[aajami]

I got a chance to sit in one at Bimmerfest today. Leading up to the show, I was starting to feel the temptation of the 1M creeping up on me. That feeling is now gone.

The updated panels do a good job of masking the (in my opinion) ugly lines of the E82. I love the air curtains and intakes on the bumpers, and the car's stance is incredibly aggressive, but it still looks like a 1-series -- I have a hard time getting away from that. The interior is much cheaper than I thought it would be. I love the alcantara and the orange stitching, but there's way too much plastic on the inside, and the buttons for the AC and radio are of lower quality than the M3.

I appreciate the smaller size of the 1M and would actually prefer it over the M3's length. It seemed taller than my car, which coupled with the shorter length of the 1M really made it appear boxy and stubby -- again, it's hard for it to not look like a 1-series.

I didn't drive the car, but I'm sure it's more driveable as a DD than the M3 is. That said, there's no way I would give up the screaming S65 for a sputtering turbo. The 1M may be BMW's only true sports car in its lineup, but we drive an everyday supercar.