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shu5892001 · 07-18-2013, 11:42 AM

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

07-18-2013, 11:42 AM	#1
shu5892001 Ontario's FT86 Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: 2016 Lexus GS-F Location: Toronto Posts: 685 Thanks: 261 Thanked 165 Times in 111 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s)	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