Wednesday 1st June 2011

1-series M.Zip Files: Shopping

Practical performance has always been an M-car staple. So just how practical is the 1M?

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1M can do this...

For some reason, and despite the fact that most shops are closed or open for limited hours, it is almost impossible to avoid shopping on a bank holiday weekend.

And so we come to the next trial, a notional six months into our 'compressed' 1-series M test (it's the test that's compressed, not the car) - the high-stress shopping trip.

The first part of the bank holiday trial is the heavy traffic approaching whichever out of town shopping centre or retail park you've singled out. The 1M copes with this bit with aplomb -despite its hardcore billing the 1M (as we discovered in our last report) is actually quite a road-biased beast and so, apart from an oddly lengthy clutch pedal, makes for quite an easygoing companion in a traffic jam.

...but it prefers this

The next trial of the bank holiday shopping trip is the search for a parking space. Perversely, despite its apparently diminutive appearance, the 1M doesn't score quite so highly on this count.

The large, upright glass areas give it reasonable visibility, but the curvy, bulgy lines of the bodywork make it kind of hard to spot where the car begins and ends, while the frankly massive wheels contribute to a surprisingly useless turning circle.

It's also not actually that small a car, with a footprint surprisingly similar to an E46 M3's. The final inconvenience are relatively long doors, which make extricating yourself from the car a rather inelegant process if you've parked in a tight space.

'Accelerated' beard coming along nicely

There is plenty of space in the boot, however, and, should you have to put a relative through the torture of a bank holiday shopping expedition you'll find the rear seat passenger will benefit from moderately generous head and leg room.

The 1-series M might not be brilliant at shopping, then, but is that a good reason to plump for a Vauxhall Corsa instead? Er...no.

1-series M zip files Part One
1-series M zip files Part Two
1-series M zip files Part Three

 

[CliveM]

In the South East at least the size of a car contributes far more to your enjoyment than you'd suspect IMHO. It just makes it much more "liveable".
Being lazy and not googling - is the footprint really comparable with an E46 M3? That's ridiculous!

[Madmatt74]

Who buys a 1 series for shopping trips?
If you want a bigger boot get the M3!

[BlackCup]

Think i saw this on the shopping trip in Woking on Sunday, it looked really nice and i could hear it over the packed carpark as the vultures (me included) dived on Focus (r.i.p) haha

[Dagnut]

wheels are far too big..not only do they look stupid but their also a hindrance.

[Mermaid]

Madmatt74 said:

..
If you want a bigger boot get the M3!

This is the "compact" M3 remember

[Riggers]

CliveM said:

In the South East at least the size of a car contributes far more to your enjoyment than you'd suspect IMHO. It just makes it much more "liveable".
Being lazy and not googling - is the footprint really comparable with an E46 M3? That's ridiculous!

It's wider and taller than the E46, but it's 11cm shorter, so perhaps I'm using a little journalistic licence there

[MarJay]

Madmatt74 said:

Who buys a 1 series for shopping trips?
If you want a bigger boot get the M3!

I use my 130i for shopping trips... Although its less powerful than the 1 series M it does have fabulous NA sound and response.

[drpep]

MarJay said:

I use my 130i for shopping trips... Although its less powerful than the 1 series M it does have fabulous NA sound and response.

I still reckon my old 130i M Sport was the best all rounder i've owned. That engine is a peach! So keen to rev, and that classic BMW baritone 'six sound, cracking throttle response and plenty of power in the real world (265 bhp if memory serves). Good work that man. I might buy another one when I can afford to run 2 cars!

[BBS-LM]

Dam! I have just read about someone going shopping on a bank holiday in a 1-series M, it does not get better then that, reverting reading.

[Diesel Fury]

BBS-LM said:

Dam! I have just read about someone going shopping on a bank holiday in a 1-series M, it does not get better then that, reverting reading.

There is so much wrong and/or daft in your post that I can't even be bothered to finish re

Back on topic, nice to see that it's not totally useless for day to day activities, although I don't think I'd trust myself to go anywhere near a kerb in it. Looks far too easy to catch the wheels when you stop off to grab a bottle of milk!

[Riggers]

Diesel Fury said:

nice to see that it's not totally useless for day to day activities, although I don't think I'd trust myself to go anywhere near a kerb in it. Looks far too easy to catch the wheels when you stop off to grab a bottle of milk!

Fortunately I tend to park at least 15 inches from the kerb...

[Diesel Fury]

Riggers said:

Diesel Fury said:

nice to see that it's not totally useless for day to day activities, although I don't think I'd trust myself to go anywhere near a kerb in it. Looks far too easy to catch the wheels when you stop off to grab a bottle of milk!

Fortunately I tend to park at least 15 inches from the kerb...

Should we look out for an orange 1M in the bad parking thread in the near future?

[Cotty]

Riggers said:

It's also not actually that small a car, with a footprint surprisingly similar to an E46 M3's

Im keeping my gob shut

Edited by Cotty on Tuesday 31st May 23:21

[zakelwe]

Is that beard real? It seems to have a band holding it in place?

This guys one seems to have fallen off completely, just leaving the band.



Aparently his car is a bit wide too at times

Andy

[Gizmo!]

All together now... What were you buying in Hobbycraft, Riggers?

[Munich]

Riggers said:

It's also not actually that small a car, with a footprint surprisingly similar to an E46 M3's

Is it really? Width wise it probably rivals the E92M because it shares suspension parts etc, but the length has to be smaller than the E46... Need to up on this.

[Mermaid]

Munich said:

Is it really? Width wise it probably rivals the E92M because it shares suspension parts etc, but the length has to be smaller than the E46... Need to up on this.

E46 M3 = length 4492mm
1M = 4380mm

4.5 inches in old money

[Riggers]

Mermaid said:

Munich said:

Is it really? Width wise it probably rivals the E92M because it shares suspension parts etc, but the length has to be smaller than the E46... Need to up on this.

E46 M3 = length 4492mm
1M = 4380mm

4.5 inches in old money

Like I said further up this thread, it's both taller and wider than an E46...

[Mr Whippy]

Riggers said:

Diesel Fury said:

nice to see that it's not totally useless for day to day activities, although I don't think I'd trust myself to go anywhere near a kerb in it. Looks far too easy to catch the wheels when you stop off to grab a bottle of milk!

Fortunately I tend to park at least 15 inches from the kerb...

Yeah, unlike the old CSL wheels with spokes that ran under the bead area of the rim edge, these spokes seep right up over the edge of the front face that supports the tyre bead, so they'd easily get kerbed and scraped right off that face, making them nigh on impossible to recondition properly after a medium level kerbing event!

Bit odd really. They obviously look nice, but they won't for long.

Dave

[Mermaid]

Mr Whippy said:

Yeah, unlike the old CSL wheels with spokes that ran under the bead area of the rim edge, these spokes seep right up over the edge of the front face that supports the tyre bead, so they'd easily get kerbed and scraped right off that face, making them nigh on impossible to recondition properly after a medium level kerbing event!

Bit odd really. They obviously look nice, but they won't for long.

Dave

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