Of the many requirements tasked of the M Division during the 1 Series M's development, the most significant is that everyone on the team had to drive an E30 M3. In fact, they split much of the 1 Series' two-year gestation period -- the shortest of any M-badged car -- driving an E30 and tweaking the twin-turbo straight-six borrowed from the Z4 sDrive35is and 335is.
Controversially, this 3.0-liter mill is one of many components in the 1M's repertoire that was sourced from other cars. Others include the rear suspension, differential, brakes, wheels, and tires, which come from the current M3 Competition. The parts bin approach is a first for the M division and makes the cynics amongst us cringe, but let's make one thing clear: The 1M is an extraordinarily fun car. After an all-day lapping session on the big course at Willow Springs, all I could think about is how to steal more time driving it.
Forward thrust arrives like a sucker punch. The 332 pound-feet of peak torque arrives at 1500 rpm, but an "Overboost" function ups that figure to 370 when you snap the throttle. The result is an exceptionally potent powerband that returns phenomenal top-gear acceleration, not to mention easily accessible rotation through a corner. The tradeoff arrives higher in the rev range, when its 335 horsepower peaks at 5900 rpm, leaving 1100 rpm until redline. This gap works if you need extra revs to get you to the next braking point, but the lack of top-end pull is alien to M cars. After telling Matthew Russell, BMW's M brand manager for North America, that I miss the screaming peaky race motor sensation, he offered the following helpful advice: "Shift."
That said, you don't need to shift often. The six-speed manual is an updated version of the 135i's transmission, with a slightly shorter final drive (3.154:1 versus 3.077:1). There is no twin-clutch option because BMW wanted to minimize development time and cost. Around Willow Springs' 2.5-mile spread of turns, which includes a small technical side and a hairy decreasing radius that regularly claims track toys, the 1M needed only gears three and four. It's actually kind of a shame. The gearbox and clutch may be the best in the lineup, making heel-toe effortless, yet there's so much torque at low revs that you don't get many opportunities to shift.
Rewarding responses like these are the items the M team has obviously paid close attention to, and the resulting product is a delight to drive quickly. The 1M's massive footwear -- its front tires are as wide as the 135i's rear tires -- permit high entry speeds and immediate stops. It holds to Willow's sweeping second turn with tenacity and communicates clearly when it wants to slide. Such cornering aptitude should come as no surprise, considering the M3 gear in use. While it is as wide as that car, the big difference is the 1M's 4-inch-shorter wheelbase, which helps instill nimbleness on back roads, but translates to a touch of twitchiness in high-speed segments and heavy braking zones.
The biggest shortcoming is the interior. A nice euphemism is that it's made for purists -- there's nothing extraneous to driving. No sunroof is available and the only color is black. The only dressings on top of the base trimmings are touches of Alcantara and red stitching. Welcome additions are grey gauges that clearly indicate redline, power-adjustable side bolsters, and an M button on the steering wheel that makes the throttle map more aggressive.
The only other adjustable setting is M Dynamic Mode, which is a stage between full ESC intervention and none that's accessed by a jab on the traction control button. BMW's calls it a "track-trainer mode," because it allows you to get quite close to the car's limits without worrying about leaving the track backwards. While it raises the point of intervention, it doesn't allow rotation or require countersteer, instead adding brake and cutting power. It is mostly smooth around Willow Springs, but its intervention is pronounced when the track's demands rise. To its credit, MDM provides a sense of invulnerability on turn-in, especially at high speeds, but we'd welcome a higher threshold before intervention.
Come to think of it, there are a number of things we'd welcome -- twin-clutch transmission, high-revving naturally aspirated motor, less weight -- but the development time for these would have pushed the 1M's entry price uncomfortably close to the M3's. The 1M, at its core, is an enthusiast's machine, showing its focus clearly in the plainness of its interior and in the width of its fenders.
BMW 1 Series M
Reviewed by admin
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5
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