So I couldn´t resist the limited-edition lure of the 1M and the excellent reviews calling it one of the best M´s in years and took delivery of mine last night.
I also own an E90 M3 and an E46 M3. All cars are manuals (save the manuals!).
I will be keeping all three for at least a month, then we´ll see.
I put about 100 miles on the car last night, mostly highway. I am sticking to the break-in procedure - no speeds above 170kph, no revs above 5,500 RPM. No full throttle.....maybe not that religiously.
Initial impressions on the car:
- It feels "sportier" than the E90. Many things contribute to this, but mostly it is because it is smaller, lighter, simpler, and with a nice exhaust rumble low in the rev range.
- It feels more agile than the E90 at lower speeds, but also less stable at higher speeds, for example, during a 100 mph sweeping turn.
- The E90 of course feels like a more sophisticated and mature car.
- The engine definitely blows the E90 away in the lower rev ranges, but I subjectively feel the E90 is faster when it is high in the rev range (even at Mexico City´s altitude - which is almost 7,000 feet above sea level). I picked up the E90 immediately after driving the 1M yesterday.
. Throttle response is better than I expected. Of course it is no match to either of the N/A engines in the M3s in this regard but lag truly is minimal. I have driven many other recent BMW turbos and frankly the 1M has exceeded my expectations by a lot. It is pretty responsive, especially in M mode (which by the way it is a glorified sport button from the E46 days, nothing like the twin personality function in the M3).
- Brakes, gearbox, steering are superb, I think all 3 are better then the E90.
- The ride is surprisingly compliant, similar to the E90 in "normal" and much better than the E46.
- The sound is great because it sound nice down low in revs. The M3s sound racier but you have to rev them high (especially the E90) so the 1M makes you feel more "sporty" in regular driving.
- Interior is of course inferior (luxury-wise) than the M3 but I think it also "feels" sportier and there is some appeal to the simplicity of it. The M logo on the tach does light up (like it did on the E46 but not on the E90). But the shift knob doesn´t light up and there is no variable yellow warning zone on the tach.
I track all my cars so this thing is headed to the track soon. Will update as I get to drive it more. A few pics of delivery:
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