BMW M135 xDrive 2025 review – all-wheel drive hot hatch eyes Audi S3

It’s update time for the BMW 1-series. An update so thorough, in fact, that the renewed 1-series family has been given a whole new model code: F70, superseding the previous F40 generation. To find out if these changes make the M135 range-topper a true rival to the likes of the new Volkswagen Golf R, Audi S3 and Mercedes-AMG A35, we've put it through its paces on UK roads. 

As well as an exterior restyle and a new (and quite dramatic) interior, there are stiffening measures for the bodyshell and revised suspension too. In the UK, initially just two F70 variants are on sale: the three-cylinder, front-wheel-drive 120, and the four-cylinder, all-wheel-drive M135, as tested here. That’s the Artist Previously Known as the M135i; BMW has dropped the ‘i’ from its badge partly to avoid confusion with its electric models.

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Peak power from the M135’s 2-litre B48 engine has actually decreased a little, from 302bhp to 296bhp, to comply with the latest emissions regulations. That’s no great issue; the M135i never felt slow. More of an issue was that the overall driving experience felt a little flat and uninvolving. BMW has worked to remedy that, with geometry changes including increased caster by around 20 per cent at the front and redesigned anti-roll bar mounts among other suspension tweaks, allied with the stiffer overall structure.

Subjectively, it does feel a little keener than the older car, with more immediate responses and the ability to incite a little oversteer on turn-in should you wish, and a grippy overall balance if you don’t. But it’s still not the most communicative of hot hatches. It’s not a car in which you feel a strong sense of connection.

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It often feels unsettled on bumpy roads and in general the M135 has a slightly nervous demeanour – keen of steering and rowdy of ride in its firmest setting – yet without rewarding you with many outright thrills in return. It can take a while to build a rapport, whereas other hot hatches of a similar size – Focus ST, Cupra Leon, the dearly departed Hyundai i30 N – are better at letting you know what they’re up to. The M135, of course, is aimed at a posher class of hot hatch than that – its natural competitors are other all-wheel-drive Germans such as the Volkswagen Golf R, Audi S3 and Mercedes-AMG A35.

A potential USP for the BMW is its avant garde new interior, which does feel suitably premium, with a bold dash design and futuristic ambient lighting. Two-in-one curved digital screens dominate the dashboard, and the user experience too, as the majority of commands must be carried out through the touchscreen, including the air‑con and driving modes. Subjectively, the older, clickwheel-controlled iDrive interface is easier to use and demands less eyes-off-road time.

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The screen-centric layout does make the new 1-series cabin feel thoroughly modern, however. Its expressive lighting schemes are woven across the screens and panels and fissures on and within the dashboard itself, and the door inners. One irritating drawback is that, at night, the illuminated sections of the dash cause distracting reflections in both the door mirrors and the windscreen.

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You can choose lighting schemes through the My Modes menu, which is also where you’ll find the drive mode options. It’s odd that there’s not a dedicated switch for this; it doesn’t feel like the driver-centric approach you’d expect of an M-badged car. Personal mode is the equivalent of Comfort in the older car, and by selecting Sport you can also cycle through modes for the Drivetrain (Comfort, Sport or Sport Plus), Driving Dynamics (Sport, Sport Plus or DSC Off) and Steering (Comfort or Sport).

Although adaptive dampers are standard, frustratingly there isn’t an obvious way to independently choose your damper settings – to mix the sharper throttle response of Sport with softer suspension, for example. In Sport and Sport Plus modes, the drivetrain also has a habit of noisily holding low gears and high revs through urban areas (to the point that pedestrians turn around and stare), so you’ll need to select manual mode and use the wheel-mounted paddles.

The paddles conduct a different gearbox from the old M135i, a seven-speed DCT rather than the previous eight-speed torque-converter. Unsurprisingly, there’s no H-pattern option. Holding the left-hand paddle activates a Boost mode, which lasts for 10 seconds and gives you the sprightliest possible engine map, for an overtake or an extra shove out of a slow corner, for example.

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Price and rivals

The M135 feels fast enough, despite maximum torque having dipped too, from the old car’s 332lb ft to 295lb ft. Subjectively, however, it still doesn’t offer a memorable enough drive to recommend it wholeheartedly over the AMG A35, Audi S3 or VW Golf R. At £43,000 the M135 undercuts all three of those cars on price, although it’s worth noting that this option-laden test car, with uprated brakes, sports seats, altered trim, adaptive LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof and more, cost a cool £53,665.

It’s admirable that BMW has been adventurous with the 1-series’ restyle inside and out, but some of the interior changes frustrate as much as they enchant. Whilst the chassis tweaks have made it a slightly keener driving experience, and despite being a much more potent and sophisticated car than the 120, the new M135 still feels like a swift and plush version of a regular 1-series rather than a great hot hatch in its own right.

BMW M135 specs

This story was first featured in evo issue 329.