27 July 2011
New Car Report; More MMM from Bavaria.
It’s a rare thing for a new car to appear on the scene that’s entirely different from anything else around. Most new models have at least a couple of natural competitors in the marketplace against which they can be benchmarked, but once in a blue moon, a new kid struts up to the plate with an entirely new bag of tricks.
The new BMW 1M is such a car. At a glance, its design makeup might appear ultra conventional; even old hat perhaps. But it’s the old school attributes that make it so different and refreshing in the 21st Century.
It has an in-line powerplant, driving the rear wheels through a manual gearbox. Although BMW calls it a coupe, it’s more of a compact sedan. The three box, two door bodywork, unlike today’s more common two box hatchback or true coupe configuration, maintains a traditional theme from days gone by and the steering is hydraulically assisted; none of this electronic stuff that’s normally served up today.
Look closely at the spec sheet and you’ll start to see that this is no ordinary shopping basket from a bygone era.
The 1 Series body shell has been beefed up with wider arches to accommodate the wider track, there’s an aggressive body kit with a sporty front bumber incorporating a remote gearbox oil cooler on the right and an engine oil cooler on the left. And 4 exhaust tailpipes, emitting a raw (or should that be roar?) bark when on song.
The 24v DOHC direct petrol-injected powerplant is an in-line six cylinder unit of 3.0 litre capacity. Thanks to a couple of turbos, peak power of 250kW is achieved as is a massive 450Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm. Push the loud pedal open more than 80% and torque increases by another 50Nm, turning the tap up to 500Nm.
And the straight six is centred well behind the front axle, so an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution is achieved. At just 1,495kg, the 1M is a relative lightweight by today’s standards. Bringing the thing to a stop, brake rotors of 360mm up front and 350mm out back are robbed from big brother, the M3 and surprisingly, these callipers are single pot items, not the fancy three pot units fitted to the 135i, nevertheless, like the M3, the 1M stops on a dime.
The differential, subframe and suspension components also come from the M3 parts bin, as do the door mirrors, the six speed manual ‘box and remote gearbox oil cooler. No DCT transmission is available; yet another concession harking back to the days when proper performance cars had three pedals.
Sometimes less is more.
In essence, the 1M is a pure four seat performance car, the likes of which we haven’t seen from BMW since E30 M3 Schnitzer team drivers Emanuele Pirro, Roberto Ravaglia, Johnny Cecotto and Joachim Winklehock stood on the podium at the Wellington Street race for four straight years between 1988 and 1991, only to be replaced by Australians, Tony Longhurst and Paul Morris in 1992, also in an M3.
These were the days when BMW M cars were simple, fast, dynamic and fun. Over the years M cars have grown up and become more serious. They have become increasingly sophisticated, powered by V8 and V10 engines with features such as launch control, double clutch transmissions and every gadget and gizmo ever invented.
The BMW 1M goes back to basics but still gets from 0 to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, handles like it’s on rails and is perhaps the most all-involving driver’s car money can buy in 2011. From the driver’s seat, you’re at one with this machine but surprisingly, the ride isn’t overly firm and seating is incredibly comfortable, but tightly hugging and supportive.
The interior finish is all quality, with orange double stitching on seats, door trim panels and around the instrument cluster and an alcantara insert on the dash fascia.
At $109,900 it might sound expensive for a 1 Series, but this is no ordinary 1 Series. You’ll get M3 performance for around $60k less and it’s arguably more user-friendly, just as practical and might even be a bit more fun.
Is it the best M car since the original M3? It just might be.