So I took the BMW 135i for a test drive last night…first impression – it was one hell of an ugly car! It reminded me of my current WRX (but nicer of course!)….but I must admit, the front looked pretty nice..it was just ugly from the side and rear…anyway, things changed when I stepped inside the car….I was definitely impressed with it (only because many reviews were saying that luxury and styling on the 135i took a back seat to power and pace..so I was expecting the worst!)….but it wasn’t bad at all.

There is a slot in which you slide the key into and then a start button to get the engine going…in idle, it sounded a lot nicer than the Sti….the note on a 6 cylinder car sounds so sweet!!

I chose to test drive one with DCT (I think it stands for double clutch transmission?) instead of the 6 speed manual because they are actually quicker than the manuals and my God, this thing flies!!!!! It’s an absolute monster to drive…the maximum torque (400Nm) kicks in at just 1300rpm all the way to 5000rpm…and maximum power (225kw) can be reached at only 5800rpm….so u can definitely feel it!! The car had so much power in every gear and the engine screams at you to go faster and faster and faster…it was a truly satisfying experience..I can only dream how wonderful it would feel to drive an M3!!!!

BMW claims it can do 0-100 in 5.2 seconds..but after driving my wrx around for over a year and test driving the Sti the other day, I can bet my life on it that 5.2 seconds for the 135i is an extremely conservative number.

I am really confused now…I still love the Sti but have fallen in love with the Beemer. I love the Sti for its looks, power and handling but love the technology of the 135i (and of course its sheer power too)…I hate the interior of the Sti but really don’t mind the Beemer’s interior..I just don’t like the shape of the Beemer though!!!

At the end of the day, I am not looking at tracking the car at all..its purely for daily driving…the Beemer will cost me $10k more than the Sti…and I plan to keep my next car for a long time... I really don’t know which one to get! I think if the Sti drove as well as the Beemer did, I would get the Sti straight away…but seriously, you guys will know what I mean if you ever drove the 135i..its just such an awesome car to drive!

Anyway, sorry for another long post but I’m really confused..which one would you guys get if you were in my situation? Again, I know this is a WRX forum but please keep an open mind on this one.

Thanks again
Scott

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2014 HSV GTS Gen f, Herron White, 6sp auto