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      08-03-2011, 11:26 AM   #1
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Post Autoblog on BMW 1M Coupe: Brilliance

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Autoblog on BMW 1M Coupe: Brilliance
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Most reviews of the 1M coupe are the result of a short test drive. Perhaps more telling however, are the longer term reviews, such as Autoblog's just published review. Their latest 1M review comes from a week's worth of evaluation. Their 1M experience may have spanned a longer period than most test drives, but their words for the car are just as effusive. Here's some of their notable praise for 1M coupe:

Quote:
Five minutes into my first drive, I immediately pulled into a turnout, sat there for a second, took a deep breathe and realized – dammit – everyone was right. Brilliance is back in a small package.

Yes, brilliance. Surprising considering the M Coupe is the prototypical parts-bin special. But then again, when your parts bin is made up of some of the best driver-oriented bits in the biz, brilliance isn't expected, it's demanded.
Quote:
Forward momentum in any part of the rev range is immediate and addicting, devoid of lag unless the needle is on the far right side of the tack. And even then, that minute pause is instantaneously consumed by traction-testing torque, a subtle turbo wine and an exhaust note that's more guttural drone than screaming sex six. Then again, this isn't an "M" engine. It's a chip and a massage. But it simply doesn't matter.

What has been pulled from the BMW's motorsports arm are the bits that matter most: everything shoved into the wheel arches and connected to the driver.
Quote:
This is a pure driver's machine through-and-through – a true M, or at least the closest we'll get in the 21st century.

Which brings up a larger point. As enthusiasts, we have to come to grips with the fact that no modern automaker can match the involvement and tactility of a vehicle designed before massive feature creep and ever-expanding safety regulations. That time has passed. And while this isn't the E30 M3 successor we might've hoped for, in many ways, it's better. The 1M is more livable, more powerful and surely more reliable. It sticks harder and goes faster, and BMW did its best to remove the buzz-killing insularity that plagues most modern vehicles. The 1M delivers what M-heads value most: driving delight über alles. And it's one of the only times in years that anything with four wheels has lived up to the hype.
See their full review.


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