Switch to a BMW M140i from a Cupra 290?

[cupraboss]

Hi guys i am offically at the 2 year mark of my SEAT Leon Cupra 290. I have had a good time with it but looking at some of the current deals on the BMW M140i has me seriously tempted. I have approx £18k left to pay on my Cupra which is fully loaded and has about 19k miles on it. Webuyanycar is giving me quote of £16000 as a conservative guide price.

Question is what are peoples thoughts on the BMW M140i?

Is it worth switching before BMW get rid of RWD on the 1 series next year?

What do you think my car is worth now?

Cheers

 

[TallTom]

Driven a lightly modified manual 135i ~ 375bhp. Completely different car to the cupra though. Engine noise is brilliant but quite small inside compared to Cupra. Certainly rapid and rwd is excellent. If you get a well spec’d one it certainly feels quite premium. I was looking at 2nd hand 135is but went for a Cupra 300 as I couldn’t pass up the deal.

 

[nuvolablue]

I've got the same engine in my 340i touring. Never owned a Cupra but had a 4day test drive in a 300 DSG and previously owned a Golf 7R.
Engine is great on the BMW and sounds great at high revs, better than the VAG unit. But at the mid to low revs the VAG unit sounds better especially with the DSG farts. Perhaps the M Performance Pack with the sports exhaust would be better sounding..... Not sure how much that is or if its standard on the M140i.

But honestly in the real world where you have to consider everything like mpg and practicality I would rather have the 2.0 VAG unit. My R was obviously 4WD which was also a great hoot in the wet....... I don't have the same confidence in the wet in my BMW as I did in my Golf.

VAG Infotainment system is so much better than BMW which imo is ancient in comparison.

Also standard equipment is so much better in the Cupra.

If it was my money I would buy another Cupra maybe the 4drive ST or better still go for the Mk7.5 Golf R.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Andy665]

I'm shortly going from an M135i manual to an ST 4Drive.

The car has been great over 2 years and 18k. Performance is superb, engine is a delight and rarely see less than 30 mpg out of a tankful.

Build quality good, interior space limited, more of a tourer than a hot hatch but with the power to embarrass an awful lot of cars.

Decent standard equipment, got to love the iDrive, absolutely no need for the professional nav, the standard is fine as is the standard audio. Well worth having are the Adaptive headlights although full LED is standard anyway.

Where it is awful is in terms of suspension. Mine does not have the adaptive dampers and on challenging roads it's all over the place, it's badly oversprung and underdamped.

Traction is a joke - I'm on non runflat Michelins but on anything other than bone dry roads it's all over the place.

It was fun to begin with but after 2 years the fun has gone, replaced with frustration and I'm looking forward to a change

 

[Wings988]

They desperately need an lsd, if you can afford to fit one then they're not a bad car, needs suspension improvements but could live with it oem, cramped inside with poor ergonomics and low rent multi media system. You'd need to find a fully loaded one to match cupra spec and then pay more for it. Plenty of reviews of them online if you search. The only thing they are better than a cupra imo is engine sound. The auto box is much better than the manual.

 

[G.P]

I'm shortly going from an M135i manual to an ST 4Drive.

The car has been great over 2 years and 18k. Performance is superb, engine is a delight and rarely see less than 30 mpg out of a tankful.

Build quality good, interior space limited, more of a tourer than a hot hatch but with the power to embarrass an awful lot of cars.

Decent standard equipment, got to love the iDrive, absolutely no need for the professional nav, the standard is fine as is the standard audio. Well worth having are the Adaptive headlights although full LED is standard anyway.

Where it is awful is in terms of suspension. Mine does not have the adaptive dampers and on challenging roads it's all over the place, it's badly oversprung and underdamped.

Traction is a joke - I'm on non runflat Michelins but on anything other than bone dry roads it's all over the place.

It was fun to begin with but after 2 years the fun has gone, replaced with frustration and I'm looking forward to a change

The build quality in my 2012 1 series after 35k is showing its age compared to my MK2 2010 80k Leon, and both are put to shame by a family members 110k 2003 Focus of which still has to yet develop a rattle.

The suspension on all Seat's I've been in has always been on the harsh side even when compared to an Ibiza SE to a performance BMW.

Mich. tyres are ok, but when they let go they do it in style and one does have to be quick to save their sudden snap trait..

They desperately need an lsd, if you can afford to fit one then they're not a bad car, needs suspension improvements but could live with it oem, cramped inside with poor ergonomics and low rent multi media system. You'd need to find a fully loaded one to match cupra spec and then pay more for it. Plenty of reviews of them online if you search. The only thing they are better than a cupra imo is engine sound. The auto box is much better than the manual.

I do wonder if the ergonomics of any car is individual, for me BMW have the best seat comfort with the steering wheel been on centre but slightly off set pedals. If my Mk.2 Leon was available with more height adjustment on the front of the seat and went lower at the back then I feel that would have over taken the BM. I would have changed it for a Mk3 but I just can't get comfortable in the seat. I have to say I now find the current Focus more comfortable than the Leon..

 

[300SEATCUPRA]

I agree with everyone else on here - I had an m135i for nearly 2 years. The suspension is rubbish. I uprated it to KW v2 coilovers and this helped a lot but even then it still doesn't feel like a true hot hatch you can chuck about, much more like a small GT car. Its way more at home on a smooth dual carriageway than a bumpy b road and in this environment its flipping great. In the wet its just annoying after a while, much prefer a Golf R or all manner of 4wd of FWD hot hatches. That said its engine is fantastic, its also really good on fuel if you drive it carefully. Depends what you want it for in my eyes - b road fun - not an m140i, cruising around with an amazing engine on smooth roads - bmw.