nizam
Well-Known Member
Had gone down to Munich during Vesak Day to take a sneak peek at the M5 (and I was not disappointed – it looks the part, and the engine note was awesome, yes despite being a turbocharged car).
But the highlight of the day was the test drive of the 1 series M.
Admittedly, I still have issues with the way it looks (still think the proportions aren’t quite there, and the aero designer was probably overzealous with his pen especially for the front and rear aprons).
But the prospect of driving a short wheelbase car, and with a manual tranny, was too hard to resist.
Immediate impressions of sitting in the cabin was good – nice alcantara touches. Electric seats. You know you’re in a premium small car.
The engine has yet to be run in. And so I obliged the SE’s request to warm the motor a bit.
The engine sounded polite then (no M button pressed initially). Clutch was light and easy to work with. Gearbox action was good, but not quite the same level of precision as some other manual boxes I was more familiar with. Pedal spacing was good enough to do some serious heel and toe.
The balance of the car was nice. And the advantage of the short wheel base was quite immediately noticeable. This car darts round in a very responsive manner.
You can feel a slight turbo lag. But once you hit the plateau of the torque curve, you can really feel the car kick ass. This car has oodles of torque. It feels quick. It probably is as quick as it feels.
And yes, depressing the M button unleashes a louder growl. It probably would sound better if it’s louder, but then again, one can probably snap on a set of aftermarket exhaut.
It was rather exhilarating zooming down the AYE (at speeds that are not publishable).
Taking the Tuas roundabout and controlling the rear was really good fun.
And so the car gets my vote. It’s fun to drive, is very zippy.
And getting back to the M3 after the test drive suddenly makes me conscious of the extra mass in the M3. Sure, the 1M does not have the aural drama of the V8, but I think it’s a little bit more fun to chuck around corners.
But the highlight of the day was the test drive of the 1 series M.
Admittedly, I still have issues with the way it looks (still think the proportions aren’t quite there, and the aero designer was probably overzealous with his pen especially for the front and rear aprons).
But the prospect of driving a short wheelbase car, and with a manual tranny, was too hard to resist.
Immediate impressions of sitting in the cabin was good – nice alcantara touches. Electric seats. You know you’re in a premium small car.
The engine has yet to be run in. And so I obliged the SE’s request to warm the motor a bit.
The engine sounded polite then (no M button pressed initially). Clutch was light and easy to work with. Gearbox action was good, but not quite the same level of precision as some other manual boxes I was more familiar with. Pedal spacing was good enough to do some serious heel and toe.
The balance of the car was nice. And the advantage of the short wheel base was quite immediately noticeable. This car darts round in a very responsive manner.
You can feel a slight turbo lag. But once you hit the plateau of the torque curve, you can really feel the car kick ass. This car has oodles of torque. It feels quick. It probably is as quick as it feels.
And yes, depressing the M button unleashes a louder growl. It probably would sound better if it’s louder, but then again, one can probably snap on a set of aftermarket exhaut.
It was rather exhilarating zooming down the AYE (at speeds that are not publishable).
Taking the Tuas roundabout and controlling the rear was really good fun.
And so the car gets my vote. It’s fun to drive, is very zippy.
And getting back to the M3 after the test drive suddenly makes me conscious of the extra mass in the M3. Sure, the 1M does not have the aural drama of the V8, but I think it’s a little bit more fun to chuck around corners.
