Motive Long-Term Update: BMW 135i and Volkswagen Jetta TDI

[features@motivemag]

It's been a rollercoaster of a month for our 135i. It got a week of love right at the beginning, but then our BMW was cast aside while the whole staff focused its attention on our big Turbo Toyboxes 2 comparison test. That's right, we ditched it for a bunch of cheaper cars with half the turbos, five-eighths the price tag, and nearly the same objective performance figures. What a humbling experience. At the same time, getting back into the 135i after the others had gone home reminded us what that extra money buys you: solid refinement; a shifter that wouldn't feel at home on a tractor; and seats that are both comfortable and sporty...

FULL STORY...

[thetwodubheads]

Cool beans. With all of the praise the fanboys had for the TT6 in the BMWs you'd think it was Bavaria's gift to street racing. I love the motor, and would probably give one of my testicles for a 335i sport 6mt if it were a viable option. But I tend to agree with you. Great engine, but if you're in it for flat out performance, their are much better cars out their for < the money.

[feels_road]

1st gear on the DSG may be a bit short due to the limited ability of the DSG to slip. How does it compare to the MT? I have a hard time making sense of all these numbers with the two final gear ratios...

[Dandbest]

Having driven both the DSG and manual TDI, I will say that the DSG is far better matched to the engine than the manual. I'm not sure what the gear ratio differences are, but in the 6speed manual, 1st is pointless and you find yourself constantly shifting which is annoying.

[M5WannaBe]

Is that alcantara on the 135's dash and center console? Did those trim pieces come with the steering wheel? It looks better than I would have expected. Not sure if I'd pay a grand for it, but it looks good.

I really like the 135.

[stu@kilometer]

Quote, originally posted by M3WannaBe »

Is that alcantara on the 135's dash and center console? Did those trim pieces come with the steering wheel? It looks better than I would have expected. Not sure if I'd pay a grand for it, but it looks good. I really like the 135.

That is Alcantara on the dash and console, but no, that didn't come with the wheel. We did that ourselves (well, Bryan did). It wasn't included in the update because it didn't all come together until the last minute. Here's the build story for those bits from our sister site, Mwerks.com

http://www.mwerks.com/artman2/...shtml

[M5WannaBe]

Quote, originally posted by stu@motivemag »

That is Alcantara on the dash and console, but no, that didn't come with the wheel. We did that ourselves (well, Bryan did).

Well, then nice job, Bryan!

If I end up buying a 135, think he'll do mine?

[stu@kilometer]

Quote, originally posted by M3WannaBe »

Well, then nice job, Bryan! If I end up buying a 135, think he'll do mine?

When our year with the project is up in February, we'll be offering trades on all the modded parts to return the car to stock. Buy a 135i before then and maybe we can have the parts you see here.

[Jetty!]

Quote, originally posted by Dandbest »

Having driven both the DSG and manual TDI, I will say that the DSG is far better matched to the engine than the manual. I'm not sure what the gear ratio differences are, but in the 6speed manual, 1st is pointless and you find yourself constantly shifting which is annoying.

1st is pointless in my TDI too. It feels so short that the turbo isn't able to build any boost, so 2nd and 3rd actually (feel like they) accelerate more quickly.

[Double-V]

Quote, originally posted by Dandbest »

Having driven both the DSG and manual TDI, I will say that the DSG is far better matched to the engine than the manual. I'm not sure what the gear ratio differences are, but in the 6speed manual, 1st is pointless and you find yourself constantly shifting which is annoying.

Just start in second and treat it like an old-school dog leg shift pattern.