Australian magazine CarsGuide reviews the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe and as always, the “baby-M” does not disappoint. Let’s have a look at an excerpt from the review.
VALUE
This is the best bang-for-your-buck car ever to wear an M badge and the Bavarian maker’s refusal to call it an M1 in deference to the 1970s mid-engined supercar won’t matter a damn to anyone who drives it. A rose by any other name.
About $100,000 buys a two-door coupe that outperforms the $55,000-dearer BMW M3 in roll-on acceleration and is easier to toss through turns than any coupe this side of a Lotus Exige. It is about $25,000 dearer than the 135i and worth every heavily taxed cent of that.
DRIVE
Negotiating the 48 torturous switchbacks that mark the Stelvio’s ascent to 2757m, the driver realises the difference between what rates as great TV and what rate as great roads. The M car outhustled and outhandled Subarus, Audis and Porsches alike as it carved a line through the rain and snow-topped bitumen.
But the switchbacks themselves just aren’t that much fun. It’s a second or two of full acceleration, then hard on the brakes as speed bleeds back to single figures.
But on either side of the hairpins the road opens out enough for the vehicle to flow from curve to curve and car and driver each work hard to maintain a decent pace. The coupe hits 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, fuel consumption is 9.6L/100km, and CO2 emissions are 224g/km.
VERDICT
Me, I want 1. If I had $100K to part with, this would be the car. The only comparable car in terms of cornering dynamics is the Porsche Cayman and its lack of rear seats makes it less practical as a day-to-day driver. There are quicker cars and there are better handling cars but this is the best compromise I’ve driven.
Author: Horatiu Boeriu
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/11/25/revie ... s-m-coupe/