GTI vs used BMW 135i?

If you want to read a quick non-paid review of the 135i from the perspective of a driving enthusiast, read EVO

Ryephile said:

...When the E46 ZHP came out, I nearly messed my pants I was so excited to drive it. When I did however, I found that it was lacking some of the visceral feedback my E36 offered...I wanted something that handled great with no disconnect between my inputs and the cars reactions...When the E90 came out, I went and drove that. I was baffled and dumbfounded; it's like driving a Buick! Wobbly, disconnected, even heavier...I was equally excited when the 1-er was announced to come to the USA...To my shock it felt almost exactly like the E90 with only one layer of insulation removed. It's not nearly as entertaining as the E46's...

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I've driven several e90s, and I agree in general it's a bit more isolated than the e46, driving both with factory sport package and summer tires. But:

Both e46 and e90 are both highly sensitive to whatever suspension option and tires you select.

My 2003 330i with sport package (now Dinan stage 2) behaves *radically* different based on tires. E.g, with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, it's somewhat quiet and refined, with a rubbery somewhat sluggish turn in. By contrast with Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R summer tires, it's somewhat louder, but turns lightning quick, and you feel every little pebble in the road. That's with the same suspension -- only varying tires.

Likewise keeping tires constant and varying suspension, there's a big difference between base suspension, factory sport suspension, ZHP suspension and aftermarket suspension packages like Dinan.

So it can be misleading to say BMW model e46/e90/etc handles like thus-and-so, without specifying what suspension option and what exact tires.

In a stock-vs-stock comparision of my '10 GTI (with 18" Dunlop A/S tires) vs my 330i (sport pkg and ContiSportContact summer tires), the BMW is definitely better handling and has better feedback. But -- the GTI is still quite good.

With ultra-high-perf all-season tires on the BMW, that degrades handling to the point I'd classify the GTI with summer tires as better. With Dinan stage 2 suspension and RE-01R tires, the 330i handles better than any other car I've driven. On the same car, the difference is that great, varying only suspension option and tires.

Seriously guys this is a pissing match about top STREET cars NOT track cars. I have owned quite a few of the top AFFORDABLE sports cars over the past 10 years and there is no doubt my current car, 135i, is the ALL AROUND best car I have ever owned in ALL aspects.

Sure maybe the my Evo 8 had SLIGHTLY better steering feedback however when you step into the power that the 135i has PLUS all the other positives it has I could care less if I DIDN'T feel that little pebble or road imperfection. Maybe I DON'T want to feel everything, I do have to drive this car every day and at times I want things to be a little relaxing.

Ryephile has a Lotus Elise and Mini Cooper as secondary vehicles beyond his GTI which apparently he tracks so he is being WAY more critical than 99% of us would be. Personally I have looked at and driven Cooper's and Elise's. I could never drive one as a daily driver. Elise's are great Sunday cars however has anyone actually try to squeeze into one ... they are really tight. I am not a big fan of Mini's every time I see one I expect 15 clowns to come popping out at any minute. I could care less if they have more direct steering when my wife's minivan will blow it away in a straight line. No disrespect meant here I just am not a fan of a car that runs 16's in the quarter mile ... sorry.

Michael A said:

Seriously guys this is a pissing match about top STREET cars NOT track cars. I have owned quite a few of the top AFFORDABLE sports cars over the past 10 years and there is no doubt my current car, 135i, is the ALL AROUND best car I have ever owned in ALL aspects.

Sure maybe the my Evo 8 had SLIGHTLY better steering feedback however when you step into the power that the 135i has PLUS all the other positives it has I could care less if I DIDN'T feel that little pebble or road imperfection. Maybe I DON'T want to feel everything, I do have to drive this car every day and at times I want things to be a little relaxing.

Ryephile has a Lotus Elise and Mini Cooper as secondary vehicles beyond his GTI which apparently he tracks so he is being WAY more critical than 99% of us would be. Personally I have looked at and driven Cooper's and Elise's. I could never drive one as a daily driver. Elise's are great Sunday cars however has anyone actually try to squeeze into one ... they are really tight. I am not a big fan of Mini's every time I see one I expect 15 clowns to come popping out at any minute. I could care less if they have more direct steering when my wife's minivan will blow it away in a straight line. No disrespect meant here I just am not a fan of a car that runs 16's in the quarter mile ... sorry.

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"i could care less" ?

tino

We now have both cars in our garage.
Mine is an 08 135i
Hers - 2010 4-door GTI
2 different classes of car.

FWIW,..the GTI feels like a front drive BMW hatch.
Very refined, great everyday car.

I have driven both, obviously.
Both are great cars, for entirely different reasons Love the GTI, (Im the one who pushed her to get it.)
GTI = Front wheel drive and a hatch. Nice back seats. everyday practicality, snappy motor.
Bimmer-Rear whl dr, Pretty big Trunk, tiny back seats, and GOBS of power.

Cant imagine anyone out there actually cross shopping these 2 cars, but hey, cant lose either way.

As a Pure driver,...Hate to say it guys, but the 135 trumps the GTI. Then again, it should for 15K more
Loads of Torque / power, and the driving experience that only rear drive can deliver.
(If I was buying it as my only car & an Everyday driver,..I would prob pick the GTI though. More practical)

Comparing a stock 135 to a stock GTI purely on the basis of performance is a no brainer. It is undeniable that the 135 is a better handling car, despite its 3400#+ porker status. Equally, its a whole lot faster, has those incredible 6 pots, has only half its weight on the wheels that do the steering and braking and oh, yeah its RWD, which trounces FWD up down and sideways every day including Sunday. It has far more potential when modded and there are warranty factory upgrades. If your only concern is performance, there really can be no rational answer other than buy the 135.

But as someone pointed out, these aren't track cars, they are road cars. Road cars have a whole set of different missions other than just sucking fuel for fun. Room for adults? Fuel economy? Insurance cost? Dealership availability, service and parts costs? Upgrades, new car warranty, cost of consumables (read all those rear tires you'll burn up every 10-15K miles)? Here a new GTI starts to look pretty damn attractive. But if none of those things matter much to you and having a stupid fast car is all that matters, my best advice, despite the fact that they are both great cars, is screw 'em both. Buy a used Cayman S.

Tailwagger said:

Comparing a stock 135 to a stock GTI purely on the basis of performance is a no brainer.

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And it makes no sense, because the 135 is 50% more expensive than the GTI.

135i period. I am a GTI owner. But BMW is higher class than VW. For the reliability, BMW is better. I drove 135i once, it a super fun sport car. For the same price range, I would go for 135i as long as the car still under warranty.

depends what you're looking for in a car.
If you want speed, performance, and a badge. go with the 135i
If you want practicality, versatility, and German quality at a bargain price you can't beat the GTI

As was said early in this thread the 135i is a great car but too close in size and weight to the bigger and IMO prettier 335i. If it was $3-4K less expensive it would be a viable entry level performance BMW. As it is the GTI is a deal at about $10-12k less.

if i had the 2 cars in front of me again, i would take the 135i and spend more time with it. it is so much faster and fun to drive its not even funny. but everyone knows i love my GTIs too.

Bimmer hands down.

Hate me for reviving a 2+ year old thread, but I just moved from a 2008 135i into a new GTI. I did it for a few reasons. First being I have an 8 week old son and I really wanted the 4 doors to make my life easier. 2nd, the payment was significantly cheaper! Who knew that kids were so damn expensive?! PS - health insurance is a racket I swear. 3rd, it was just out of warranty and I can only imagine what starts to happen with that car based on 1addicts.com. I had already dealt with rattling wastegates, broken window regulators, a/c breaking, washer system leaking, etc... I can't deal with the maintenance that was about to start rolling in on it.

I can say though that I loved every second of driving that BMW. It is a beast of a machine. I had it chipped with the JB4 and tuned for a mix of e85 and 93 and just with that it was a marvel of technology and brute force. I'm getting nostalgic now just typing about it. Ah well...

Now that I am in the GTI though to be honest, I don't miss the 135. I have wanted a GTI since '95 and just never really got around to it. I went through a bunch of cars, and now have finally made my way to the MK6. This thing is a blast to drive! It reminds me a lot of how my Cooper S drove. I get that same go kart feeling with it. It feels nicer inside also compared to the MINI. Roomier than the 135 by a good amount. It just makes more sense at this point in my life. And I still get to have fun!