FIRST DRIVE BMW 1 SERIES M COUPÉ:ALL WEEK I have been whistling Auld Lang Syneand sending people Happy New Year texts at a minute after midnight. And while this has confused everyone, it makes perfect sense really.
In one regard the year 2011 is over. It is over from a motoring perspective in one very significant way. Because we can quite confidently announce that we won’t drive a better car this year than BMW’s 1 Series M Coupé.
This of course depends on your definition of what makes a good car, but if like us you do have that mix of blood and petrol running through your veins then the news won’t have escaped you that BMW have made yet another new M car. And unlike the cynical marketing exercises which were the X5 M and X6 M, the 1 Series M Coupé (calling it the M1 would have been easier – and yes, before you write in, we know there was an M1 once before) is a proper motorsport division car.
Yes, at first glance it looks like a 1 Series Coupé but it is probably best to think of it as a fun-sized BMW M3. Designed for and aimed at a younger audience than the M3, which itself has matured, the 1 Series M Coupé could very well be described as the spiritual successor to the original E30 BMW M3 from the late 1980s.
The car was over, very briefly from the UK last week and The Irish Times took the keys for a few glorious hours. The first thing that strikes you when you see it is how muscular it looks. Impossibly flared wheel arches house limpet-like tyres and the Valencia orange metallic paint is distinctive without being obnoxious. There are the trademark chrome twin tailpipes at the rear too. It looks wonderful.
Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre twin turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine that has already appeared in the BMW Z4 Si model and it is putting out 340bhp and 450Nm of torque (500Nm with overboost). This is the same amount of power as the third-generation M3. And this is in a vehicle that weighs just 1,495kg. To put that in context, a Ford Fiesta three-door diesel weighs 100kg more.
The car sounds superb. It grumbles delicately around town, before snarling like a Rottweiler poked with a stick when you stamp on the right pedal. There is a manual gearbox which will please the purists, and the steering wheel in your hands feels chunky and gives assurance.
Rather than set our licence alight for your benefit, we took the car for a few laps of Mondello Park and it was simply outstanding. It feels so perfectly balanced and is a car that you can delicately balance on the throttle with ease.
Because of its size it feels like a hot hatch, just a particularly hot one. 100km/h arrives in just 4.9 seconds and on the back straight at the Mondello circuit, 200km/h comes in just 17.3 seconds. There is an M button on the steering wheel, which gives a more instantaneous delivery of power when pressed. Think of it as the madness button.
The car is fitted as standard with a variable M differential lock. This responds to differences in rotational speed in the right and left wheel, redirecting torque within a fraction of a second. This helps keep traction both on slippery surfaces and powering out of bends.
Our time was all too short, but it was nonetheless rewarding. The good news is that this car costs €67,250, although our test car had collected another €10,000 via the options list.
The base price of the car is €29,470 less than the price of a standard M3 Coupé and it is no less rewarding to drive. The bad news is that getting your hands on one is going to be like getting a mortgage – virtually impossible. Most right-hand drive examples are sold and there aren’t that many left. But if you are thinking of one – and are lucky enough to secure an order – we would say it is definitely worth finding out.
Factfile
Engine3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Power340bhp at 5,900rpm and 500Nm of torque at 1,500rpm
Maximum speed250km/h
0-100km/h4.9 secs
TransmissionSix-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Body styleTwo-door coupé
CO2 emissions224g/km (band F, €1,050 per annum)
Combined economy9.6 l/100km (29.4mpg)
Price€67,250 (if you can get one)