I’m sure it will be!
When I was looking for a 1 series I drove a 120i, 125i, 130i before finally settling with a M135i. I think if I had settled on any of the others, I would have already sold it by now and changed to the M135i. I'm stage 2+ now and 400hp+ out of a rear wheel drive hatchback is amazing.
Yeah if you want that kind of power then the M135i is the way to go for sure. I’m not necessarily after massive power but a good engaging driving experience and the new one is right on the cusp of when cars started to lose that. Hence why generally I’ve bought 2000’s cars not 2010’s cars
@@KiwiCarLife For the price, the 130i was really tempting though.
@@roysampson182 yeah that’s the thing aye. The newer ones are better overall but the 130i is such a bargain. Mind you I bought my M135i for 13k too so they’re really cheap too
The 130i really is a performance bargain at current prices. I recently built one for gravel rallying as it made for a great power/price/reliability combination for a modern(ish) RWD build. Can confirm that it is a lot of fun to drive.
@@CahunaKiwiNZ yeah man they’re the best manual 10k car around I reckon
Another awesome vid mate! You’re born to do this!
I love 6cyl engines; they’re bloody awesome, but the 135i pips the 130 for sound. Only just though… Something about the 6 plus turbo plus shift farts is so addictive. We have a Tig R which does the same (albeit 4cyl), and it just bring so much visceral pleasure to the drive.
Any way we can support you further to keep up the awesome works?
Cheers mate!
Glad you’re enjoying it! And yeah I’m not a huge fan of crackle tunes but the upshift farts are cool eh!
Just keep watching my videos man! Appreciate it!
That N55B30 sound is quintessential BMW 6-cylinder sound. There's nothing quite like it!
It does sound rather nice
@@KiwiCarLife My LCI M135i has the optional M Performance exhaust - that sounds a lot better still (I owned the pre LCI like the white one in the vid too). Have also installed a sports cat, which opens it up further, love it.
nice video, would like to see a comparison between m135i vs m140i. Is the b58 worth the money? Better stay with n55? Thanks for your videos
Be good to see the b58 in it's stock form to get his opinion and then a modded one to see how special they can be
It really comes down to two things. What is the price difference? And what is your goals with the car? Instagram and car media have completely overblown the B58 into being some sort of god sent gift to motoring - yes it's a fantastic engine, a fairly big improvement over the later model N55s. A stronger block and internals, a better standard cooling system and overall reliability was improved - I'd say the only problem it shares with the N55 is the valve cover gasket leaking.
People tend to overlook that when both cars are tuned with standard bolt ons, the B58 puts down about ~14% more peak power. Is a potentially 40% pricetag increase (this depends on where you live) worth 14% more power? Especially when the chassis and interior are basically the same? I think the B58 starts to make sense when you wanting to go further than what the standard turbo allows. The will safely reach 550whp on stock internals with a turbo upgrade/hpfp upgrade, whereas the B58 can go well into the 700s without breaking a sweat.
So, imo - for 90% of people, I think the N55 is better value for money. It even sounds better. For the 10% who want to dominate just about everything on the street, the B58 is king.
@wingman548 very fair assessment. The n54 can make 700hp on stock internals also with a massive single turbo. Probably a cheaper build than a built b58 also
@@craigauty6756 Yes the N54 internals are strong but everything around that motor will break and cost you way more than you would have spent on any B58/N55 build
Yes that would be interesting! Got a 440i lined up so could maybe compare that with my M135i. But yeah that’s been my conclusion, yes the B58 is better but the N55 is good enough and is much cheaper.
I have a 130iLE manual which is a fantastic driver's car. Just added a 140i Performance with BMW LSD. Insanely quick(stock) and sounds good for a turbo. Much different money. Next few weeks will tell.
@@topmarques ooh very nice! Both are excellent cars
Miss my m135i, simple bolt ons and a tune running around 400+ bhp was a weapon
Ooh yeah man they’ve got lots of potential
Not sure why BMW didnt put a rear spoiler on these, makes a big difference look wise!
Yeah I know, I need to find one. My old 130i had one and it looked heaps better
@KiwiCarLife did you find a spoiler yet? I have a Basic Carbon spoiler on my M135i and it looks legit, imo.
Hey mate great video. Thinking about either a GR Yaris or a M1/240i as my next car. Similar prices here in Aus, but the BMW will be about 4-5 years older and have 2-3x the KM. Could also consider the much cheaper 35i with the N55 but am slightly concerned about reliability. Thoughts?
Yaris GR will probably hold its value better, but imo the M140i is a better car. RWD, more stock power, more modification potential, more features and more practical, for less money.
I've had 3 x N55s over the years. I've popped one coil and one charge pipe (both off the back of bumping up the boost) and a couple of them had minor valve cover gasket leaks, otherwise solid. My current one is an LCI M135i, which looks the same as the 140, but sounds better ;-) Being a bit newer, it has the electronic wastegate (and bigger compressor wheel I think), which is noticeably more punchy and responds well to a tune. I can't justify another ~10k of the the 140.
@@Sirodjw Thanks mate, as much as I love my beemers I reckon I'm leaning towards the Yaris - yet to drive either though
Hi mate, sorry to hi jack this video with my question, and I’m not sure if you’ll see this amongst all the other comments, I’m looking at an Accord at around the 2008-2011 years, specifically the 2.4 petrol version, as the 2.0 petrol is abit underpowered for me. I’m in the uk so I believe it’s the k24a8? With around 200bhp? I’m abit confused with all the different engine codes.. The K24 is a great engine isn’t it? Much better power than the 2.0 right?
@@jonnygti yeah go with the K24 much better engine
I lost my first MT 130i and looked for another drove the M135i, M140i ,among others and yes agree the M135i is better as a day to day car as is the M140i both are obviously way faster also and the zf8 is very good. Both had less feel and felt a bit boat like in comparison the 140i would accumulate speeding tickets faster than hot dinners. For me the 130i can't be bettered it's fast enough, handles well. I tried to find another option but there isn't without going to a 2 seater. So i got another MT 130i!
Yeah I'd definitely agree with all that!
also, 135i has an open diff, which can get sketchy at times with that power in the rain, if you the type of person who likes to turn TC off.
I don’t find it too bad, but would be better if it had LSD. More predicable
Have owned both. The M135i has an engine that cannot be denied and thus has much more potential. Although stock for stock I think 130i handles better
Yeah I’d agree with that, 130i is quite a bit lighter too
Agree, it's the lower weight and hydraulic steering
Is this the PWG N55 or EWG N55 M135i? The last 6 months of the non LCI facelift M135's got the electronic wastegate (bit more power, but more power potential from mods). Best mods i've done is the VRSF catless downpipe & charge pipe, xhp stage2 the ZF8 box (much faster up & downshifts. DCT like up shift aggression in sports+), BMS air intake (by far the best bang for buck & 10min install), and mHD stage 2 map. Also pays to run one step colder plugs. Will go stage 2+ once get the VRSF HD I/C. Some pretty cool stuff you can add with Bimmercode too. 20mm wheel spacers give the oem wheels a flush look too. These cars are far too over dampened for NZ roads, especially the passive M-Performance suspension. The Bird's suspension kit, made especially for these cars for bumpy roads, totally transforms the car. You can get the power down so much better. No crashing of bumps, and no odd floaty feeling under acceleration. Add a Quaife LSD (way better than the M-performance one) & do all these above mods, and you have a real M car in hatch form.
Mine’s PWG as it’s a 2012. And for sure man all those mods are exactly what I plan to do to mine!
@@KiwiCarLife Charge pipe before all else matey. The plastic goes brittle and implodes.
@@Tight--LiNeZ yeah mines actually already had that done conveniently, so tune is next
@@KiwiCarLife I went through all the pros and cons, and found mHD the best for N55's. Use an OBD cable, rather than wireless sender, or the reflashes take forever. Also, if you are ever going to do a trackday, you have to get a baffled sump, cos the oem doesn't have baffles, and hard, prolonged cornering leads to oil starvation, and if you know about N55 big end bearing shells, you know that is the last thing you need. Also if you are going to many hard pulls in a row, you get significant heat-soak from the tiny oem intercooler, which is actually the size for the 116i. Not a dangerous thing like the charge pipe or non-baffled sump, but does affect consistent power. Cheers.
@@KiwiCarLife So it's more like 220kw then, not 235. And are you sure it has adaptive suspension? My old one was quite obvious when switching to sport. My LCI one doesn't have adaptive, so was somewhere in between in terms of firmness (but more recently running Eibach spings, which are pretty good).
m135i or mk7 gti for daily + spirited drives?
@@yodo5701 M135i because rwd
My dad had a manual 130i about 15 years ago, and while it handled well enough and was pretty quick (0 - 100 in about 6 secs I think), I found the engine so flat and boring... I think they had the fancy constantly variable valve lift, which allowed them to negate the throttle butterfly, so maybe that was a factor. Flat as torque curve but it just fell off a cliff at about 6k or less (can't recall specifically). I test drove another a couple of years ago, and as much as I really wanted to like it and buy, it was equally disappointing. Since read that a tune can liven up the top end some. Also found the most recent one lurched about in the corners and didn't handle anywhere nearly as nice as my M135i, but then she was an old car with 120k on it, so maybe shocks and bushes were shagged. Each to their own aye. Probably one of those cars you need to own and learn to get the most out of.
@@Sirodjw maybe the vanos or valvetronic on the ones you drove were a bit shot? These N52’s do have soft limiters so they do naturally start to back off as you approach redline but that’s only at like 6700 ish. Surprised you felt that way about it the N52 is regarded as one of BMW’s best engines
You don't have cruise control in your M135i?
@@Tight--LiNeZ yeah I do that’s why I bought it. The 130i I had before didn’t
130i for me! NA inline 6 N52, hydraulic steering, no stupidly large infotainment screen protruding at the top of the dash, and no stupid electronic stuff like drive modes or adaptive suspension - just straight driver-focused machine!!
@@RanenPo fair enough
Are those Hamann wheels on the 130i?
@@Tight--LiNeZ sure are
looks like Hamann HM2 wheels 😅
From my perspective, the old 130i sounds much better!
Interesting! In some aspects I'd agree. N55 is surprisingly quiet
3:00 I'm not sure both sound amazing in their own unique way but I'll think I'll go for the 135i
Interesting? Not a fan of the I6 sound?
@@KiwiCarLife to be honest I never heard a proper I6 in person by side where I live or travel 😅. Maybe if the 130i had a proper aftermarket exhaust I would definitely go for the 130i. The 135i with that up shift sound nice tho
First model more fun...hydrolic power steering...less electronic...good
Yeah the hydraulic steering is so much better
Prices have dropped alot for these then again all car prices have dropped. Rarely see 135is around down here in chch
Yeah M135i’s are absolutely worthless now HAHA hence why I bought one! 100k car for 13
@@KiwiCarLife How many ks on it? I'm looking at them after your comment about the isf haha, I'm not big on euro usually, it sounds like the suspension may give issues in the 135? I think the isf is better but at half or less of the money if these were reliable I might look at them
@@sircefiro they are reliable! N55 is known to be a solid power plant and ZF8 is indestructible. Any extra maintenance you might spend will be more than made up for in the fuel savings. Transmission and infotainment are miles better in the BMW too. Having owned both, I’d take the M135i any day. Much better value for money.
Wdym used to own? U sold 130i 😢?
Yeah bro sold the silver one months ago when I bought the M3. Got the black one now I bought on behalf of a friend
@@KiwiCarLife thanks for not leaving the car completely. You are the reason why one blue 130i is in my garage
I thought the 130i had 265 hp and the second version 258 hp?
Why 261 hp? 🤗
@@AstronautCat_Official sounds like the 120i you’re talking about mate. A 3.0L I6 making only 165hp is pitiful especially for BMW HAHA
@@KiwiCarLife Oops, I meant to write 258 and 265 😂 (edited it) but the video says 261 hp? 🙃
@@AstronautCat_Official ahh yes I think that’s just discrepancies between ps and hp
@@KiwiCarLife All right 👍🏼🤗 definitely an awesome car... I have mine for about a month now and I'm super happy 😎💪🏼
@@AstronautCat_Official good stuff! They’re epic, I’ve owned 4 1 series now haha
Bring back the beard man
Hahah goodness me
135i is only a single scroll turbo? 140i came with a twin scroll.
@@rajivamadugalle6064 nah twin scroll, I’m pretty sure I said that in the video?
Great comparison! But man the rear of these cars specially E87 is ugly 😒 i love the coupes much better.
@@davidmitchell5638 yeah agree E82 looks a lot nicer
N54 sounds better than both 😂 well.. maybe not haha
@@17t135i your one does haha
When it's running XD
@WayToManyAssassins haha fair, but tbh it's been really good the 3 years I've owned it, I fried a set of turbos but it was my own doing pushing 26psi
The 130i is ugly as hell, I think it's the sad looking headlights.
@@DjNikGnashers HAHAH the LCI ones look a bit better
@@KiwiCarLife I didn't like the rear lights on the earlier M135i either, if I'm honest, just square blocks.
The later lights were nice, same design as on the M140i which I owned for 4 years.
It was a very good car, fast after a bit of tuning and a 200 cell wagner cat, but the chassis never felt settled.
I actually went backwards in years, to a late 2016 OG M2, which I still have.
Now this is just beautiful looking, and obviously on another level for balance, ride, handling, cornering, etc.