Huge, pointless SUVs apart, this is the first BMW M-car to be equipped with a turbocharged engine, so anyone hoping for the high-rev histrionics that helped make the brand will be disappointed. This engine develops maximum power lower down than the point at which the old M5’s V10 made its peak torque. It doesn’t scream, howl or shriek; it just goes like hell.
This engine may have 80 fewer horses at its disposal than the 4.0-litre V8 in the M3, but it delivers more torque at 1500rpm than the M3 has in total and it’s powering a car that’s two fat blokes lighter. Unsurprisingly, then, the experience of gathering speed is dominated by the torque delivery.
There is little lag, but it would be incorrect to say there was none. Throttle response is sensational for a twin-turbo engine, but it’s not as sharp as an M3’s. And while it really does kick from a lot less than 2000rpm, there are still small but discernible steps in your progress as you rev through to peak power, almost as if the engine is pausing momentarily to draw another breath.
It really doesn’t get in the way of what is a pretty colossal punch, but it shows that even one of the best turbo installations we know still cannot quite mimic the power delivery of a thoroughbred normally aspirated engine.
Then again, we can’t see many owners complaining when it provides performance like this. Bear in mind that the 1 Series M Coupé’s 0-60mph time of 4.6sec would have been quicker still had it benefited from the traction advantage provided by the Cayman’s mid-engine configuration, or the TT RS’s all-wheel drive hardware.
In fact, at lower speeds the 1 Series is badly impeded by its comparatively modest traction; on bumpy British back roads you might be surprised by how often the traction control is activated, and that’s when it’s dry. Commendably, the electronics don’t impede your progress at all, and trim back the engine only enough to ensure continued grip. Most of the time, all you’re aware of is a little blinking light on the dash.
With all that torque, you don’t need to change gear much, but when you do it’s good to find a transmission where the clutch and gearbox appear more than distantly acquainted, with a short, sensible stack of well matched ratios designed to make the most of the car’s potential.
As for the lack of a flappy-paddle, two-pedal option, the character of the car is such that the kind of drivers who want to flick a lever rather than kick a pedal may not find this BMW much to their liking anyway.
