BMW is sharpening the chassis of the most powerful 1 Series – that was also necessary. In the chassis test by AUTO BILD SPORTSCARS, the M chassis of the M135i was displeased with its uncouth toughness. It wasn’t even convincing on the racetrack, “a lot of understeer, wobbly rear end,” said editor Guido Neumann. That should change now. The chassis has been redesigned for better traction when cornering in a sporty manner. More camber on the front axle is supposed to absorb the lateral forces better, the wishbones of the front suspension get a connection via hydraulic bearings, on the rear axle the longitudinal and wishbones have been revised, springs and dampers have been re-tuned. Everything to improve the rolling behavior in corners and to make the steering feel more binding. We will check whether the measures are effective in the test.
The BMW M135i continues to generate 306 hp
On the drive side, everything remains the same: 306 hp from a two-liter turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, xDrive all-wheel drive and an eight-speed Steptronic with an integrated differential lock on the front axle. The paint colors now also include M individual tones. The revised BMW M135i should go on sale as early as November 2021. The price doesn’t change, it stays the same 51,450 euros.
