{"id":84830,"date":"2026-02-10T18:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84830"},"modified":"2026-02-10T18:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:35:00","slug":"bmw-m135i-f20-n55-underrated-rwd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84830","title":{"rendered":"The BMW M135i (F20) Is the Underrated RWD BMW We Still Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"post-summary-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"post-summary-title\">Article Summary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"post-summary-list\">\n<li>The RWD M135i feels closest to BMW\u2019s classic formula: compact size, straight-six power, and throttle-adjustable balance.<\/li>\n<li>The N55 delivers smooth, eager performance with a broad powerband and a redline that encourages you to use it.<\/li>\n<li>Factory setup uses an open diff with brake-based e-diff behavior; a mechanical M Performance LSD sharpens exits, but the stock car is already lively and willing to slide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>I get why the F20 BMW M135i slips through the cracks. It never got the full \/\/\/M mythology, it wasn\u2019t sold everywhere, and on paper it looks like \u201cjust\u201d an M Performance car from the early 2010s. But the first time you drive a rear-wheel-drive M135i the way you\u2019re supposed to\u2014really commit to an entry, breathe off the throttle, let the rear take a slip\u2014you realize BMW <em>maybe accidentally<\/em> built something special.<\/p>\n<p>Not special in the \u201cfuture classic\u201d way people toss around too easily. Special in the more meaningful way: it feels like a BMW from the era when the company still obsessed over balance and adjustability, not just traction and lap-time heroics.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, there was an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2013\/03\/18\/bmwblog-test-drive-bmw-m135i-the-hot-hatch-has-soul\/\">xDrive version later on<\/a>, and I\u2019m not going to pretend that isn\u2019t appealing if you live somewhere winter is half the calendar. But the RWD M135i is the one that stays closest to the \u201cUltimate Driving Machine\u201d idea. It\u2019s the one where the front axle is allowed to focus on steering, and the rear axle is allowed to have a personality.<\/p>\n<p>And it helps that the car looks right even before it moves. The F20 has that classic BMW stance: a long hood, short overhangs, and a cabin that sits back on the wheelbase like the engine actually matters. In hatchback form it\u2019s an unusually cool shape\u2014compact, usable, and still unmistakably BMW in its proportions. You get the practicality without losing the layout that makes a BMW feel like a BMW.<\/p>\n<h3>The numbers still land<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-14.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-94222\" title=\"bmw-m135i-xdrive-14\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-14-750x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-14-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-14-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-14-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-14.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The M135i isn\u2019t a \u201cbig number\u201d car by today\u2019s standards, but the spec is still the kind that makes enthusiasts nod: 320 hp, 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) from the 3.0-liter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2023\/12\/12\/bmw-n55-engine-pros-cons-and-reliability\/\">N55 inline-six<\/a>, paired with either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic. In period, BMW quoted 0\u2013100 km\/h in 5.1 seconds with the manual and 4.9 seconds with the automatic. That was properly quick when this car showed up\u2014especially wrapped in a compact hatchback body.<\/p>\n<p>Weight matters here more than people admit, and the M135i didn\u2019t arrive bloated. Depending on how you measure it (DIN\/EU figures), it sits around the 1,400-1,500 kg range. That doesn\u2019t sound shocking until you drive it back-to-back with newer \u201chot\u201d cars and realize how much lighter it feels in transitions. The M135i doesn\u2019t have that modern sensation of carrying mass into every corner like a backpack you can\u2019t take off.<\/p>\n<h3>The N55 is the reason the whole thing works<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-n55-3-0l-straight-six-engine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-29527\" title=\"bmw-n55-3-0l-straight-six-engine\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-n55-3-0l-straight-six-engine-750x490.jpg\" alt=\"The N55 Engine\" width=\"750\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-n55-3-0l-straight-six-engine-750x490.jpg 750w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-n55-3-0l-straight-six-engine.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve driven the N55 in a bunch of places\u2014the 335i, 435i, and the M135i\u2014and it\u2019s one of those engines that keeps proving itself. It has torque everywhere, but it doesn\u2019t feel like a torque-only appliance. It\u2019s smooth, it\u2019s eager, and it rewards you for using the top half of the tach.<\/p>\n<p>The best part is how linear it feels for a turbo motor. The power doesn\u2019t arrive like a light switch. You roll into the throttle and it just builds\u2014cleanly, predictably, with enough urgency that you don\u2019t need to \u201cset it up\u201d to make it fast. And when you keep it pinned, it doesn\u2019t go flat. It stays happy all the way to the 7,000 rpm redline, which is exactly why people still rate this engine so highly.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the sound. The N55 doesn\u2019t need fake noise to have character. It has that straight-six metallic edge, especially when you\u2019re hard on it, and it makes the M135i feel like it\u2019s punching above its class.<\/p>\n<h3>Steering and chassis: it\u2019s not a museum piece, it\u2019s a tool<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-39.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-152707\" title=\"2015-bmw-m135i-images-39\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-39-750x499.jpg\" alt=\"The BMW M135i cornering\" width=\"750\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-39-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-39-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-39-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-39.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The M135i runs electric power steering, and no, it\u2019s not going to give you E46-style hydraulic poetry. But it\u2019s quick, accurate, and it lets you place the car without second-guessing. That\u2019s what matters once you start driving it hard.<\/p>\n<p>Where the M135i really shows its personality is the chassis balance. It doesn\u2019t just grip and go. It moves. It reacts to weight transfer. It will rotate if you drive it like you mean it.<\/p>\n<p>We spent time tossing one around on track and it clicked almost instantly. The car likes commitment. Turn in with some intent, settle it, and you can feel the rear axle getting light in a way that makes you smile instead of sweat. You can steer it on a lift. You can tighten a line with a touch of trail brake. And when you pick up throttle early, the M135i doesn\u2019t always take the \u201csafe\u201d route\u2014sometimes it will start to come around, and you can catch it and hold it. That\u2019s the kind of fun a lot of modern cars are missing.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s tail happy, but not in a scary way. It\u2019s the kind of tail happy that comes from a compact chassis, a real rear-drive layout, and enough power to adjust the car mid-corner without much effort.<\/p>\n<h3>The diff question, explained like an enthusiast<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-34.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-152702\" title=\"2015-bmw-m135i-images-34\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-34-750x499.jpg\" alt=\"The rear-end of the F20 BMW M135i\" width=\"750\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-34-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-34-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-34-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/2015-bmw-m135i-images-34.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From the factory, the F20 M135i doesn\u2019t get a mechanical limited-slip differential. It uses an open diff, and BMW relies on electronic intervention\u2014brake-based torque control\u2014to manage wheelspin and help the car put power down. People call it an \u201ce-diff\u201d effect, because the system can brake an inside wheel and influence where the torque ends up.<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re hard on throttle at corner exit, the electronics can create a moment where the car rotates more than you expect. Sometimes it feels like it\u2019s helping you. Sometimes it feels like it\u2019s nudging you into mischief.<\/p>\n<p>A mechanical LSD does a similar job in principle\u2014biasing torque and improving traction\u2014but it does it more directly and more quickly, without relying on braking. That\u2019s why BMW offered a dealer-installed M Performance mechanical LSD as an accessory for these cars. If you\u2019re tracking the car, tuning it, or you just want cleaner exits and more consistent throttle adjustability, it\u2019s one of the upgrades that makes immediate sense.<\/p>\n<h3>RWD vs xDrive: The point isn\u2019t the spec, it\u2019s the feel<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-94220\" title=\"bmw-m135i-xdrive-12\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-12-750x500.jpg\" alt=\"BMW M135i xDrive in the snow\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-12-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-12-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-12-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bmw-m135i-xdrive-12.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The xDrive M135i exists for a reason. If you deal with snow, ice, or rough weather half the year, it\u2019s a smart option. But the RWD car is the one that feels most like a traditional BMW compact performance machine.\u00a0It\u2019s also the version that makes you understand what BMW was doing in that era: building a compact car that could do daily life without sacrificing the driving feel that made the brand famous.<\/p>\n<h3>Why it\u2019s underrated<\/h3>\n<p>The M135i is underrated because it\u2019s easy to mislabel. It\u2019s not a halo car, so people don\u2019t talk about it like one. It\u2019s an M Performance car, so some enthusiasts assume it\u2019s just an appearance and badge package. And for a lot of readers, it\u2019s also a \u201cforbidden fruit\u201d BMW\u2014one they didn\u2019t get in their market (like in the U.S.), so it never became part of the shared ownership culture the way an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2020\/08\/30\/bmw-1-series-buyers-guide\/\">E82 135i<\/a> or 1M did.<\/p>\n<p>If BMW had brought the RWD M135i to the U.S. in its prime, I\u2019d have been first in line. Straight-six, manual option, compact hatch practicality, and a chassis that\u2019ll happily rotate when you push it\u2014this is exactly the sort of BMW that reminds you why we care in the first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article Summary The RWD M135i feels closest to BMW\u2019s classic formula: compact size, straight-six power, and throttle-adjustable balance. The N55 delivers smooth, eager performance with a broad powerband and a redline that encourages you to use it. Factory setup uses an open diff with brake-based e-diff behavior; a mechanical M Performance LSD sharpens exits, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}