The BMW 1 M = The "New" GTI (per Top Gear)

[Gunkata]

The BMW interior is not about the... interior. It's about the driving. Overall though, yes, the RS3 is nicer, but who really cares at that point? kind of similar to the complaints on the Corvette interior - baseless, imho. The car and performance you are getting, at the price you are getting, is incredible.

 

[C4L]

This car is cool but who is paying $60k for a BMW 1-Series. Especially considering this;

135 - 300hp - $39,xxx
1M - 335hp - $46,xxx

That is $17,000 for 35hp, some larger brakes, and suspension tuning.

135...
Dinan Stage 3 Engine Tune - 398hp - $2,200
Dinan Brembo Brakes - $6,000
Dinan Stage 3 Suspension - $2,400
Dinan LSD - $2,300
Dinan Short Shift Kit - $250
Dinan Free Flow Exhuast - $1,300
Dinan Intercooler - $1,200

Full Dinan Kit - $15,650
Base BMW 135i - $39,050
Dinan 135i - $54,700...

And we all know Dinan stuff isn't cheap. Just get a Dinan Stage 1 engine tune for $1,300 to net 360hp and some Dinan sport springs for $500 and for $2,000 installed you have a 360hp 135i.

 

[ahhduma]

The BMW interior is not about the... interior. It's about the driving. Overall though, yes, the RS3 is nicer, but who really cares at that point? kind of similar to the complaints on the Corvette interior - baseless, imho. The car and performance you are getting, at the price you are getting, is incredible.

The point is there are those to whom the 1M AND the corvette hold no appeal even though they enjoy and can afford both/either

 

[johnny_p]

Arguably the most anticipated true driver's car in decades is being reviewed; and the highest compliment the reviewer can provide to it is that it evokes the same feel and enjoyment of a GTI; a car $30K less than it...

Except you're wrong. He said that none of the other generations of GTI have evoked quite the same enjoyment as the original. But the 1M does. So, he's comparing it to a 108 horsepower car that goes 0-60 in 9.8 seconds. Not the MK6. lol.


I love this car though. If I could afford it, I would seriously consider buying one. That is only if its THAT much better than a Cayman S.

 

[Gunkata]

The point is there are those to whom the 1M AND the corvette hold no appeal even though they enjoy and can afford both/either

ok, and that could go for any car?

The C6 is an incredible track car, it just lacks feeling on the street (odd, I know), but usually the true car guys I know, know whats up with the C6/ C6 Z51 / C5 Z06, etc., compared to guys who think they are just cars for old guys who want to go fast in a straight line.

 

[Gunkata]

I love this car though. If I could afford it, I would seriously consider buying one. That is only if its THAT much better than a Cayman S.

nail on the head. I am seriously considering a Cayman S or Elise/Exige in a few years as a 2nd car. I had both a 911 turbo and a 911 GT3 owner at the track tell me that the Cayman S is brilliant.

 

[RIP335]

I like the 1M wonder what the new generation 1M will look like

http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/06/05/world-premiere-new-2012-bmw-1-series/

 

[ahhduma]

ok, and that could go for any car?

but it wasnt any car that was explicitly posed in post #7

 

[Gunkata]

ok........

 

[Randum]

Impressive for the same reason the GTI is: out performs cars well outside its class...

Looks nice but the price tag is a little high....

 

[johnny_p]

nail on the head. I am seriously considering a Cayman S or Elise/Exige in a few years as a 2nd car. I had both a 911 turbo and a 911 GT3 owner at the track tell me that the Cayman S is brilliant.

Yep. I've heard that only really the GT3RS is a more involving / "better" car than the Cayman S in Porsche's lineup, which is pretty impressive.

My friend has a Lotus Elise. It's a blast to drive hard but kind of sucks when you're only going 7/10ths or below.

 

[ahhduma]

ok........

if you followed the entire chain of question and response youd likely be less confused

 

[Gunkata]

My friend has a Lotus Elise. It's a blast to drive hard but kind of sucks when you're only going 7/10ths or below.

Yeah, but I feel the same way about most "dedicated" sports/track cars, its hard not to drive them fast/like an asshole on the street, lol.

if you followed the entire chain of question and response youd likely be less confused

not confused, just don't agree with you.

 

[UKGTI1]

I have thought a lot about the 1M since it came out and have decided that if it is still around in a couple of years, I will definitely take a very close look at it. For the price i think it is just incredible. Clarkson was saying something like they had to do a few things to make sure it wouldn't go faster than the M3, which I thought was hilarious. Considering it is just made up of left over parts and kind of patched together, it is quite amazing. God only knows what they could do if they really put a lot of effort into this for the next generation 1M. Hopefully Mercedes will bring out their new A-class coupe in an AMG version. I will be all over that like a rash too.

On that note, I found this little gem from Car and Driver: "We also know that AMG’s chief has hinted several times that he and his team would be interested in hot-rodding the next A-class, and if so, a 300-plus-hp variant could be squaring off against an Audi S3 in a 2014 issue of Car and Driver"

 

[SwiftGTI]

The 1 series M gets trashed in this comparison by Randy Pobst.

http://www.motortrend.com/features/...nd_best_drivers_car/bmw_1_series_m_coupe.html

Randy, after driving it:
"You know, I hate to pick on what obviously overall is a pretty good car, but in today's world there are not very many cars I hate...I hate this car." Ouch!

Also funny quote about the Nissan GTR:
"When we have the 458 Italia at a track, Ferrari ships out the car's affable, smartly dressed, and wonderfully Italian chassis engineer, Lucca Torre.... Lucca tells great stories. Like the one about Ferrari's zillion-dollar supercomputer simulator. Essentially, you dump a given car's vital stats into the system, and the simulator tells you how fast that car can go around a given track. "Knowing what we know, we can't figure out how the GT-R goes around the Nurburgring so fast."