Early impressions of BMW's new junior M car with Chris Harris.
In the lead up to its official release, BMW has been surprisingly candid about the development of its 1 Series M Coupe. Increasingly revealing spy shots (at least, we're led to believe they're spy shots) seem to crop up on a weekly basis and they even gave ride-alongs at the launch of the M3 GTS. Now they're letting Evo Magazine's Chris Harris have a go behind the wheel.
To recap, the 1 Series M Coupe will be powered by a twin turbo 3 liter producing 340 hp. At 3,300 lbs / 1496 kg it's certainly no lightweight, but it's still the lightest M car (or truck, if you count the X5M or the X6M) we've seen in ages. It's not a finished product, but early impressions seem good. Even through the trippy camouflage we can tell that the 1 Series M looks the M car part. Its compact dimensions, flared arches and low ride height give it the stance you would expect from an M.
BMW has been able to pull off a pretty neat trick with their recent generation of turbocharged motors by making the feel normally aspirated. From what Mr. Harris says, it's a trick they've perfected with the 1 Series M: "It feels pretty much normally aspirated up in the top end and that is impressive." For lots more impressions check out the video.
[Evo Magazine via YouTube]