Skip advert
Advertisement

eCoty BMW M135i and Porsche 911 Carrera picture gallery

The BMW M135i is no ordinary hot hatch, but how does it stack up against the new Porsche 911 on track?

A heated-up 1-series against a thoroughbred sports car? Have we gone mad? Not really. The M135i is one of the very best fast BMWs of recent years, despite being an ‘M Performance’ model rather than a fully-blown M Division product. And the Porsche 911 is still picking its wounds a little, the new 991-generation car beaten in its debut group test at the start of 2012.

Advertisement - Article continues below

A spec table comparison fares the BMW well, too. It weighs 45kg more than the Porsche and possesses nearly 30bhp less, but with its in-line six-cylinder engine turbocharged (and the 911’s flat-six naturally aspirated, as tradition dictates), it boasts 332lb ft – 44lb ft more than the Carrera and enough for it to lag just 0.1sec behind in the 0-62mph dash (at 4.9sec).

Performance should be very close on track, then, and while price is far from a key factor at evo Car of the Year, the Porsche starts at £71,449, well over double the BMW’s £29,995. Could a giant killing be on the cards?

eCoty Track Battle videos

- Morgan 3 Wheeler vs Toyota GT 86 video- BMW M135i vs Porsche 911 Carrera video- Porsche Boxster S vs Lotus Exige S video- Mercedes C63 AMG Black vs Alpina B3 GT3 video- Pagani Huayra vs McLaren MP4-12C video

eCoty Image Galleries

- Morgan 3 Wheeler and Toyota GT 86 - BMW M135i and Porsche 911 Carrera - Porsche Boxster S and Lotus Exige S - Mercedes C63 AMG Black and Alpina B3 GT3 - Pagani Huayra and McLaren MP4-12C

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Singer’s stunning £900k Porsche 911 restomod borrows knowhow from Red Bull
Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe reimagined by Singer – front
News

Singer’s stunning £900k Porsche 911 restomod borrows knowhow from Red Bull

Singer has detailed its latest Porsche 911 restomods, featuring a unique Cosworth flat-six and advanced structural engineering developed in partnershi…
20 May 2026
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Cupra Leon VZ review – Spain’s Golf GTI is better than Germany’s
Cupra Leon
In-depth reviews

Cupra Leon VZ review – Spain’s Golf GTI is better than Germany’s

The choice of full-sized front-drive hot hatches now doesn’t include the Civic Type R. Can the Cupra Leon VZ take the top spot?
25 Aug 2026
Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money
Lotus Exige S V6
In-depth reviews

Lotus Exige V6 (S3, 2011-2021) review – a mini supercar for Golf GTI money

For the S3 generation the Lotus Exige got a lot brawnier, trading the four-cylinder engines it had hitherto utilised for a supercharged Toyota V6
21 Aug 2026
Ford Puma review – the best-seller that’s still no patch on the Fiesta
Ford Puma
In-depth reviews

Ford Puma review – the best-seller that’s still no patch on the Fiesta

The Ford Puma melds some of the Fiesta’s charm with big-selling crossover form factor, but we still miss a proper small Ford hatch
21 Aug 2026