2026 BMW M135 M Dynamic Package | British review

Behind them are the cross-drilled composite brakes from a bona fide M car, and they’re wrapped in semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. There’s extra chassis bracing underneath and more form-fitting M sports seats inside, along with a handful of other more superficial details to remind you of the expenditure you’ve made. There’s no extra power, mind you, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘B48’ turbo still produces 300hp and 295Nm for 0-100km/h in under five seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.

During that first presentation, the M Dynamic Pack had a wonderful Skunkworks feel to it, and the prospect of how the stiffer setup and stickier tires would translate from the page to the road was on the minds of both Matt Bird and me as we drove the standard car.

Well, now’s the time. Inevitably, the weather has not been a factor as the roads are close to freezing and drowning in water and slush, making the Cup 2s less helpful and more of a nuisance. So this isn’t a scientific, back-to-back test between a standard car and an M Dynamic Pack car.

Rather, it’s a strong indication that poor M135 has strayed from the script. Look, both the F40 and the 70 never really needed grip. They have always had an excess of it, in fact, they have sacrificed the greatest pleasure for a good quality of life. In its latest form, the 1 Series is a pleasantly luxurious car, with the high-quality lighting and cocooning feeling of more expensive BMWs convincingly distilled into the interior. Combined with the quick and reliable progress the chassis encourages, it has all the hallmarks of a car you could drive all year round without complaint.

That is not true when this package is installed. The oh-so-careful handling of the tires of a front-wheel drive car on a winter’s day proves almost as irritable as the ride, now more determined than before, but with no major improvement in on-road adjustability to compensate. It’s not a bad car, but it’s also not demonstrably better at normal driving speeds and with the level of commitment that entails.

BMW says the idea is to get the M135 on track, a place where many buyers are taking it. And on a warm, dry track I’m sure there will be extra grip and precision (and lower lap times) as the Cup 2s and lighter forged wheels prove to be a real boon. Perhaps there is also room to discover how playful this car really is.

During a British winter the makeover is less convincing. All the things you’ll enjoy are carried over from the base car. When there’s no standing water, you can still maintain a fast pace and hurl yourself across moorland roads with unshakable confidence. I’m just not sure you’ll grin when you do.

Flexibility is perhaps the standard M135’s greatest strength, and there’s plenty to like about it becoming a ‘one car that can do it all’ solution, but only if you treat outright thrills as negotiable rather than an absolute must. There are plenty of great ideas here too: the implementation of BMW’s enhanced ‘Iconic Sounds’ is much more natural and less overbearing than when tacked onto an electric powertrain. It brings some welcome bass to the engine and some lightly scripted gunfire on the landing, and while it may still be a bit gauche when activated, this engine can get on a bit without it.

The B48 is always muscular in its performance, even if performance is down slightly from the F40 M135i and its weight looks paltry for what remains BMW’s smallest performance offering; no kilo savings are mentioned for the M Dynamic Pack, so expect the savings to be small and concentrated in the right places. All told, there will be few cars you can hang on to on a grimy back road, while the M135 creates an unlikely new home for the guts of those delightful Imprezas and Evos from the early ’00s. If not quite their sense of humor.

Perhaps the M135’s ancestry is the main problem. The six-cylinder RWD F20 M135i and M140i are borderline icons of advertising and even more heroic among the modifying community. PH-ers who crave a small BMW hatchback for track use (and don’t fancy Matt B’s Compact…) are certainly much more likely to use an older generation car as a blank canvas for the multitude of tuners to hone ahead of the track season.

Far be it from us to stifle BMW’s enthusiasm; I’m really glad this pack exists because it lets us know that some real driving nerds populate the development team. If their ideas can be woven into the 1 Series’ inevitable Neue Klasse revolution, then what comes next should be very exciting indeed. But unless this M Dynamic Pack proves to be a revelation on dry land, the concept on paper is probably better than reality. Stick with the base car for BMW quality distilled into a smaller, more affordable package – or head to the classifieds and tuners if you’re craving real highs. Ultimately, we know BMW can do better.

Engine: 1,998cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged
Transfer: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300 at 5,750-6,500 rpm
Torque (lb⋅ft): 295 at 2,000-4,000 rpm
0-100 km/h: 4.9 seconds
Top speed: 255 km/h
Weight: 1,550 kg (DIN)
MPG: 36.7 (WLTP)
CO2: 175 g/km (WLTP)
Price: £48,550