BMW M135 M DYNAMIC

Optional upgrades for hot hatch target chassis and brakes

- ILLYA VERPRAET

BMW can't be accused of failing to give its difficult pupil every chance to fit in. The six-cylinder, rear-wheel-drive M135i (later M140i) was a tough act to follow for its transverse-engined successor, but the Munich firm has been chipping away at it.

In 2022, just two years after the launch of the M135i xDrive, I went on a launch event for some suspension tweaks that made it firmer but no more engaging. Last year, the 1 Series got a major facelift (BMW even calls it an entirely new generation), during which it lost the ‘i’ in its name, and now there’s an M Dynamic Pack for maximum sportiness.

It costs a hefty £3000, although you can’t have it without the £1550 Technology Pack (keyless entry, adaptive headlights and wireless charging). As you would hope for that sort of money, it’s more than a bumper-and-sticker job.

Most intriguingly, it gives the four-wheel-drive hot hatch new underbody stiffening, beefed-up struts, stiffer springs, lighter and stiffer anti-roll bars and retuned steering and stability control.

The M Dynamic Pack also buys you bigger M Compound (which is BMW-speak for two-piece disc) brakes and forged 19in wheels with Sport tyres (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or similar) or, for £815 on top of that, Track tyres (Pilot Sport Cup 2 or similar). You also get M Sport Seats, which are more figure-hugging but not as extreme as the carbonfibre seats in the senior M cars.