Uponseeingthe1Magain,myfirstimpression
was ofjust whataneye-catcherit is.TheM2doesn’t
exactlystruggletoget attention,withits pumped
wheelarches lookinglike a superhero’s bodysuit
that’s barelycontainingthemusclewithin,butthe
1Mappears evenmore ripped.Its wheelarches begin
theiroutwardflaringmuchcloser tothealloysbelow,
drawingmore attentiontothewidened tracks,while
thewheelsthemselvesare tuckedfurtherupinto the
arches,addingtothesense ofpurposefulness.
There’s a marginallygreater sense ofpurpose
inside,too,theambience-settingAlcantara
extendingbeyondthedoorcards andthegearlever
gaiter– whichisasfar asit goesintheM2– andonto
thedoorpulls,thedashandtheinstrumentbinnacle
hood.Sadly, thegrippy materialdoesn’tmake it onto
theseats; like intheM2,they’releather, butare also
decentlysupportive thanks toprominentbolsters.
Once you’ve slotted theplastickey into thedash
(embarrassinglyeasytoforgetwhenyou’ve spent
monthslivingwiththekeyless-goM2),a prodofthe
starterbutton brings the3-litre twin-turbostraight-
sixtolife.Whenit was launched backin2011,the
1Mwas thesecondM-cartoget a turbocharged
engine– aftertheV8-powered X6M–andwas
actuallyquite a cunningway for BMWtoget usused
totheidea ofturbocharged M-cars,for whilethat
idea seemed anathemaatthetime,fewcouldargue
with335bhpina compact 1-series body.
Theturbocharged M-cars thathavecomealong
since,however, onlyserve toemphasise thatthis
isnota bespoke Munit. Its soundtracklacks that
gritty, sometimes raucousedgeoftheM3/M4-
sourced motorintheM2Comp;instead,asidefrom
someexhaust boominessat3000-3500rpm,the
note isrichandsmoothalltheway. You couldeasily
imagineit hummingalongattachedtoanauto ’box,
which,ofcourse, inotherapplicationsit did.If I’m