Hot! Chris Harris: M135i vs A45 AMG
- Thread starter klier
- Start date
Zafiro
Supreme Roadmaster
^he said firm not harsh.
And since when did you as a BMW fan value comfort?
hah.. things do change
LOL I havent said I pick M135i , just adding information and if I recall correctly you prefer comfort over sport so A45 shouldnt intrest you so much
The suspension on the A45 might be superior to that of the M135i but its not offering the best balance in my opinion, if a suspension only become brilliant when going at 8/10th and above then its completely at odds with what is require from a family hatchback, even a super hot one. For a start you'll be breaking the law in most country to discover this hidden treasure and the rest of the times you'll have to suffer an overtly stiff and unyielding ride and that's from the drivers seat from any other seat this will be magnified and especially so from the rear ones.
The M135i is better balanced for the REAL world driving everyone does and that's the bottom line.
The M135i is better balanced for the REAL world driving everyone does and that's the bottom line.
Giannis
Staff member
Luckily for the A45 , this M135i didnt have AWD
Indeed he said firm, not harsh, but most notably he said that the harder he pushed the car, the better the suspension got.
Which reminds me of some friend who has invested in a (quite expensive) aftermarket for his E46 and said the same thing. At downtown speeds it was unbearable, but when you pushed the car it was magnificent. So, I'll take CH's words for positive.
Sayyaaf
Autotechnik Ace
I am more amazed with AMGs work than M. the M135 is using the same old simple recipe while the AMG team had bigger challenge knowing Haldex systems. Just to eliminate or minimize understeer is a job on its own. I like both but honestly I can't stand the front of the 1 series. A45 feels more special although it might get boring quickly if fun is what I am after. I can live with the M135 if I simply rear end the first guy out of the showroom
CH is entertaining, specially the when he said "below the testicle level"
CH is entertaining, specially the when he said "below the testicle level
"
bmwownage
Kraftkurve King
I got to agree that I am quite amazed with what they did with the A-class overall, not the interior or exterior but mechanically the car seems so good, and the A45 itself does seem like a proper sport model of it and not just an A-class with ridiculously stiff suspension and super amounts of horsepower and torque. Nevertheless though, the M135i is a standard 1 series with the 35i engine plus some M performance parts, and these cars are pretty much on terms with each other....so, who's the winner.
Regarding track performance, i mean i hope they do a few laps instead of one hot lap (i haven't watched the videos as i'm at work but i guess it was a one lap test). I clearly remember the C63 absolutely fell away from the M3 as you clock more laps because it just causes the tyres to overheat and the extreme camber would eat up tyres in a few laps..
Anyhow this should somewhat be a wakeup call for BMW that they need to be back to driver centric, competition has caught up a lot on car capability and driver satisfaction.
Regarding track performance, i mean i hope they do a few laps instead of one hot lap (i haven't watched the videos as i'm at work but i guess it was a one lap test). I clearly remember the C63 absolutely fell away from the M3 as you clock more laps because it just causes the tyres to overheat and the extreme camber would eat up tyres in a few laps..
Anyhow this should somewhat be a wakeup call for BMW that they need to be back to driver centric, competition has caught up a lot on car capability and driver satisfaction.
Zafiro
Supreme Roadmaster
No matter what he said (he started by saying harsh and later changed to firm) A45 has sportier chassi setup than M135i therefore the car wont be as comfortable as M135i which most of other reviews also said.
Good news though, from November 2013 BMW will be offer a Limited Slip Differential (The LSD will be a clutch type unit and feature a 30% lockup) which will be a part of the performance package. This should make M135i a even better car.
ACE
Autobahn Adventurer
EVO review. A45 quickest car but it looks like M135i rated one star more...
5 stars for the M135i is ridiculous. Evo is losing credibility with me since CH left. The M135i has poor steering feedback, a twitchy back end that is easily unsettled by an uneven road surface, is in desperate need of a LSD, the weight is a bit porky for this size of car and its looks are mediocre to most people. What star rating will EVO give the full M version M2 if it resolves these issues? 6 out of 5?
I am not saying the M135i is rubbish or worse than the A45 (I haven't driven the A45 yet), it's a great car for the money but it's more of a 4 star to me because 5 stars suggests that there is no room for improvement and that's just wrong.
martinbo
Staff member
It's not really about CH leaving - he was a fairly recent journeyman, never to stick around like the old stalwarts of evo. Problem is more this: some key pallbearers of the "evo standard" have quietly slipped away* and this has certainly resulted in a change in the culture of the publication together with the arrival of Trott as editor. There's something about that new chap that has me questioning the evo-ness of evo these days.
Sure, some stalwarts like Meaden and Catchpole remain but the erstwhile evo DNA is diluted by the "new blood" like Duff and Trott. I was never a fan of David Vivian either... Tiff Needell's contribution to the mix is clearly minimal - and I can only assume that this is a contractual stipulation that evo had to agree to in order to secure the rights of a camera-friendly scribe worthy of replacing Harris.
Still, with good drivers like Meaden, Catchpole and Bovingdon - all properly seasoned road testers - evo does still retain enough credibility to be the most definitive performance motoring publication in English.
* John Barker, Roger Green, John Simister
ACE
Autobahn Adventurer
If the star rating is just a measure vs their expectations (and their expectations are not clearly defined) then the ratings are not comparable and they could prefer the 4 star A45 to the 5 star M135i.
The problem with giving cars top marks is when something else comes along which is clearly superior it ends up getting the same rating. Maybe they should make it clear that their ratings are based on what's currently available and constantly keep readjusting previous tests as the years go on.
klier
Premium
^^^^
We all know the iPhone 3 deserved a perfect 10 when it came out in the day.
If Apple decided to launch that very same product again, it would get a -4.....
My point is that most ratings are from a certain time period. For technical products like cars and computers, the standards constantly change. This is obvious.
When we start discussing food or books the rating may forever hold it's value.
We all know the iPhone 3 deserved a perfect 10 when it came out in the day.
If Apple decided to launch that very same product again, it would get a -4.....
My point is that most ratings are from a certain time period. For technical products like cars and computers, the standards constantly change. This is obvious.
When we start discussing food or books the rating may forever hold it's value.
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