The BMW M135i Has Been Given A Chassis Upgrade And An M4 Colour

It’s safe to say we weren’t exactly enamoured with the BMW M135i xDrive when we first drove it for the first time a couple of years ago. On paper, it sounds like a winner, with 302bhp and an all-wheel drive system making that output accessible in a variety of conditions. But in reality, it’s just a little dull.

Plenty of other publications expressed misgivings about the now four-pot M135i, and perhaps that’s not lost on BMW, as the German manufacturer has made some pretty comprehensive dynamic tweaks to what is still a very young model.

The negative camber has been increased at the front, and the front wishbones are now attached by a new ‘hydromount’. The trailing and control arm mounts at the back have been redesigned, while the springs and dampers have been recalibrated all round. BMW says all of this will improve “roll behaviour” and steering feel.

BMW has also had a go at improving the iffy artificial noise piped through the hot hatch‘s speakers. Apparently, this “retuned drive soundtrack in the cabin makes the driving experience even more emotionally engaging.”

The final change is an expanded colour palette, headlined by Sao Paulo Yellow, the G82 M4‘s eye-popping launch hue. Not a fan? There are two other additions - Frozen Orange and Frozen Pure Grey, and it’s now possible to spec spendy BMW Individual colour options on the model.

Otherwise, it’s unchanged, meaning there’s the same transversely-mounted 302bhp inline-four turbo engine feeding an eight-speed automatic gearbox and an all-wheel drive system that never biases the rear more than 50 per cent. At the other end, there’s a mechanical limited-slip differential.

We don’t know when it’ll be on sale yet and there’s no word on price, but to give you an idea, the outgoing version is £37,700.

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