C&D Short Take Road Test: BMW 1M

[Brandon26pdx]

I wasn't totally sold on this car for a long time, but now that I see what the ED prices are relative to what a US purchased 135i runs these days, it turns into a very compelling package for what they want for one. I'm toying with the idea.

[fastauto]

I really love when people say it's not a true M car lol. People, the M division built the fvcking thing! It's an M fvcking car!

[Papethova]

I ordered my 135 in Feb of 08 and I am not thinking twice about "upgrading" to the 1M

Im paying about 3-4k more for the 1M than I paid for the 135 in 2008 and they are loaded similarly.

I dont doubt the 1M isnt a huge improvement (if any) red light to red light, but if thats what we are using as a measuring stick I can buy cars for half the price and get the red light to red light jump.

[pyrat]

Originally Posted by Papethova

I ordered my 135 in Feb of 08 and I am not thinking twice about "upgrading" to the 1M

Im paying about 3-4k more for the 1M than I paid for the 135 in 2008 and they are loaded similarly.

I dont doubt the 1M isnt a huge improvement (if any) red light to red light, but if thats what we are using as a measuring stick I can buy cars for half the price and get the red light to red light jump.

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by Papethova

I ordered my 135 in Feb of 08 and I am not thinking twice about "upgrading" to the 1M

Im paying about 3-4k more for the 1M than I paid for the 135 in 2008 and they are loaded similarly.

I dont doubt the 1M isnt a huge improvement (if any) red light to red light, but if thats what we are using as a measuring stick I can buy cars for half the price and get the red light to red light jump.

Between the 135 and the 1m the difference is more noticed in the corners then 'red light to red light.' In fact no BMW is designed to be a straight-line performer.

[Papethova]

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

Between the 135 and the 1m the difference is more noticed in the corners then 'red light to red light.' In fact no BMW is designed to be a straight-line performer.

That was my point , if I wanted a straight line car I could beat the 1M or 135 for half the price. Its dumb to say the 1M isnt a worthy upgrade because it shaves 0.1 or 0.2 secs off a 0-60 time.

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by Papethova

That was my point , if I wanted a straight line car I could beat the 1M or 135 for half the price. Its dumb to say the 1M isnt a worthy upgrade because it shaves 0.1 or 0.2 secs off a 0-60 time.

Gotcha. Misunderstood your previous statement. So what you are saying is the 1M is a worthy upgrade to the 135 but not for the 0-60.

[pyrat]

Originally Posted by Papethova

That was my point , if I wanted a straight line car I could beat the 1M or 135 for half the price. Its dumb to say the 1M isnt a worthy upgrade because it shaves 0.1 or 0.2 secs off a 0-60 time.

+1

I think there is still too many people that use 0-60 to dictate car purchases. And the Audi TTRS comparo responses reflect that.

For some reason adults still have the childish notion that if a car goes fast 0-60, it goes faster on any course, and track, any road. If anything the C&D remarks about the TTRS should squash this notion - but you can lead a horse to water..

[Yogijet]

Originally Posted by adrean8j

for EXISTING 135i owners this is not a BIG jump in performance...at least not IMHO....

Thanks for your opinion. Unless you have driven a 1M and you can tell us if you have, I'll go ahead and rely on the opinions of Chris Harris and others who have actually driven the thing, and I am an existing 135 owner. Plan to get into one - and at the same time keep improving my 135 - at the first opportunity. You can't possibly look at a set of published figures which can tell you only that much, and appreciate how a car truly performs. And to the naysayers generally - those who think the 1M is a parts bin poser M car - you could do much worse than having a go at re-learning the alphabet. Especially the letter M and what it stands for in the context of BMW, because as far as parts-bin mongrels go, our 135s (and I do love mine) fit that bill very well what with a zillion mods from a zillion aftermarketers albeit working together very nicely under one roof.

[Yogijet]

Originally Posted by ///M1

Man, this thread is quickly spiraling downward into the "1M is a glorified 135i and should be called the 135is" thread. There are about N+1 of such threads, feel free to update/revive those.

To each their own, I feel like puking everytime we veer in that direction. As a 135i owner, with a decent amount of (suspension and other) mods, I can tell you the 1 ///M is an easy upgrade decision for me. If it disappoints from my already set high expectations, look for it on the For Sale forum shortly I am back from Europe with it, but that is highly unlikely (unless ///M GmbH are really off their rockers).

When I got my E39 M5, the same set of discussion was there: you can make a 540i into an M5. Ditto for the RS 4, haters (i.e. people that really want to have it but couldn't) were saying it's just a glorified S4. People need to understand (or they rather not as it gives them more self assurance I suppose) that M/quattro/AMG cars are more than just a wide body and a suspension kit...

The 135i already set a high standard, the 1///M just pushed it further. Justify for yourself that the 1 ///M is not worth the extra money if it lets you sleep better at night. It seems that you hear that mostly from either existing 135i or M3 owners. Don't need to wonder why... As I said, to each their own...

I have just three things to say:

1. I agree;
2. congrats on the pending 1M acqusn.; and
3. if for whatever reason, the 1M doesn't work out - you need to wear sunglasses to drive the VO everyday, people stop and stare and ask you inane questions just to spend time with the car, or your significant other starts to trash it out of jealousy - please, please, please, shout me first for a quick sale .

[BMWBoss]

Originally Posted by eisenb11

Actually, the first M3 had turbochargers on it, so this has been done already. However, what has some people upset, is that this is the first M car that takes its engine from a non-M car.

There has never been a turbo charged M3

[BMWBoss]

Personally I agree with the article. The 1M is really not significantly different from a 135...and despite the fact I'll get massacred for this statement, I'll say it anyway...the 1M is not a real M!

[Brandon26pdx]

Originally Posted by BMWBoss

There has never been a turbo charged M3

Not yet. Wait a couple years.

[fastauto]

[QUOTE=BMWBoss;9356387]Personally I agree with the article. The 1M is really not significantly different from a 135...and despite the fact I'll get massacred for this statement, I'll say it anyway...the 1M is not a real M![/QUOTE

Is the x5 M not a real M because it's a truck? What about the x6 M? If the M division builds a car it's an M car. It's really quite simple.

[Papethova]

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

Gotcha. Misunderstood your previous statement. So what you are saying is the 1M is a worthy upgrade to the 135 but not for the 0-60.

To me its worth the upgrade in every way, its just not going to be leaps and bounds superior in the 0-60 category (so what? I didnt expect it to be), but that should NOT be the measuring stick of upgrade worthiness.

I may not even sell my 135 when I bring the 1M home, I havent decided yet. Neither of these is my daily driver, they are 4 and 5 in the stable.

New 135 buyers should look at the 1M as a viable option and any serious driver would take the M. Its an easy decision worth the extra 4k hands down.

Current 135 owners are in a different boat and I think finances for each individual dictates if they can or should upgrade. If one cant afford it then it doesnt matter if the M goes to 60 in 1.5 secs, but to say its not worth it because it only shaves 0.1 sec off the time isnt logical. As you stated, and I along with many agree, the car as a package offers much more than a 0-60 time.

I dont care if you can mod a 135 for less than the upgrade cost, thats not the same, but its a feasible option for someone who doesnt have a spare 50k laying around. I can buy the M and mod that too (as it is my 135 now is quicker than the M will be when it arrives).

Im not paying 50k to get to 60 quicker, I could do that for 15k

[adrean8j]

Originally Posted by lavaletta

Bollocks. Except for the engine, basically everything under the skin is different to the 135i. You think you can mod an extra 2.5 inches in WIDTH? It's funny how every person who wants to whine about the 1M seems to have recently bought a 135.

Well rationalize it any way you like...we'll see how you feel when you first pull up at the lights next to one.

Bollocks right back at ya. If you read what I said concerning existing owners (135i) that already have done the M3 susp. upgrades AND a tune...this is not a huge jump...bottom line...Recently bought? pffffft....MY2008, April build. When I pull up to the lights next to one I would embarrass a stock 1M with the posted numbers from C&D...sorry (370WHP, 401lb/ft....sorry not impressed by the numbers right now).

Originally Posted by fastauto

haha, yup. the car is more like a twin turbo charged m3 than it is a 135

Really??? Wow...Really?????

Originally Posted by ///M1

Man, this thread is quickly spiraling downward into the "1M is a glorified 135i and should be called the 135is" thread. There are about N+1 of such threads, feel free to update/revive those.

To each their own, I feel like puking everytime we veer in that direction. As a 135i owner, with a decent amount of (suspension and other) mods, I can tell you the 1 ///M is an easy upgrade decision for me. If it disappoints from my already set high expectations, look for it on the For Sale forum shortly I am back from Europe with it, but that is highly unlikely (unless ///M GmbH are really off their rockers).

When I got my E39 M5, the same set of discussion was there: you can make a 540i into an M5. Ditto for the RS 4, haters (i.e. people that really want to have it but couldn't) were saying it's just a glorified S4. People need to understand (or they rather not as it gives them more self assurance I suppose) that M/quattro/AMG cars are more than just a wide body and a suspension kit...

The 135i already set a high standard, the 1///M just pushed it further. Justify for yourself that the 1 ///M is not worth the extra money if it lets you sleep better at night. It seems that you hear that mostly from either existing 135i or M3 owners. Don't need to wonder why... As I said, to each their own...

Out of everyone that is posting AGAINST what I have said you are the first whose opinion (after you take delivery) I might actually listen to. Why? Because you have done some of the SUSPENSION mods I was speaking of in prior posts, although not all (like all of the links front and rear, swaybar?). When a person that has done all this drives a 1M and says it is loads better and worth the extra $10-$15k I would lose off a trade/sell then I would consider it...but like I said before not that huge of a jump and not $15k worth a jump....sorry (BTW I am in two separate pay brackets depending on where I am working at the time).

Originally Posted by clived

@adrean8j - Yes, I think it is worth it, or else I wouldn't have ordered a 1M to replace my 135i

The UK product manager for 1 told me about the lightened flyweel and driveshaft. Has no-one else heard about that?

More power to you and to Papethova...you obviously have the money to waste/spend on the new hottest 1er....I for one wouldn't unless it completely blew the 135i out of the water....and it doesn't (at least not mine).

*note* Remember guys I am not angry or mad at ya! Just spirited discussion. I have no problem agreeing to disagree!

[adrean8j]

Originally Posted by Papethova

Im not paying 50k to get to 60 quicker, I could do that for 15k

You could theoretically spend the 15k to get your existing car around the track faster AND faster to 60.

[fastauto]

Originally Posted by adrean8j

Bollocks right back at ya. If you read what I said concerning existing owners (135i) that already have done the M3 susp. upgrades AND a tune...this is not a huge jump...bottom line...Recently bought? pffffft....MY2008, April build. When I pull up to the lights next to one I would embarrass a stock 1M with the posted numbers from C&D...sorry (370WHP, 401lb/ft....sorry not impressed by the numbers right now).




Really??? Wow...Really?????



Out of everyone that is posting AGAINST what I have said you are the first whose opinion (after you take delivery) I might actually listen to. Why? Because you have done some of the SUSPENSION mods I was speaking of in prior posts, although not all (like all of the links front and rear, swaybar?). When a person that has done all this drives a 1M and says it is loads better and worth the extra $10-$15k I would lose off a trade/sell then I would consider it...but like I said before not that huge of a jump and not $15k worth a jump....sorry (BTW I am in two separate pay brackets depending on where I am working at the time).



More power to you and to Papethova...you obviously have the money to waste/spend on the new hottest 1er....I for one wouldn't unless it completely blew the 135i out of the water....and it doesn't (at least not mine).

*note* Remember guys I am not angry or mad at ya! Just spirited discussion. I have no problem agreeing to disagree!

i really dont want to keep doing this so this is going to be my last post. when i say its more like a turbo charged m3 rather than a 135 i say that because of the parts list. read the article about the euro delivery black 1 am and the convo he had when he met with the m staff. it shares far more important parts with the m3 than that of the 135

[adrean8j]

Originally Posted by fastauto

i really dont want to keep doing this so this is going to be my last post. when i say its more like a turbo charged m3 rather than a 135 i say that because of the parts list. read the article about the euro delivery black 1 am and the convo he had when he met with the m staff. it shares far more important parts with the m3 than that of the 135

I did long before this thread. The C&D short take just partially confirmed my suspicion. I don't know why you insist that they are so different and don't even own a tuned 135i? Bottom line is that many of the current M3's suspension components are DIRECTLY swappable to the current 135i (FACT)...that writeup you quoted even says that they took a sizable amount of parts of of the E92 M3. Reread it again...what is 1M specific(as in built from the ground up specific for the 1M)? The fly wheel, driveshaft, and a new transmission we are aware of? But what else (sheet metal we all know is a push)? It was like they WERE making a 135is...and just decided to make it a 1M....

REMEMBER guys I DO like the car It is a BMW after all and I BMW's!

[///1M]

The M division is not defined by NA motors.

They have already stated that FI is the future of M. The 1M is among the first of many more to come.

It just so happens that great naturally aspirated motors were a big part of what made the previous generations of M cars legendary, and that's great.

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by BMWBoss

Personally I agree with the article. The 1M is really not significantly different from a 135...and despite the fact I'll get massacred for this statement, I'll say it anyway...the 1M is not a real M!

Well BMW seems to think it is a 'real' M and that is good enough for us.

Aside from the engine the 1M is basically an M3 covered with a different skin. The performance out of the box is close to that of the current M3 with the bonus of better fuel economy at a much better price point.

The 1M is what the M3 was before it got fat.

[Red135]

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

Well BMW seems to think it is a 'real' M and that is good enough for us.

+ infinite. I think that BMW M division would know.