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Last of it's kind
BMW M140i ||| Road Review ||| Korczuch x ACSpots
Let's talk hatchbacks
When I say hot-hatch what do you think of? Most people instantly go to the Golf GTI, or maybe to the Fiesta ST. However in the last few years a new breed has emerged, the hyper-hatch. Audi released the RS3, Mercedes dropped the A45 AMG, and Ford has the Focus RS. You can probably tell, there is something missing here; BMW. The M2 is a brilliant car, but it really isn’t a hyper-hatch, simply because it isn't a hatchback, and (unlike the others) it’s rear wheels are the only ones that are powered, which might make it loads of fun to drive, but means it has a different purpose and a different driving style. The M135i was supposed to be BMW’s answer to it’s rivals, however I wouldn’t label the car as a massive success, you don’t see nearly as many on the road as you see A45s, and it’s not a big surprise as it lost to a slower Golf GTi in Top Gear’s episode comparing the two. So when my mate Alex got the updated M140i I was very curious, is this the hyper-hatch to get, and the one to rule them all?

Glancing over a few things
I tend to glance over the exterior of many cars. Looks are very subjective and while one might hate the M140i, another person can find it the best looking car in existence. However I think it's fair to say that this is the most subtle hot hatch you can get, even more so than a Golf R. The grey on this car along with the 2 single exhaust tips, and only a single badge telling you this is an M division product makes this car an ultimate sleeper, de-badge it and 95% of road users won't be able to tell you have 335 bhp under the bonnet and can hit 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds (Official, not tested). I'll leave you with more photos of the bimmer and let you decide if you like the look of it, or prefer something more aggressive like the A45.

Diving inside
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, the interior isn’t bad, it’s rare that a modern car has a bad interior, it’s a scale of how good it is, this is somewhere in the middle of that scale. The first thing you’ll notice is that this car is rocking cloth seats, I was slightly surprised that’s an option on the top of the line 1 series, but i've actually grown to be fond of manufacturers letting you go for the lighter and simpler cloth option over leather. The seats themselves are decently comfy, but have enough side bolstering that I can say they’re sporty, however I doubt you'll be able to relax in them as they lack the padding to offset the harsh ride. The seats don't lack adjustment either, you can sit as low as a go-kart or high enough that even the shortest bloke will see over the wheel. The center screen and all the controls are easily accessible and easy to learn, I generally got the hang of it within the first few minutes of driving, something I can't say about all the cars I drive. The dashboard is digital, but looks like an analog one, I personally don’t mind it, the needles are smooth and it never seemed to lag behind or freeze. Below the dials there is also a small screen with some additional information about the car, it looks slightly weird on photos but in person you'd struggle to see the edges, it's also high enough resolution that all information is legible and nice to look at. The steering wheel also has the right shape to not cover up any dials during maneuvers and normal driving, something that's surprisingly problematic in some modern cars. The wheel itself is pretty standard, it's nice in the hand and the buttons are well placed, however I found them slightly hard to use at times, it definitely lacks behind the well laid out infotainment, I found it difficult to change songs quickly, they're simply not as intuitive as i'd like them to be. However the owner told me he got used to them and it doesn’t bother him, so it probably more of a matter of getting adjusted to them. Overall there isn’t much bad to say about the interior, apart from it being slightly boring, but that's kind of the theme of the entire car's appearance. Even the sound of the engine inside isn’t amazing, however that’s not a surprise since there's nothing to write home about from the outside either, slightly disappointing considering the 6 cylinder in the M2 is an absolute pleasure to listen to, it's a real mystery to me why the M140i doesn't have a mode which gives the engine a proper sound. However thanks to the engine being pretty muted it means the car is quiet and music fills the cabin nicely, although you’ll probably have to dish out some extra cash for an upgraded sound system (which this car has). My main complaint comes with the back seats however, while the fronts are perfectly fine for short and medium length commutes, the rear passenger area is appalling, I hate being back there for more than 2 minutes and being so close to the rear axle makes the ride unbearable, making this car really only usable for 2 people at a time, unless you're driving on perfectly flat Swiss highways with midgets sitting behind you (or small children). However if you don't plan on bringing a crowd with you when you drive you'll probably be satisfied with the interior.

Driving experience
Let's start with one important thing, this is not a front-wheel drive car with a haldex adding the rear wheels when you slip, this is a rear-wheel drive car which will sometimes add power to the front, and I absolutely love it. The driving experience you get out of this approach is something I've missed in many hot hatches. What makes the X-Drive system fantastic is that you can confidently slide this car around a few corners when it's wet, and when it gets way too slippery you have brilliant grip. In addition to this you have a large (for hot-hatch standards) 3 liter, 6 cylinder engine upfront, which feels torquier and quicker to react than most 4 cylinder units from other manufacturers. This does however come at a certain cost, that being fuel economy, you'd be hard pressed to use less than 10 liters per 100 km, during my driving time I averaged 14, even though I rarely actually pushed the car. All in all however this great engine and drivetrain means you can have quite a bit of fun, while still having a car more usable than an M2.

Final verdict
I like many things about the M140i, mainly I love it's subtle looks and larger than normal engine which gives a sensation of driving something more old-school, from a time where we weren't so concerned about having the lowest fuel consumption possible and making the car as economical as possible, it truly feels like a blast to the past, driving something small with an engine that's smaller than a carton of milk. The new M135i from BMW has forgotten about rear-wheel drive and big engines and has gone to follow the competition with adding a 2 liter engine and stuffing a turbo on the car to make it go. If I were in the market for a last generation hot-hatch I'd definitely have a long hard look at a M140i above it's competition.