So you’re after BMW’s new 1 Series M Coupé. But with just 71 units destined for our shores, all of them spoken for, and uncertainty over whether any more will ever be made, it seems your hopes are fading fast.
Well, BMW SA may just have a more-widely available Plan B for you.
It’s called the N55 Power Kit, and in half a day it can be bolted and configured to your 135i with promises of 1M-type power gains with no warranty or Motorplan sacrifices. The package comprises both new software and hardware and, budget permitting, there’s some interesting additional bling to match the sting.
Power, once the Power Kit’s fitted, goes up from 225kW to 240 (versus the 1M’s 250kW), with torque rising from 400Nm to 450Nm with the Dual-Clutch Transmission (430Nm in the manual). The 1M also pushes 450Nm, but has an overboost feature under full throttle in the first three gears which escalates its torque figure to 500Nm.
BMW SA reckon the Power Kit, which can be fitted new or aftermarket, should get your 135i from rest to 100km/h in 5.3 seconds, around two-tenths quicker than standard.
Not bad, considering the 1M, which we’ll be road testing soon, is claimed to do a 4.9.
The Power Kit itself, at R17 356, includes the engine software for more power and better cooling thanks to a separate radiator and a stronger fan. The Power Kit is all you need for the increased outputs, but if budget is not too much of an issue there are some other tasty bits worth looking at.
The Performance Sports brakes, at R18 643, provide bigger vented discs all round – with the front pair housing special air slots (which allows air pressure to escape through said slots and more rapid brake activation). There’s also a Performance Silencer system at R8907, 18-inch performance mags and tyres (215/40 at the front, 245/35 at the rear) at R41 520, carbonfibre mirror caps at R5074 a set, a rear spoiler at R4029 and performance stripes at R952.
Write out a cheque for around seventy five grand for the whole sporty shabang. And that excludes a host of the other, more common, extra-cost options fitted to our test car like the DCT transmission, sunroof, sports seats, park-distance control, rain-sensing wipers, and M steering wheel with paddles. In total the 135i’s R438 000 base price swells to R601 000 (base price on the 1M is R546 392).
The 135i in normal guise is already a formidable and capable weapon, offering no turbo lag, a DCT gearbox with milisecond-gearchanges, and purist rear-wheel drive matched with a sporty suspension and very direct-feeling steering wheel.
The modded 135i tweaks some of this, pushing that boy-racer feeling a little more to the edge.
The performance exhaust is a must. There’s no way a force-fed engine will ever sound like a naturally-aspirated one, and in this application comes nowhere near the M3’s full-bodied V8 rasp, but it certainly has its own signature call to action. It’s a deep-throated burble, and sounds especially good when the engine’s ice cold, or very high up the rev range when giving it stick.
The unique wheels and tyres certainly add a sporty flair but, forty one grand aside, they make the ride rather on the hard side. You feel the pebbles on the road and potholes pose far more of a threat with that rubber-band thin low-profile rubber. I also found this 135 a little skittish at times, as if the suspension/wheel combo was too hard to absorb certain ruts.
Looks are subjective, but I think I’d give the bootspoiler, mirror covers, and definitely those kitsch side-body stripes a miss. As for the uprated brakes, I’m not convinced that fifteen more kilowatts justify bigger anchors. The yellow painted calipers look very cool though.
But it really comes down to the times, even if it’s just two tenths we’re talking about.
So to answer the question.
Yes.
We matched BMW’s claim and managed a 5.3 second 0-100km/h best time with the quarter-mile coming up in 13.7 seconds, using the DCT’s launch-control function.
VERDICT:
It’s obvious really. At seventeen grand, when spending R438 000 on a base 135i, you’d be crazy not to go for that little power injection. From there onwards it comes down to what you want to spend and personal preference. I, for one, would sacrifice items like rain-sensing wipers, cooling seats and fancy climate controls for the performance kit and exhaust set-up.
And yes, ultimately it won’t be a 1M with the M chassis, suspension, and differential, but I reckon you’ll be a reasonably close second in the modded 135i.
It’s not a bad Plan B. Really isn’t. -Star Motoring