FR-S vs 135i DCT

[shu5892001]

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

[supramkivtt2jz]

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.

[manonastick]

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

[shu5892001]

I think I will be supercharging my frs

[Kelbyat07]

Originally Posted by shu5892001

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.

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Kelbyat07

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.

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Jawnathin

Is it really a DCT or automated manual? The 640i I had driven was an automated manual, not a DCT. Didn't think BMW had DCTs in anything but M Cars.

Manual transmissions in BMWs have a special character to them. I don't like it, too dull and vague.

In any case, the 135i is going to be a quicker straight line car and when driven properly, probably faster in the corners too. But it is a heavy car and doesn't communicate the same way the twins do. All depends on what you like.

IMO, the 135i is a better all around car but the twins are more fun to drive.

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.

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Jawnathin

Cool, thanks, didn't know that.

No prob

[Kelbyat07]

Originally Posted by FRSBRZGT86FAN

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.

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

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Kelbyat07

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.

[Kelbyat07]

Originally Posted by FRSBRZGT86FAN

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.

[GotM]

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.

[usdmnotjdm]

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.

[shu5892001]

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