The BMW M135i xDrive receives a minor update not amounting to a facelift.
The BMW M135i xDrive was first introduced as the range-topping version of the new 1 Series hatchback family back in May 2019. While it’s still considered a pretty fresh car, BMW has seen fit to give their only hot hatch on sale a bump in performance now that Volkswagen has a new Golf R and Audi has a new S3 to give them some sales trouble.
What BMW has done to the M135i xDrive isn’t too drastic to be honest. The 2.0L TwinPower Turbo engine, 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, mechanical limited-slip differential are all still present here with no updates. The powertrain sees no update and still puts out the same 306 horsepower as before.
Instead, this update brings other mechanical changes – mostly to the chassis and the fake engine and exhaust noises pumped in through speakers in the cabin.
Chassis Changes
In terms of the chassis, the BMW M135i xDrive gets recalibrated springs and dampers that have improved roll behaviour now. Mounts for the trailing and control arms at the rear have been reengineered while the front axle now has a hydromount for the front suspension wishbones.
Meanwhile, the camber values for the front wheels have been increased to optimise absorption of lateral forces when pushing the car hard through curving roads. These changes show an improvement in roll behaviour, according to BMW.
The M135i New Soundtrack
BMW engineers, like all others, are restricted by regulations surrounding noise levels that prevent them from making the M135i xDrive sound as good as it naturally can. Instead, they’ve gone to work conveying the sound of the 2.0L turbo’s engine note to the occupants through speakers in the cabin. They’ve spent a lot of time making sure the fake sound effects were instant and calibrated to respond to every movement of the accelerator. If that wasn’t enough, it even has a specially composed engine start sound for this model. Remember, it’s all fakery, but maybe this time, it’s done so well that your mind won’t be able to tell the difference.
Finishing Touches
A couple of months ago, BMW’s Leipzig plant began to produce compact vehicles with special colours right there on the same production line without requiring additional servicing or technical support work. The existing facility had been modified and ten more workers were added to the paint shop to allow for this.
This update brings these BMW Individual paint finishes the BMW M135i xDrive. M paint shades such as Sao Paulo Yellow, Frozen Orange and Frozen Pure Grey are now available to order on this model.
