Does 125i coupe have enough acceleration? must have advice!

[halcon1]

I am close to placing an order on a 125i coupe 6-speed with the M package (although I would prefer of course a 135i coupe), but my final decision will depend on your answers to my question... !

Just how good is the acceleration and performance in the 125i Coupe?

I've driven a 135 and I know... I know... how mind-blogging fast it is, but I've never driven a 125i (dealer doesn't have any), and... unfortunately, in my country (Colombia), the 135i price is not far from DOUBLE the price of the 125i, due to the fact that they belong in different luxury tax brackets. The 125i is US$48K, the 135i is US$86K...

The dealer doesnt have any 125i to test drive, so I need your help. I must know if I will be disappointed with the 125i Coupe performance. I am a pretty hard core enthusiast, I take inmense pleasure with light, nimble handling and good acceleration. My previous car was a Mini Cooper S.

I've read hundreds of reviews, but most of them only concentrate on the 135i or just feature the convertibles. There aren't enough review on the 125i acceleration and performance. Can I hear from any 125i owners on this??
Thanks!

[lib]

If you can't test drive a 125i, test drive a 325i. It should give you a good idea of what the 125i is like.

Just remember that the 125i may feel a tiny bit faster due to its smaller size.

[halcon1]

Originally Posted by lib

If you can't test drive a 125i, test drive a 325i. It should give you a good idea of what the 125i is like.

Just remember that the 125i may feel a tiny bit faster due to its smaller size.

I did drive a 325 for this purpose, but it had a steptronic gearbox, which I hate. And I wasn't too pleased with the acceleration. The car felt somewhat heavy. I wonder if I would feel the same with a 125...

[lib]

A steptronic 125i will probably feel similar to the 325i you drove.

The manual transmission definitely feels a bit faster in both cars.

[slog]

Lets say you buy a 125i and the acceleration is bad...cant you spend a couple hundred or grand extra and install a dinan stage 2 or order a JB3??

[halcon1]

Originally Posted by slog

Lets say you buy a 125i and the acceleration is bad...cant you spend a couple hundred or grand extra and install a dinan stage 2 or order a JB3??

Thanks for the advice. I would rather leave the car stock, as those upgrades are hard to find, install and maintain in my country.

[rori zahr]

hola,

yo lo tengo, 125i, steptronic con cambios en el steering wheel.
creeme, la potencia que tiene es phenomenal, no importa donde y como, el carro responde con furia. la clave, "en el caso del steptronoic" es de usarlo en S mode. suena agressivo, es habil es perfecto. te lo recomiendo
el mantenimiento es minimo, gasta muy poca gazolina cuando es manejado tranquilamente, mas de 250 KM/100L de gazolina en autopistas.

[Notion-Za]

The acceleration isnt mind blowing but its there! its not bad at all! you just have to keep the revs high!! Its better than the average car and the sound of the engine just adds more to the appeal!

Did a big mistake once. Took my dads E60 M5 for a little drive then got back into my lil 1'er! wow it felt like i was driving a toaster!!! haha!! but wow i love my toaster

[Tom K.]

Car & Driver magazine tested a manual transmission 128i 'vert at 0~60 mph in 6.1 seconds. Assume 5.9 for the lighter coupe, and perhaps a tenth or so more for the slightly less powerful 125i. Certainly quicker than your Mini Cooper S.

Is a 130i available in your country? I wish we had it here.

Tom

[halcon1]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Car & Driver magazine tested a manual transmission 128i 'vert at 0~60 mph in 6.1 seconds. Assume 5.9 for the lighter coupe, and perhaps a tenth or so more for the slightly less powerful 125i. Certainly quicker than your Mini Cooper S.

Is a 130i available in your country? I wish we had it here.

Tom

the 130 hatchback is available in Colombia. I don't like the rear shape at all, plus the dealer only brings steptronics... go figure! Thanks for the advice. I might have to add another 4 or 5 tenths in 0-60 given the altitude lag (I live in the andes @ 10,000 feet). The 135i wouldn't suffer any of that because of the twin turbos, but at US$86K it's just way over my budget.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by halcon1

the 130 hatchback is available in Colombia. I don't like the rear shape at all, plus the dealer only brings steptronics... go figure! Thanks for the advice. I might have to add another 4 or 5 tenths in 0-60 given the altitude lag (I live in the andes @ 10,000 feet). The 135i wouldn't suffer any of that because of the twin turbos, but at US$86K it's just way over my budget.

Sorry to hear you can't get the 130i in the coupe. At your altitude, it would probably be the perfect engine - decent performance with great fuel economy. While my 128i was significantly down on pwer (30%?) when I briefly hit 10,000 ft. in the Rockies, it wasn't too bad; especially since all non-turbo drivers were in the same situation.

Although most of the cars on dealer's lots here in the U.S. are auto, I've had no problem ordering a manual transmission (except for the 6 to 8 week wait, of course). Can you do a special order?

Hope you find the car you want.

Tom

[Thud]

Originally Posted by slog

Lets say you buy a 125i and the acceleration is bad...cant you spend a couple hundred or grand extra and install a dinan stage 2 or order a JB3??

What good does a turbo tune do when there's no turbo?

[Thud]

Originally Posted by halcon1

the 130 hatchback is available in Colombia. I don't like the rear shape at all, plus the dealer only brings steptronics... go figure! Thanks for the advice. I might have to add another 4 or 5 tenths in 0-60 given the altitude lag (I live in the andes @ 10,000 feet). The 135i wouldn't suffer any of that because of the twin turbos, but at US$86K it's just way over my budget.

Hmmm, if I were in that situation, I'd probably go with a newer Mini Clubman S if I needed something with more space than a Cooper.

[halcon1]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Sorry to hear you can't get the 130i in the coupe. At your altitude, it would probably be the perfect engine - decent performance with great fuel economy. While my 128i was significantly down on pwer (30%?) when I briefly hit 10,000 ft. in the Rockies, it wasn't too bad; especially since all non-turbo drivers were in the same situation.

Although most of the cars on dealer's lots here in the U.S. are auto, I've had no problem ordering a manual transmission (except for the 6 to 8 week wait, of course). Can you do a special order?

Hope you find the car you want.

Tom

Yes, I can special order. In theory, it's what I will do. It means 12 weeks of waiting but it's worth it given that they have no 6 speed manual. I will be testing a 6 speed manual 325 coupe on monday. I can't wait. We'll see what happens...

[jkp1187]

I actually think that, if the N54 twin-turbo engine did not exist, the 1 series with "just" the N52 NA engine would still be receiving accolades for being a fun, fast, well-balanced driving machine.

[BMW86]

I had to drive a 325i Step the other week for a day and coming from the 135i it is just too slow for my liking. I could never go back.

[rori zahr]

halcon1 lives in one of these countries where the price of a german car is almost forbidden. it's the case here in my country where a fully loaded 135i price tag can be similar to the one you guys pay for an M3 in the USA. i paid 53000 USD for my 125i "no leather, no extra options except for steering wheel gear shifts" that's too much but the car is still a good one,"fast enough for someone who's not racing". I htink halcon1 is seeking this kind of feedback before he put his order. it seems that in Colombia, BMW is way more expensive than in my country, he mentioned that the 135 is in around the 80K that's huge!!! I greatly encourage him to go for the 125i, it's pure BMW fun.

[1speedbike]

A 135i can go from 5mph to 60 all in second gear. a 125i/128i cant. But that's part of the fun.. the shifting (i have an auto 135 because of a multitude of reasons but have driven a stick 128). It's a different kind of fun, but it's fun either way. If you're into red light challenges (aka races), then the 128i may not suit you. Granted, I can't use the 135i to it's full potential almost ever, except at red lights when accelerating up to whatever the speed limit.. but if smoking the guy next to you is nothing you care about (even on the track) then the 128i is fast. I mean look at a Lexus IS250... 200 HP, still less than the 128i gets. Mercedes C300.. 220-230 HP, around the same range HP but still slower. You'll be faster than most things out there, regardless ;] You'll be shifting more and arguably having more fun anyway!

[BMW86]

I would take a bare stock 135i over a fully loaded 125i anyday. The extra power is really worth the extra money or waiting a bit longer.

[jkp1187]

^ Not if the price difference is almost $40,000 USD.

What kind of car are you coming from, halcon1? Believe me, there is probably more power in the N52 than you can wring out of it. The N54 is one sweet engine, but unless you're taking the car to the race track regularly, or unless your old car is a Porsche or something, I can't imagine the 125i won't be enough for you.

What are the speed limits in Colombia? 100 KM/H on the highways?

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by 1speedbike

A 135i can go from 5mph to 60 all in second gear. a 125i/128i cant.

My MT 128i redlines at 66 mph in second gear, and 5 mph is no problem either.

Tom

[halcon1]

Originally Posted by rori zahr

halcon1 lives in one of these countries where the price of a german car is almost forbidden. it's the case here in my country where a fully loaded 135i price tag can be similar to the one you guys pay for an M3 in the USA. i paid 53000 USD for my 125i "no leather, no extra options except for steering wheel gear shifts" that's too much but the car is still a good one,"fast enough for someone who's not racing". I htink halcon1 is seeking this kind of feedback before he put his order. it seems that in Colombia, BMW is way more expensive than in my country, he mentioned that the 135 is in around the 80K that's huge!!! I greatly encourage him to go for the 125i, it's pure BMW fun.

Thanks for your great feedback. A 135i in Colombia is US$89,000. Only now they have a "promotion" going on, and the price is $US$86,000, fully loaded. The normal 125i is $45,000, plus $5,000 for an M package and a couple other options (no leather, no power seats), total comes to roughly $50,000. I hope the acceleration is there!