RE: BMW 1 Series M Coupe Revealed
Discussion
For the first time in the best part of ten years, (well, apart from the Z4M Coupe), it seems BMW have made a car that I'd wholeheartedly want to buy.
But not at that price.
It'd be interesting to see how well it goes up against other £40k BMWs. For that money you could have a 335i MSport (and a lot of change), or a 540i SE. I also strongly suspect that the notion of 'appealing to younger buyers' isn't quite right, especially at that price.
It's probably a similar motivation to manufacturers of these taller-than-wide wheeled wardrobes that are designed specifically for people with age-related mobility problems, but because appearing to appeal to the 'old' market is the kiss of marketing death (note even adverts for stairlifts are modelled by sexy young women in wheelchairs), they're always seen at the beach, their built-in roof rails seen as perfect for surfers, or up a mountain track somewhere with some mountain bikers taking advantage of the high headroom to assemble their bikes.
Because the truth is, this is aimed at people who did have a Z4 but found there wasn't enough room in it for kids, which is why it's priced smack-bang between the run-of-the-mill Z4 and the M-models. It's for middle-aged motorists who still want a sports car but have to now accommodate a brace of sprogs.
The thing I find irritating is that there's nothing wrong with making this fact clear. Back in the '60s, Colin Chapman released the Elan +2, then in the '70s the Eclat and Elite, so that a family that started off with a couple enjoying their Elan or Europa could continue to accommodate two kids as they grew up and still continue to own Lotuses.
But no, because absolutely everything has to be seen to be youthful, you end up with cars like this designed to appeal to people who can't afford them.
Seems bizarre in a country - nay, a continent - with an acknowledged ageing population.
Brilliant car though. If I had a spare £40k I'd have one. Closest thing you can get these days to a Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
But not at that price.
It'd be interesting to see how well it goes up against other £40k BMWs. For that money you could have a 335i MSport (and a lot of change), or a 540i SE. I also strongly suspect that the notion of 'appealing to younger buyers' isn't quite right, especially at that price.
It's probably a similar motivation to manufacturers of these taller-than-wide wheeled wardrobes that are designed specifically for people with age-related mobility problems, but because appearing to appeal to the 'old' market is the kiss of marketing death (note even adverts for stairlifts are modelled by sexy young women in wheelchairs), they're always seen at the beach, their built-in roof rails seen as perfect for surfers, or up a mountain track somewhere with some mountain bikers taking advantage of the high headroom to assemble their bikes.
Because the truth is, this is aimed at people who did have a Z4 but found there wasn't enough room in it for kids, which is why it's priced smack-bang between the run-of-the-mill Z4 and the M-models. It's for middle-aged motorists who still want a sports car but have to now accommodate a brace of sprogs.
The thing I find irritating is that there's nothing wrong with making this fact clear. Back in the '60s, Colin Chapman released the Elan +2, then in the '70s the Eclat and Elite, so that a family that started off with a couple enjoying their Elan or Europa could continue to accommodate two kids as they grew up and still continue to own Lotuses.
But no, because absolutely everything has to be seen to be youthful, you end up with cars like this designed to appeal to people who can't afford them.
Seems bizarre in a country - nay, a continent - with an acknowledged ageing population.
Brilliant car though. If I had a spare £40k I'd have one. Closest thing you can get these days to a Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
P4ROT said:
genericguy said:
P4ROT said:
... had an accident just looking at it!
Me too! Little bit of sick came out Edited by P4ROT on Friday 10th December 11:03
BBS-LM said:
I think this sums up the M1.
"The engine has been lifted, apparently pretty much unmodified, straight out of the Z4 - which if true would make the giant 'Powered by BMW M' label under the bonnet seem a little (cough!) fraudulent."
On the plus side I'd expect it to be far less of a risk a few years down the line than I see the M3 or M5's to be. Those bespoke engines can be expensive if they go wrong. Not saying this won't be but hopefully a little less stressed than the high output NA stuff."The engine has been lifted, apparently pretty much unmodified, straight out of the Z4 - which if true would make the giant 'Powered by BMW M' label under the bonnet seem a little (cough!) fraudulent."
And for those wanting a bit more, I'm sure the tuners will have it putting out more power than the M3 V8 in no time at all....
Edited by Thorburn on Friday 10th December 11:16
I have to say that I am a bit underwhelmed with that and after all the nonsense about how to name this. I agree with Pilchard, surely it would have been simpler and actually more appropriate just to call this a 135is? I'm of the opinion that, given the weight, 35Hp is not a significant enough amount over the next model in the range for it to be a proper "M car"...
I will reserve judgement as yet, in the hope that the figures are underrated and it is as dynamic as promised, although I guess they were never going to endanger the M3 with this model...
I will reserve judgement as yet, in the hope that the figures are underrated and it is as dynamic as promised, although I guess they were never going to endanger the M3 with this model...
BBS-LM said:
I think this sums up the M1.
"The engine has been lifted, apparently pretty much unmodified, straight out of the Z4 - which if true would make the giant 'Powered by BMW M' label under the bonnet seem a little (cough!) fraudulent."
Spot on. How sad, an M-car without an "M" engine."The engine has been lifted, apparently pretty much unmodified, straight out of the Z4 - which if true would make the giant 'Powered by BMW M' label under the bonnet seem a little (cough!) fraudulent."
Ne0 said:
Fittster said:
What's the power to weight ratio of an M3?
About 250ishBhp/tonne...http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/12/04/rumor-bmw-1-seri...
benny.c said:
BBS-LM said:
I think this sums up the M1.
"The engine has been lifted, apparently pretty much unmodified, straight out of the Z4 - which if true would make the giant 'Powered by BMW M' label under the bonnet seem a little (cough!) fraudulent."
Spot on. How sad, an M-car without an "M" engine."The engine has been lifted, apparently pretty much unmodified, straight out of the Z4 - which if true would make the giant 'Powered by BMW M' label under the bonnet seem a little (cough!) fraudulent."
Slurms said:
Powered by M
Yeah only if the M stands for Marketing.
340bhp is a joke.. Just a cynical attempt to cash in ..
I'm not sure I'd call it a joke. It's pretty much as much as the previous generation M3 or the Z4M and no doubt with a shed load more torque.Yeah only if the M stands for Marketing.
340bhp is a joke.. Just a cynical attempt to cash in ..
If it was named the M135i (in the old school M535i or M635CSi vain) I think that would be quite fitting.
Slurms said:
340bhp is a joke.. Just a cynical attempt to cash in ..
Whilst I agree that it's a cynical attempt to cash in (as are all their cars, they're a company, that's their job), I don't think peak power output matters. To my mind, straight line speed has never really been the point in M-cars. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff