Today I drove the 1M at a BMW M-Power event

ChrisBuer · 07-23-2011, 12:25 PM

A dealer not to far from where I live was running an M-Power event today and surprisingly, they had a 1M demo car that I was able to drive

We arrived at around midday to be greeted by a fantastic AW 1M (the colour I've actually ordered my car in, which made it even better!).

Anyway, with the particulars out of the way (checking my drivers license, etc), I was handed the keys and told to "have fun". Well I certainly did that!

The test route was a mix of motorway and country back roads which demonstrated the many fine qualities of the 1M. The first thing I noticed was actually how heavy the clutch felt. Much heavier that I'd anticipated.

Anyway, we pulled out of the dealership and were quickly onto the dual carriageway where I got to sample the car in M-mode

First impressions? Wow, it's got some grunt! I currently drive a stripped out Lotus Exige with a supercharged 260bhp engine in it and by all accounts I class that as a quick car. Well the 1M felt no slower and there were three of us in the car!

In M-mode the throttle response was a lot sharper....much MUCH sharper! In normal mode, you use about 1/4 throttle and the car picks up, but it doesn't feel sharp. In M-mode you use the same amount of throttle and the car is jumping forwards, eager to pounce on the next car in front....very impressive!

In gear it felt very strong and pulled very easily to some naughty speeds, but less of that

We pulled off and came onto the country lanes where I think the 1M really showed what it's made of. The turn in was superb and I'd expected a degree of body roll but there simply was none. It felt very direct, eager to turn in and above all planted. At all times you could modulate the balance of the car in the bends with the throttle and as there is no turbo lag, this is very easy to do.

A friend of mine was with me as well and he owns a 135i. His comments were that the car felt a bit more powerful, as if it had a bit more in the early gears and at the top end. However the biggest difference he noticed was the handling. He said that the rear end felt a lot more planted, it was more precise and a lot more direct. Great stuff

By this time we were back at the dealers and were offered a drive in the M3. It's a totally different experience and driving the cars back to back was quite interesting. Without a doubt the M3 with it's DCT gear box was impressive and sounded superb. However, neither of us thought that the 1M was any slower, if anything in gear it felt more powerful.

We were then treated to some cakes and coffee as we had a look at the other cars in the showroom. There was a nice M3 GTS (the only one BMW UK own apparently), an original M5 and M3 and a few other specials. All of the pictures are below.

All in all a VERY good day and I have to say that I can now see what all the fuss is about around the 1M. It is a brilliant brilliant car and that's all there is about to say. The end

Grey Dove · 07-23-2011, 12:32 PM

Great!
OH boy I do envy you. Some guys have........

as7920 · 07-23-2011, 01:05 PM

Nice one Chris. Lucky you! Glad you enjoyed it.

Seems you drove the BMW GB press car that all the journos have been driving. Good you had the chance to drive a well run in one!

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...&postcount=114

At first I didn't notice a difference with the M button, but boy do I notice it now.

Having now driven one, Does that make the wait even harder?

Aussie_in_London · 07-23-2011, 01:15 PM

Nice one mate

the wait will be even harder now lol

iDave · 07-23-2011, 01:46 PM

Looks like you had a great day !

I am surprised you say the clutch was heavy , mine is really light

as7920 · 07-23-2011, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iDave

Looks like you had a great day !

I am surprised you say the clutch was heavy , mine is really light

Coming from an R53 MINI Cooper S, really heavy clutch but great for it, I thought the 1M was light, too light at first but now, after 1400 miles, I think it is great.

rjwojcik · 07-23-2011, 02:56 PM

Fantastic write up, glad you enjoyed it

The more I read about the car, the more I want one now.

ChrisBuer · 07-24-2011, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by as7920

Nice one Chris. Lucky you! Glad you enjoyed it.

Seems you drove the BMW GB press car that all the journos have been driving. Good you had the chance to drive a well run in one!

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...&postcount=114

At first I didn't notice a difference with the M button, but boy do I notice it now.

Having now driven one, Does that make the wait even harder?

Yep the car I drove had 8600 miles on the clock, so it was well run in

I have to say that without the M buttom pressed, it felt OK but not that instant. I'm used to a very sharp throttle response I guess, so I'll just make sure that I put it into M-Mode every time I drive it

Having said all of this, we did have three people in the car, so we were carrying a bit of extra weight. I'd imagine with just me on my own, it would feel even quicker.

The surge in gear was the thing that really grabbed me. Although my videos aren't the best, when I pulled onto the short slip road, the guy from BMW said to me whilst I was just pulling onto the slip road, "it's a bit short, be careful". I therefore didn't have much warning and had to floor the car....any excuse hey

So I floored it in second and third in M-Mode and was really surprised at how quickly it picked up. Whilst all of this was happening, a BMW 5 series estate car was hammering along in the left lane and moved into the right lane so that I could pull out. Well it was a kind thought but totally unnecessary as by the time I'd dispatched 2nd gear I'd matched his speed and by the time I slotted it into third, he was a dot in my rear view mirror

Even when on the motorway, once the cars in front moved across, I just left it in 6th and tickled the throttle and we were past very quickly. I thought that the surge it gave was superb but remember thinking "hmmm, not sure how quick we're going", then looking down to the speedo and thinking "oops, I want to keep my licence, better back off!" In fact BMW had set the speed warning bong in the car that you can hear in one of the videos and it was set to a three figure speed

What I'll take away from my test drive is just how effortless the car is to drive quickly and how well it handled. Along the country lanes it felt solid, planted and precise. There was no drama and the seats really do hold you well.

Overall I'm totally smitten by it. Yes it does make the wait for mine that little bit harder, but I can now see what all the fuss is about and once my car arrives, I don't think anyone is going to get me out of it

EvoGlynn · 07-24-2011, 04:07 AM

Hi Chris

Do you drive a Matt Black Lotus with cage and decals on the side as I passed one yesterday on the M25?

Also, what dealer were they at as I would live a look them?

Thanks Glynn

ChrisBuer · 07-24-2011, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvoGlynn

Hi Chris

Do you drive a Matt Black Lotus with cage and decals on the side as I passed one yesterday on the M25?

Also, what dealer were they at as I would live a look them?

Thanks Glynn

Hi Glynn,

No I drive a white Exige (below)

The dealer with the 1M was Cooper BMW in Colchester

DooBs · 07-24-2011, 04:51 AM

that is dope freshness saaan!
hahaha

seriously amazing looking car. I'm just imagining how it handles

EvoGlynn · 07-24-2011, 05:04 AM

Thanks Chris..... I will keep my eye out for it, I am in Chelmsford so not too far.

Nice location, where is that mate?

ChrisBuer · 07-24-2011, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvoGlynn

Thanks Chris..... I will keep my eye out for it, I am in Chelmsford so not too far.

Nice location, where is that mate?

I'm in Chelmsford too

The photos of the Exige were taken in North Fambridge which is out towards Maldon and Burnham.

07-23-2011, 12:25 PM	#1
ChrisBuer Captain 69 Rep 632 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Today I drove the 1M at a BMW M-Power event A dealer not to far from where I live was running an M-Power event today and surprisingly, they had a 1M demo car that I was able to drive We arrived at around midday to be greeted by a fantastic AW 1M (the colour I've actually ordered my car in, which made it even better!). Anyway, with the particulars out of the way (checking my drivers license, etc), I was handed the keys and told to "have fun". Well I certainly did that! The test route was a mix of motorway and country back roads which demonstrated the many fine qualities of the 1M. The first thing I noticed was actually how heavy the clutch felt. Much heavier that I'd anticipated. Anyway, we pulled out of the dealership and were quickly onto the dual carriageway where I got to sample the car in M-mode First impressions? Wow, it's got some grunt! I currently drive a stripped out Lotus Exige with a supercharged 260bhp engine in it and by all accounts I class that as a quick car. Well the 1M felt no slower and there were three of us in the car! In M-mode the throttle response was a lot sharper....much MUCH sharper! In normal mode, you use about 1/4 throttle and the car picks up, but it doesn't feel sharp. In M-mode you use the same amount of throttle and the car is jumping forwards, eager to pounce on the next car in front....very impressive! In gear it felt very strong and pulled very easily to some naughty speeds, but less of that We pulled off and came onto the country lanes where I think the 1M really showed what it's made of. The turn in was superb and I'd expected a degree of body roll but there simply was none. It felt very direct, eager to turn in and above all planted. At all times you could modulate the balance of the car in the bends with the throttle and as there is no turbo lag, this is very easy to do. A friend of mine was with me as well and he owns a 135i. His comments were that the car felt a bit more powerful, as if it had a bit more in the early gears and at the top end. However the biggest difference he noticed was the handling. He said that the rear end felt a lot more planted, it was more precise and a lot more direct. Great stuff By this time we were back at the dealers and were offered a drive in the M3. It's a totally different experience and driving the cars back to back was quite interesting. Without a doubt the M3 with it's DCT gear box was impressive and sounded superb. However, neither of us thought that the 1M was any slower, if anything in gear it felt more powerful. We were then treated to some cakes and coffee as we had a look at the other cars in the showroom. There was a nice M3 GTS (the only one BMW UK own apparently), an original M5 and M3 and a few other specials. All of the pictures are below. All in all a VERY good day and I have to say that I can now see what all the fuss is about around the 1M. It is a brilliant brilliant car and that's all there is about to say. The end
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07-23-2011, 12:32 PM	#2
Grey Dove Major 125 Rep 1,297 Posts Drives: Sold for a reptile Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Here & There iTrader: (0)	Great! OH boy I do envy you. Some guys have........
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07-23-2011, 01:05 PM	#3
as7920 Colonel 597 Rep 2,375 Posts Drives: 2023 SG/FR M4 xDrive Competiti Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Nice one Chris. Lucky you! Glad you enjoyed it. Seems you drove the BMW GB press car that all the journos have been driving. Good you had the chance to drive a well run in one! http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...&postcount=114 At first I didn't notice a difference with the M button, but boy do I notice it now. Having now driven one, Does that make the wait even harder?
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07-23-2011, 01:15 PM	#4
Aussie_in_London Lieutenant Colonel 142 Rep 1,700 Posts Drives: 1M, i3 & track built Astra OPC Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Kent iTrader: (0)	Nice one mate the wait will be even harder now lol
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07-23-2011, 01:46 PM	#5
iDave Private First Class 20 Rep 137 Posts Drives: BMW M4 Competition Pack Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Doncaster iTrader: (0)	Looks like you had a great day ! I am surprised you say the clutch was heavy , mine is really light
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07-23-2011, 02:56 PM	#7
rjwojcik Captain 282 Rep 707 Posts Drives: 2016 VW Golf GTD Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Essex, UK iTrader: (0)	Fantastic write up, glad you enjoyed it The more I read about the car, the more I want one now.
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07-24-2011, 04:07 AM	#9
EvoGlynn Private 8 Rep 66 Posts Drives: Evolve power Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Essex iTrader: (0)	Hi Chris Do you drive a Matt Black Lotus with cage and decals on the side as I passed one yesterday on the M25? Also, what dealer were they at as I would live a look them? Thanks Glynn
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07-24-2011, 04:51 AM	#11
DooBs Captain 50 Rep 779 Posts Drives: 1 Series M Coupe 697/740 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Los Angeles / San Diego, California iTrader: (1)	that is dope freshness saaan! hahaha seriously amazing looking car. I'm just imagining how it handles
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07-24-2011, 05:04 AM	#12
EvoGlynn Private 8 Rep 66 Posts Drives: Evolve power Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Essex iTrader: (0)	Thanks Chris..... I will keep my eye out for it, I am in Chelmsford so not too far. Nice location, where is that mate?
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