FR-S vs 135i DCT
 

Hi guys,

Here is a brief review of BMW 135i and a comparison with my FRS in my own opinion.

Motivation: was I am thinking about supercharging my FR-S as I would like a bit more power but the total cost of supercharging with all supporting mods would cost around 10K (cooling, bbk, possibly better suspension setup and wider tires and no warranty), and I thought about what I can get with 10K on top of my FRS.

One of the obvious choice was a 135i as it has 300hp out of the box, small, agile and reasonabiliy priced (45k OTD for the one that I looked at). I am also not that much into mustangs or muscle cars in general
and I always wanted a BMW, in particular 135i or E90 M3.

I test drove a 2013 DCT 135i with 200km on the clock as there was no manual available for test drive, here is a summary of Pro and Cons compared with my slightly modded FRS (AFE drop in, Nameless DP, Perrin Cbe, Perrin Trans mount, Whiteline Shift bushing and Cross member bushing, 245/35/18 Tires)

Pros:
· Faster in a straight line
· More refined, softer ride
· Usable back seat
· DCT shifts quick and very smooth
· 4 year free maintenance

Cons:
· Turbo lag is very apparent in low revs
· Steering was almost too heavy and had less road feel
· Seat is not as supportive, and seating position is rather high
· Almost too refined, not as raw as I would like, such as engine, suspension and etc.
· 3400 lbs felt it especially during cornering
· DCT is too smooth not as raw as SMG found in E46 and E60 Ms
· Although acceleration is faster but power delivery is not linear especially felt during corner exist (as expected with turbo engines)

So needless to say, I preferred my FRS much more than the 135i, maybe because it’s slightly modded. The BMW sales guy did not understand why I didn’t put down a deposit until I let him test drove my FR-S. Even he raved about the handling and the manual transmission, he even said it felt better than the manual transmission in BMWs.

So for now I will keep my FR-S.

Thanks for reading and the above are only my own opinions.

Thanks,
Shu

A friend has a 135i and we swapped cars for the last autox event. i too preferred the FR-S, but I had fun driving that car, regardless.

The bmw i think loses out on not as being fun because they are too refined for my liking. I own 1 series with m sport suspension and on re002 from factory but despite its weight it grips like if its on rail but i know its gripping amazingly but i just dont feel the fun. . .I think bmw uses eps which is like my s2000, responsive but you get no road feedback unlike the frs

I think I will be supercharging my frs

Yeah I might do the same. I heard Toyota will make a supercharge kit for the FRS so I'm just going to wait patiently.

TRD MIGHT make one no guarantee, but everything everyone assumed about it so far has been pure speculation, it is very unlikely they don't want to warranty a supercharged high compression engine and have other issues with cooling, and if they do it will be very low boost maybe a 30-50 hp increase which is good enough to help this car out. But don't bet on it.

It is a legitimate DCT, with launch control and everything and it uses paddle. generally the auto was an actual slushbox but the DCT add way more fun, it keeps the car in the power band, I drove an M3 with the m division one and honestly they are pretty fun in manual mode.:thumbsup:

No prob

Well either way, I am waiting for the warranty to be over. Can't do much now.

Truth to that, I won't be buying till either all the small issues are fixed via TSB or till the 2014 model comes out. Then I will think about mods after warranty ends up.

Guess my tinted windows will be good for now haha.

After driving a 135 for 3 years, I am not sure I would agree with your assessment entirely.

Turbo lag was something I never really noticed on this car. I did have the N54 engine with twin turbos, vs the N55 you drove with the single twin scroll turbo. In either case these engines produced full 300ft lbs of torque at 1500 rpms, and carried this to 5200ish rpms. Most of the complaints people had on this engine was the drop off of torque at the end if the power band, vs lag at the beginning.

I thought the seats, at least the ones I had were one of the best. I did have the manual sport seats that had multiple points of adjustment. I am not sure if all of the 135s come with these seats in 2013. I do like the FRS/BRZ seats. The only thing missing is the leg support adjustment in the seat.

The manual transmission in the 135 was one of the best I have had. If the DCT was available when I got mine, I may have gone that route. These had a slight edge of over the manual.

I do like the steering feel better on the FRS/BRZ. It does have a faster steering ratio than the 135.

I am glad I got my BRZ. The only thing I miss is the power of the N54.

I hate to be practical guy here and it's normally not a suit I wear well (more so these days though.)

I don't see maintenance and repair costs on your list. I also had a 2008 135i for nearly 2 years. If you plan to keep the car for any length of time that BMW is going to take its toll on your wallet. I'm not getting into "its a BMW it's unreliable!" simple things just cost more to maintain on a BMW thats all.

I think motortrend has a trust cost to own calculator that breaks it down model vs. model. I think you would be pretty surprised. Last I saw it only took 2 years for a BRZ to pull ahead of a 135is in $ spent.

i might instead get a 2010 m3 sedan with cpo warranty till 2016

I've yet to drive the sedan M3, but I've driven both the Cupe with DCT and the Vert with manual... In only one trip with the FR-S, I already prefer it over the vert M3... sure, the M3 has 414hp but the FR-S feels more planted, and a hell of a lot more comfortable... this is almost back to back comparison, as I had been using the M3 for the past month and put about 2K miles in it...

Hmmm, one thing I always wondered was why it isn't more popular for people to be leasing bimmers. The way they're designed, I wouldn't modify a thing. The engines are efficient and match the character of a luxury car, they look great, and the M cars sound great. I wouldn't buy one because the maintenance is rape, but I'd sure as hell consider leasing one for 3 years.

I test drove a 135i (manual) some years ago when my DD at that time was an e46 M3. My memory of the car was that it lacked the composure of the M3 but it certainly didn't lack anything in straight line acceleration....a very quick little car.

I can't remember being disappointed with the gear change and although my memory is a little vague, the steering feel was comparable with the M3 and therefore not as quick and direct as the 86, but not entirely lacking in "feel". Seating position was a little more elevated than the 86 and I think the ride and handling was probably more similar, than it was in comparison to the M3. You certainly do notice the lightness (lack of weight) of the 86 compared to the BMW's.

Interestingly I have more confidence in punting the 86 hard into and around corners than I remember having with the 135i :) the M3 was at another level again and matched this with much higher grip levels given the superior nature of the wheels/tyre combo.

OP, keep in mind, newer (2011+) 135i's and 335i's are equipped with the N55, a twin scroll single turbo motor that is a different feel than the N54, which was in the 135/335 from 2007-2010. The N54 is a true twin turbo and came with some forged internals and were even sleeved in iron. Very strong, very tunable, nearly zero turbo lag.

I miss my 135i. I've said this many times before, the 135i and FRS are very different. I loved my 135i for different reasons than I currently love my FRS. Do I miss having +400 whp? Sure. But there were cons too. Limited aftermarket, some maintenance quirks (I'm looking at you, HPFP) and so on. I love the driving feel of the FRS, and its 'quick', not fast. Sure I'll get beat at the light by a V6 Challenger, but I'd like him to follow me around the next turn.

Some part of me wishes I had kept the 135i, dumped some Vargas Stage 3 turbos in it and tune it to 720whp, and DD'd the FRS, but I just bought my wife her A4. Can't have three car payments, that'd be silly.


If I had to pick between your two options? I'd pick the 2013 FRS over the 2013 135i, for sure.

I JUUUSST traded my 08 135i (N54) in for my new BRZ. It's quite a shock coming from that to the BRZ.

My reasons were many. The 135 was out of warranty and modded, running over 400hp. While I only had minor issues under warranty, anything that might have happened would have been seriously expensive, and at 60,000 miles, I felt it was waiting to happen.

While I modded it for racing and AX (Ohlins suspension, Apex wheels and PSS tires, Procede chip, DCI, exhaust, and more) I found that the last year I wasn't utilizing any of that, just normal driving. The stiff suspension was wearing heavily on me and my back.
The extra camber also wore the tires out very quickly, and they needed immediate replacing if I kept the car.

Compared to my new BRZ, it was much more refined, nicer interior, quieter, MUCH faster. Huge torque made it very nice to drive.

With the wheels and tires, and no limited slip differential, the car handled great, but driving to the edge was unpredictable and dangerous and happened at very high speeds.

My new BRZ I also like a lot. Driver position in the car feels more centered, ride is softer but still feels stiff and sporty, handling is great. No clunks (My 135 had noisy camber plates). Seats feel as good or better than the 135 seats, radio reception is bad though in comparison.
Interior is OK, controls are similar.

I'm liking my BRZ, although just like my 135 I can't leave well enough alone. Coilovers will be in next week, and I'll be getting meaty wheels/tires (but with less camber) as well.
I'm missing the 135 power sooo much that I'm going with forced induction very soon (as soon as the engine is broken in). Researching now, it's hard to decide on which type and which kit to get, but I'll be shooting for around 300whp and daily drivable. I found a great local tuner which is great.

Knowing that I probably won't AX or track that much, I want to make my BRZ into a sweet looking street ride, that can hang in there for the occasional showing off/street race/AX/track day, acting also as my daily driver.

I just traded my in for a E90 M3

You don't pay any maintenance on a new BMW for 4 years. And the maintenance isn't that bad, I bought an M3 in 2008, and changed the oil myself because I put a supercharger on it. $100 a year for an oil change.

I definitely prefer my BRZ to the 135. I never owned a 135 but drove a bunch at work. 135 is pretty soft in my opinion. Powerful but soft.

There was a time I was thinking of trading my '04 M3 for a 135 but once I drove one I kept the M, still have it.

That seems to be the major difference between the M cars and non M cars. When I had my M3, my buddy let me drive his 335. It felt pretty fast (not as fast as the M3) but felt like a regular car other than that. Soft steering, soft throttle response, just too boring for me!