Was driving home tonight along a long stretch of quiet dual carriageway and a brand new M235i passed me. We both decided to have a little play, you know, that mutual agreement between 2 drivers. Anyway, there was very little in it at all. We weren't alongside each other, he was directly infront of me and he didn't pull nor did I really gain any ground on him. He done a few drive bys afterwards and I have to say, it sound rather nice. Looking up the stats and it's putting out 320bhp & 330ft/lbs. weighs not much more than the Z4M either, so in theory, it should be as quick as, if not a bit quicker than the Z4M. Very nice car in the flesh. I reckon it will sell very well.
Had a play with a M235i tonight
- Thread starter Easty-5
- Start date
A
Anonymous
Guest
I had a play with a (F20) new shape 135i recently.
Very little in it as you say but as the speed got higher and the S54 was working up to it's limiter, I started pulling a little.
Very little in it as you say but as the speed got higher and the S54 was working up to it's limiter, I started pulling a little.
The M235i has a 3L straight 6 turbocharged engine. So I don't think it's really falls behind by much on the capacity front. Official figures are supposedly 326bhp & 330ft/lbs of torque. So only about 20bhp down on the S54 but about 60ft/lbs of torque more. If the M235i is mated with the 8 speed auto box then I imagine it will be quicker than the Z4M/M3 right up to the limited 155mph.
The S54 is an old engine now, although that doesn't take away anything from just how good an engine it is.
The S54 is an old engine now, although that doesn't take away anything from just how good an engine it is.
IIRC correctly the road test figures for 1M/M135i/Z4MC were all pretty close in Autocar. The newer cars slightly quicker (tenths of seconds) up to 100mph and then 4M clawing back a small advantage above 100mph.
Liverpool
True enough!
Have a look at this thread. I had a 235i a few months ago,almost bought it ! Fantastic car. Just didn't look special enough for me. Seen one with the performance goodies on it,think that May have swayed me !http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=64238&p=950216#p950216
I've just bought a brand new M135i 8 speed auto, adaptive suspension (mainly for the Mrs, but I'm driving it a lot :evil: ) and it's just been run in. 
It's a fair bit quicker than the Z4MC in a straight line I think. Certainly the stats are impressive circa 4.5 to 60 and 10.2 to 100. Not driven either the Z or 135i beyond sensible speeds, but in pretty much every meaningful real world increment the 135i would have the Z no question. Very easy to drive, gear change with paddles is lightening quick and the ride is mighty, mighty good.
On the minus side, they've been beaten with the ugly stick, there's no LSD, they look to the non-petrolhead eye like a 114i and the engine and car lacks any specific character.
I am loving it though.
It's a fair bit quicker than the Z4MC in a straight line I think. Certainly the stats are impressive circa 4.5 to 60 and 10.2 to 100. Not driven either the Z or 135i beyond sensible speeds, but in pretty much every meaningful real world increment the 135i would have the Z no question. Very easy to drive, gear change with paddles is lightening quick and the ride is mighty, mighty good.
On the minus side, they've been beaten with the ugly stick, there's no LSD, they look to the non-petrolhead eye like a 114i and the engine and car lacks any specific character.
I am loving it though.
There's less in it than you might expect. The M135i was timed 11.4 0-100mph and 11.9 for Z4MC by Autocar but by 120 the Z4MC was quicker and I think (emphasis on think) it recorded a very slight 1/4 mile advantage. In-gear increments are the M135i's at lower speeds but at higher speeds (70ish mph) the Z4MC is quicker if left in the lowest gear possible. Without a doubt though, it would take more effort with the gears in the Z4MC to keep up because of the turbo torque in the 1er.
Yes it was the 8-speed Auto and Autocar always take their times with a full tank of petrol and two-up. I wasn't quite accurate above though Diderot. It's 130 where the Z4MC sneaks ahead but to be honest it's neck-and-neck and the 1er pegs it back again at 140. It's the odd tenth here and there. It's the same in the in-gear increments. The M135 is slightly quicker below 60mph but then the Z4MC comes back at it although you have to remember the M135 has 8 gears and a lot more torque so would be the easier car to make rapid progress on the road. The photos below are M135i first, Z4MC second.
