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1 Series M Coupé V BMW M3 stats.


Andy_Bangle
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It'd be the M3 for me, not because it's slightly faster, but because of the N/A V8, and that it's a 'proper' M car, I prefer high power N/A engines to turbos ones.

That's not to say the 1 M sport isn't a fantastic car, but the pedigree of the M3 would swing it for me.

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It'd be the M3 for me, not because it's slightly faster, but because of the N/A V8, and that it's a 'proper' M car, I prefer high power N/A engines to turbos ones.

That's not to say the 1 M sport isn't a fantastic car, but the pedigree of the M3 would swing it for me.

Fair enough, but for me BMW have always been about being at the forefront of driver tech. Now they've got into the world of turbos and are doing a very good job of it.

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BMW's product and technology PR rep Matthew Russell described the 1 Series M as "an M3 in a 1 Series body," however the 1 M is distanced from the M3 by its limited options, including the fact that the M button on the steering wheel only adjusts throttle response, nothing else. :(

So what is the competition for the 1 Series M Coupe, A certified pre-owned M3?

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so what do you buy...?

That's a tough call and I wouldn't be able to decide until I'd driven the 1 series M. Figures is just figures.

V8 loveliness yes and very linear torque, but there's also something about the thump of a turbo. Having gone from a V8 to a turbo'd track toy, I'd have a hard time deciding.

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V8 loveliness yes and very linear torque, but there's also something about the thump of a turbo. Having gone from a V8 to a turbo'd track toy, I'd have a hard time deciding.

But these aren't any old turbos, they're BMW turbos, so isn't the "thump" much more limited/ progressive? Especially in comparison to your track toy.

(Just for the record, I have driven neither an M car nor a turbo'd BMW.)

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Yes it's a lot more progressive - the 135i is a brilliant toy.

Even though it's got more power than it used to, the mapping on the Golf is set up to give less of a thump, so it's a lot smoother to drive. Certainly kept that TT RS at Castle Combe honest. Until I binned it... :rolleyes:

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Fair enough, but for me BMW have always been about being at the forefront of driver tech. Now they've got into the world of turbos and are doing a very good job of it.

They've only gone turbo out of necessity though, to meet ever more stringent emission laws, and they've joined the turbo party rather late, turbo bmw's aren't particularly special, there is no new tech involved and they can't rewrite the laws of physics either.

I'm not saying that turbo'd BMW's aren't fantastic cars though, as mentioned the 135i is a great car, but for me, the same (or similar) power output from an N/A engine, will always win over a turbo for me, but that's just me.

All hypothetical of course, having not driven a 1M!

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M3 for me but only because it is more grown up and I don't want my next car to be a hatch or something conceived as small.

The n/a vs turbo argument is something I'll know much more about after tomorrow's RS4 test drive. I'm a bit worried that with the LCRs 270 hp turbo kicking in as my comparison, n/a might feel a bit too progressive, if that makes sense.

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Different cars for different people.

If you're going to have passengers/kids etc then you buy the M3 and you get the unparalleled noise of a V8 too.

If you're a couple or a single person, the 1-series (because is most definitiely is NOT an M1 and that's an insult to the real M1) makes sense.

I would guess the Turbo on the 1-series M will make it very tunable though, so that might bring something else into the equation with a quick trip to the likes of Shark Performance.

I think it also presumes people buy on out and out power and performance. They don't. They buy on the complete package and they'll be very different cars to drive.

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Both very different cars... M3 like others have said is much more grown up and better spec'd... with used coupes at c£30k its a tough call.

Two reasons I'd consider the 1M over the M3... weight (M3 is a bit big and heavy) and mapping potential (sure it'll be 400+ bhp without other mods).

Defiantly on the list of "to do" test drives this year along with the 550i

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