I was fortunate enough to get to try out the new 'M1' when it was still in development back in October. I did my best to remain aloof and professional about it all, but let's face it; even the most hardened motoring critic is going to get excited about a 'baby M3'. That drive was on lovely smooth German roads and there was no doubt in my mind that the 1 Series M Coupé would live up to the hype.
Last week I got behind the wheel for a couple of hours in England when Mark had the 1 M on loan following the international launch in Scotland, but today we finally had the chance to drive the car on Irish roads we know well. And what better test route than the bucking and weaving tarmac in and around the Sally Gap?
The surface is not forgiving around here, but the 1 M tackled it with real aplomb. It's an incredibly exciting car, regardless of the fact that it's the cheapest M car BMW makes. Not that €70,000 is cheap by most peoples' measure...
To begin with the roads were quite damp, but the chassis is so good that switching the traction control to M Dynamic Mode holds no real fears and allows a controllable amount of rear-end slip - just enough to paint a grin on your face without scaring you silly if you're too quick with the throttle. Once the roads dry up there's huge grip, though with 500Nm of torque available at just 1,500rpm the wide tyres can be convinced to slide pretty easily.
Away from the extremes of the car's capabilities it's just as enjoyable. It feels more agile than a BMW M3, yet no slower on normal public roads. The performance on offer from the twin-turbo, 335hp engine is impressive with huge mid-range shove meaning you rarely explore the top-end of the rev counter.
Hand on heart, even if I had enough money to buy an M3, I would opt for the 1 M. It's the performance car of the year so far and one that's relatively accessible for Irish car buyers.