BMW 440i vs M135i - B58 vs N55 What's the Difference?

[@spadgm]

Two cars I would be proud to own!, good informative vid mate, keep them coming!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Indeed! Thanks

[@tomluke-stewart8034]

Hey bro, may want to look at the headlights on the m135i, looks like they are starting to build moisture, the more it builds the modules inside will start failing. I had an absolute nightmare with mine back when i owned my m135i. Might want to try and seal them up somehow. Anyway great video as always!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I actually took the access panel out of the top of the light, and drove my car on track. The heat sorted the moisture out real quick gaha

[@tomluke-stewart8034]

@KiwiCarLife yep that's one way to do it haha, be aware it may come back though since there is already a leak, only way I fixed mine was to replace the lamps themselves. I believe you can seal them as well. Anyway happy driving! They're awesome fun

[@KavinFan0803]

This, make the fix before it becomes too late, if the modules are damaged it gets a whole lot more expensive, you have three options: 1. Leave the access panel open, this will dry out and prevent moisture from building up inside the headlight, however in very heavy rain, water may get into the engine bay and into the headlight hole from the top. 2. Reseal the plastic lens around with silicone, doing this should be enough to fix most BMW headlights. 3. Buy a new headlight, most expensive option

[@camerondouglas9079]

Mate, just discovered your channel and loving the vids! Keep up the awesome work

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks man!

[@17t135i]

Time for a transmission service on the M135i

[@WayToManyAssassins]

Nah it's "lifetime" 😉

[@wingmanlmg]

Yep absolutely. The ZF8 should not be causing any lurching, even in sports mode shifts should be nice and smooth. New zf lifeguard oil and a filter fixes it right up though!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Think you might be right

[@joshklaver47]

You should get a remap for the 135i. Even just the improved fuel economy is worth it. It pays for itself. The extra power and torque is just a bonus... 😉😈

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I'm thinking about it. It already has the metal charge pipe which is good

[@jayjo4077]

You should've driven my M140i! Would've been much more comparable as it's the same chassis so would've weighed less

[@KiwiCarLife]

I still can! Where are you located?

[@charlienzl]

all your vids are golden g, specially as someone who also loves bimmers

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks man!

[@The_Noticer.]

Just remember that Toyota signed off on the B58 and found it good enough to slap their badge on. It's a good powerplant. Also, a nice in-depth video on the B58 is on "car care nut" channel, the supra review. He goes into all the details. And im pretty sure you can have the ZF software updated in your car...

[@Alkhoholic]

Toyota got scammed lol the first supra got the lowest spec B58 including transmission. the bmw m140i got better spec

[@The_Noticer.]

@@Alkhoholic or toyota took the consevative spec. Would be very toyota like.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I think it's probably that BMW didn't want to give them the most powerful one right out of the box. But it doesn't really matter now coz it still has excellent tuning potential

[@wingmanlmg]

Was waiting for this one - great video. Long story short, I think B58 is only really worth it if you want to build a 500+ whp bmw. Otherwise the N55 completely destroys it value for money wise.

[@17t135i]

Mates n55 has 800whp, but it wasn't cheap to do

[@wingmanlmg]

@@17t135i Yeah that would have cost a fortune. Probably sounds mental though

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I guess it just highlights the fact the B58 is significantly overbuilt but just not tuned very highly from factory. Whereas the N55 still has some room but more parts need to be upgraded

[@Keaguan]

Have you reviewed any bmw compacts? If not it would be crackup

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha I haven’t, there was a manual 330ti for sale that would be awesome to do

[@helplesskiwi]

Have to say.... Your car sounds better in my opinion 👍

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha yeah also coz of the factory burbles eh

[@opulan]

great vid and sheds some good light on the age old b58/n55 debate would it be possible to get a video of a c43 and 340? battle of the second best options? haha

[@pv______6248]

I’m the owner of the 440i. One of my friends has a C43 Sedan. Stock for stock the C43 and 440i are similar in power, however the B58 does push more power and is more reliable. But stock for stock the C43 will beat you from a dig as it’s AWD vs RWD. We did this without launch control as personally never used launch control as I don’t like thrashing my cars

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes true a C43 vs 340i touring video would be verrry interesting

[@kimihart1049]

We all know that Toyota is known for reliability and wanting to make reliable cars. The b58 passed Toyota's reliability test. The b58 is used in the mark 5 supra. B58 is definitely the modern day 2jz.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yep! Very impressive engine from a reliability and modification potential

[@IBOO57]

So how do you explain them allowing a Subaru engine in the 86?

[@seanhutton7155]

@@IBOO57 also a good engine if you look after it. Subaru made good n/a engines, my old legacy 2.0 has done over 500,000kms on the factory engine and is the most reliable car I've ever owned. unfortunately the 2.5 or turbos let them down quite badly

[@IBOO57]

@@seanhutton7155 yeah it was mildly tongue-in-cheek based on their reputation.

[@muscle_car_guy2338]

When you really put your foot down in the b58 it certainly sounds like revs much harder and sounds more encouraging.

[@KiwiCarLife]

I guess?

[@muscle_car_guy2338]

@KiwiCarLife at the end of the day, it's personal preference. You are the one lucky enough who experienced it all first hand, so you get to make that decision. I only watched your video😂

[@myflourishingfam]

Both are great, though I have my heart set on getting a B58 340i manual (rare as the 6 speed is). Great comparisson!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Oh that would be very very hard to come by. But I have seen an immaculate blue m sport F30 335i touring manual before. I think the reg was JJS3. Guy wanted to trade it on a Type R when I worked at Honda.

[@myflourishingfam]

@@KiwiCarLife Awesome, that would have been nice. I'd go for a facelift f30, but a manual is a manual and even with a great 8 speed auto, I still believe the best and most rewarding driving involves all 4 limbs.

[@eponymous7910]

Bmw don't make a great manual unfortunately- haven't for decades

[@myflourishingfam]

@@eponymous7910 Personal preference, I love the feel of BMW manuals (the knuckly feel) over Ford or VW. Though BMW clutches are a little too springy and sensitive for my liking, but I do appreciate the refinement of them once I drive a VW manual. That said, there are fewer and fewer manuals available and I'll take what I can get. That BMW offered manuals longer than Mercedes is something I don't take for granted.

[@R1d3rBul]

Very well said!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks!

[@DjNikGnashers]

The B58 (in the M140i anyway), does not have a baffled sump. I have heard of a few trackday cars destroying the engine because of oil starvation (look for 'the green hulk' a scottish guys trackday M140i). The B58 is just a more developed engine that is all. Some of the comments in this thread from B58 owners are quite frankly pathetic. The N55 is a very good engine, the B58 is slightly better. I have not heard of many other M2 owners complaining about it. I previously owned a tuned M140i, and now own an OG M2.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes pleased to hear you agree! The comments section on this one is wild haha

[@jayjo4077]

M2 N55 has forged internals N55, rest of the N55's don't

[@thatguyben3128]

_Wasn't the B58 co-improved by TOYOTA when it was installed in the Mk V Supra? .. doesn't the story go they kept breaking it until the improvements made it near bulletproof🤔_

[@kimihart1049]

There was a video on carwow. Where they drag raced the Toyota supra with the current BMW z4 with the same engine. And it shows that Toyota may have slightly tweaked the engine to make more hp. Sort of like how they sneakly tweaked the mark 4 supra 2jz engine. 2jz was suppose to make only 280 hp but people that dyno them go over 300 hp. So Toyota may have done the same thing with the b58

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah interesting that collaboration aye! Definitely shows BMW’s latest engines are a lot better than they used to be reliability wise.

[@pv______6248]

@@kimihart1049The Supra just has a higher ECU tune nothing special with Toyota’s side

[@thatguyben3128]

@@kimihart1049 _Definitely more power than rated at the factory(382hp) on later model Supra Mk V. What they claim as bhp can be closer to whp and i have my own experience to believe it. About 12 mths ago when my supercharged K24 FD2 Civic was running a base tune of 355whp I had 2 runs with a stock 2022 Supra Mk V from a rolling 60kph/80kph and both times we were virtually line ball up to 160kph (i spun 2nd & partially 3rd). Doing the quick math his official pwr-to-weight ratio of 382hp in 1500kg doesn't match up on paper too well against a 400hp (bhp) 1250kg car_ _plus im heavy😄_ .... *disclaimer: runs were performed by professional drivers in Mexico🤪*

[@darkskoliro]

Pretty sure it wasn't a joint venture development. The b58 was tested under Toyota's standards and it passed.

[@alastairh9607]

Really tempted by an M135i considering how good value they seem to be. Was leaning towards a GR Yaris but for almost twice the price I've seriously started considering it. Slightly hesitant to buy an N55 considering the reputation but honestly the value might negate any potential risks.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I would absolutely get one man. You’ll love it. Best value hatch around, and if you can find one that’s been well looked after it should be reliable enough. I’ve had no issues with mine apart from a coil pack dying (but that could happen to any car)

[@alastairh9607]

@@KiwiCarLife What sort of fuel economy do you get around town?

[@mz22wa]

N55’s love to throw serpentine belts which then gets sucked into the front main seal. Had it happen twice on my M135i. I’ve now got an M140i and it’s better in every way other than the sound. N55s have a nicer exhaust note

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes true actually I forgot to mention that. I've heard about that happening. Should probably replace mine as a precaution

[@mz22wa]

@@KiwiCarLife the premature belt failure is caused by the leaking oil filter housing dripping onto the belt. Also invest in a front crank seal guard. A few companies make bolt on solutions

[@wingmanlmg]

That’s because *you* left the oil filter housing leaking for too long. If you maintained it properly it wouldn’t happen

[@jayjo4077]

And B58 is much more reliable than N55 if you look online, N55's have rod bearings, water pumps, charge pipes and vanos failure issues. But agree with that even with the cost of those added fixed, the B58 is still more but I think people would just pay that premium for piece of mind and that's probably why they're so good at holding it's value

[@wingmanlmg]

There are several iterations of N55, some are better to buy than others. Rod bearings and vanos/valvetronic issues aren't really common problems in the ones put in the F series

[@WayToManyAssassins]

@jayjo4077 B58 plastic oil filter housing: hold my beer

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah the rod bearings and vanos issues are exceedingly rare. If you go on a forum you’re always going to find the worst case scenarios. Water pump is maybe every 100,000km? Mine already has the metal charge pipe installed. Yes agree the B58 is definitely more reliable but it’s not like soooo much better that I’d pay over twice the price

[@jayjo4077]

@@KiwiCarLife I upgraded from an oldy 2012 M135i after it sucked in the belt and killed itself. I had the PWG not the EWG. I have just over 100,000 miles on my M140i and never had any issues with leaks or anything. Stage 2+ since 25k miles. I think a lot of owners who have had their N55 for majority of it's mileage and upgraded to the B58 can tell you pretty much what I've said, going off your video I don't think you've owned the N55 long enough but leaks are much more common. And you may be a bit biased since it's your car! Plus stage 2+ on my M135i needed charge pipe, intercooler & downpipe, fuel pump which was excess of £3000 which only pushed less than 400hp. For £1100 on the B58 I'm pushing over 500hp while also spending nothing on maintanence

[@pv______6248]

@@WayToManyAssassinsMy mate has his with over 200,000kms in Hamilton. That’s the only issue he had and BMW fixed it for free under a recall 😂. And FYI the N55 has oil filter housing leak, my 435i with 21,000km had it

[@dcvin2]

Great video! I hope I bump into you filming in Highbrook one day 😂

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha follow my insta you’ll see when I’m in Auckland filming

[@mattholwood]

If you're ever in Christchurch, you're welcome to test drive my G82 M4

[@KiwiCarLife]

Ooh that sounds exciting! Send me an email [e-mail]

[@John-i1g]

Hey Liam, would you consider getting a VBOX for us statistical tragics and just adding that to videos as a standard segment? 0-100, 80-120, 400m? Also, has your mobile changed? - you didn't respond to that Corolla GT text I sent ...

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I do have one actually, maybe I should start incorporating it in videos

[@John-i1g]

@KiwiCarLife Be really fascinating to see both the reality for older cars i.e. not just latest releases in magazines, and also, on NZ chip seal. In my experience once you don't have slick seal and 1 foot roll outs, you can add a second in NZ for 0-100 as a rule of thumb e.g. Mustang times US to NZ, but 80-120 obviously less impacted once you're going that fast. Anyway if it wasn't too much hassle, I think it all helps to add eyeballs.

[@John-i1g]

@@KiwiCarLife Is your mobile # the same?

[@toxaq]

That the Auckland experience of someone stealing your car @4:29 ? Really love you reviews. Exposes me to all sorts of cars I'd never thought of. 440i definitely looks cooler.

[@edmund111]

When he reviews someone's car he lets the owner drive his car, sometimes they help him film too lol

[@toxaq]

@@edmund111 was just a fun dig at Auckland.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha yes not stealing although I wouldn’t be surprised!

[@pv______6248]

@@edmund111Yep was driving his car. The intake on his M135i is just perfection 😮‍💨

[@jayjo4077]

The B58 has a newer revision of the ZF8 so can handle a bit more power and is a bit smoother

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I definitely noticed it being smoother

[@Rookiereece]

I believe that's just software

[@jayjo4077]

@@Rookiereece Nope physical change in the transmission, do some research

[@Vikturus22]

6:41 in regards to your Gearbox, have you had the solenoids replaced in the transmission? I have seen people replace them and the gearboxes become so much more responsive.

[@KiwiCarLife]

I think I’ll start with a service first before doing them

[@yodo5701]

This where I drive past to go to work every day 😅

[@KiwiCarLife]

Seems like lots of people do!

[@ptime5612]

Lining the consistency

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks!

[@kbenri]

Which is the best ?

[@KiwiCarLife]

As discussed in the video the b58 is better, but the n55 is so much cheaper than unless you have the money to spend, I would just get the n55

[@reonbradshaw2391]

How does the 440i stack up to the C43 you drove?

[@KiwiCarLife]

Tbh, I’d say not as good that c43 was incredibly sharp. 440i is quite soft

[@carynelson8536]

Nice 1 m8

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks

[@BEAMNGBROTHER]

n55 squad

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yesss good engine

[@lukaspumeris9340]

N54 is not NA?

[@KiwiCarLife]

I said m54 and it is shown on the screen as an m54. Cheers

[@torgantears5805]

Now just need a N63 and you’ve completed the set 😅

[@KiwiCarLife]

True!

[@shotty.]

the n54 is not, & has never been naturally aspirated my guy. Twin Turbo’s through & through, & only ever deleted to make way for a single turbo. an NA N54 engine would be cool tho

[@KiwiCarLife]

You’re not listening. I said M54, and you would see in the video I clearly pictured an M54. I have driven countless N54’s and I know they’re twin turbo. Sorry I’ve just had a few people ripping into me commenting the same thing I suppose you could say an N/A N54 is technically an N52? They’re certainly similar.

[@ShanilSingh-t8z]

only reason u prefer the n55 is because you cant afford the b58 😂. B58 is much more reliable than n55 and can make way more power reliably. There's a reason why n55 gets clowned by everyone

[@KiwiCarLife]

I could buy a B58 if I wanted, but I don’t see the value in it. The N55 is a perfectly adequate engine and for someone like me who is happy keeping it stock, it is just as fast as that 440i for literally $25k less. I would be a clown if I spent 3 times as much for a car no faster and frankly worse sounding!

[@jayjo4077]

@@KiwiCarLife Spend 5-10k maintaining that N55 junk to get exactly what you paid back for it whereas M140I b58 will hold value with no repairs. Downpipe and tune that thing is leaving bus lengths on you even if heavier 440i and even if you're on a big turbo that will beat you. Plus what's the kms on that and whats the kms on yours and whats the year that plays into its values as well. Used to enjoy your videos from the UK but seems you are very biased on your own cars and have no knowledge lol

[@jayjo4077]

@@KiwiCarLife And any car reviewer with a brain would compare it to a 435i since it's a higher class car. If you look at those on autotrader the price difference isn't so much as you think for a B58. Maybe compared to your old beaten up M135i it is different but against kms play into that factor

[@pv______6248]

⁠@@KiwiCarLifeYes stock for stock they are identical but seems some don’t understand unfortunately. But Liam, I’d have to say he’s right on value wise unfortunately. If you look at a similar year M135i with slightly more kms it’s $30k for a ex write off car on trademe. 435i is also $30k with almost double the kms and a year older on trademe. Usually my car is worth around $45k so still a big difference but at my current price considering kms and spec I’d say a identical M135i/435i with same kms and year is around $32-$37k if available. Again Jay, the N55 isn’t necessarily a terrible car(I’ve owned 2) I purely went for the B58 for its reliability and smoothness plus the newer idrive in the car! Buyers shop for a B58 for the same reasons as me or to tune the car as the N55 is pretty rubbish for tuning from my experience. And Jay just because you bought a B58 it doesn’t mean you can have the biggest ego in the world, be respectful

[@pv______6248]

@@jayjo4077And km wise, there aren’t any cheap B58’s. Even B58 cars with more kms than Liam’s N55 are selling for $25-$30k. They sure do hold their value well 😉

[@d4rkst0ne]

N54 is definitely not naturally aspirated engine… such a mistake at the very beginning of the video?

[@michaelwalton3631]

I think he said M54

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah M54 and N52 I said. Can see in the video that it’s the M54 and N52 shown. BMW really likes to confuse us with M and N engines. B and S engines are a lot easier to distinguish haha

[@Yhyujss]

What are load of rubbish the b58 has 20 more hp but the torque is a 100 more reliability is bulletproof unlike the n55 that know for so many problems.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Depends on the version. You’re comparing the base N55 with one of the more powerful B58’s. In this comparison power it’s only 5kW apart and torque is the same. But yes you’re right if you compared say an N55 535i with a B58 M140i those figures would be correct. The B58 is not completely without issues, still is known for leaks, the N55 has a few more issues but they far from regular things. The point I was making was not that the N55 is “better” it’s just wayyyy better value for money. Can’t get a B58 for under 30, whereas you can get an N55 for like 5 grand if you wanted haha

[@Yhyujss]

@@KiwiCarLife your is not a pre icl but a earlier model producing 400 nm and not what you stated in your review 450nm. I've had my m140i for 5 years and I haven't had one single problem with this incredible, and most importantly reliable engine and if that wasn't good enough it giving me 47 mpg on a long run from a 3 l inline 6 that's unheard of. And by the way I'm from the UK so you can pick these up from 12000 to 15000 so what's that working out in Australian dollars.

[@jayjo4077]

@@KiwiCarLife Again, I think you're being biased to N55 since it's your car. Ask anyone who's owned both long term, all will say the B58 is much more reliable. Leaks are very rare in B58 while VERY common in N55 along with other issues

[@KiwiCarLife]

I think you’re misunderstanding. Let me be clear: The B58 is better and more reliable than the N55. Happy? Good. Now, my point is that the cheapest B58 here (540i/340i) in NZ is minimum 30k, and for an M140i it’s 40k. I got my M135i for 13k. So yes the B58 is better, but no it is not “3 times the price better”. And as you saw in the video, in stock condition it’s basically the same speed too (I had a passenger and a boot full of stuff, he didn’t) Any extra money you have to spend maintaining an N55 will not be outweighed by the significant extra expense to buy one. The B58 is a better engine, but the N55 is better value. Also, I don’t hear many M2 owners complaining about their N55’s? Find me the source that says the M135i makes 400Nm? Happy to be proven wrong.

[@lylesamson3828]

First!😅

[@KiwiCarLife]

Well done

[@matty893]

An N54 is an naturally aspirated engine? Wait what.. do you know what you just said? A twin turbo engine isn't turbo.....? wot. Referring to your other video - still stand by 95 is better for your N55 engine? What about B58 or N54 sir KiwiCarLife would you daily 95 in them? Stick with them swifts lad.

[@craigauty6756]

Think he said M54 not N54, just sounds similar

[@joshklaver47]

He said M54, not N54.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah “M54” and N52 are the N/A engines to have. You can see in the video too the two engines shown were the M54 and N52 Why you gotta be so condescending? When did I ever say 95 is “better”? It’s simply that both are rated for 95 and say in the fuel flap “95 recommended”. Why run higher than the manufacturer suggests? Higher octane means a higher resistance to pre-ignition. Running a higher octane won’t miraculously make your engine last longer. You’re just spending more than you need to.

[@joshklaver47]

@@KiwiCarLife You can't go wrong running 98. It has additives that help keep your engine clean, and often the ECU will recognise the higher octane and increase boost pressure, timing advance, etc.

[@Indestructable]

That red interior is beautiful