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[Peter-E36]

My play thing for the next 48 hours

[Peter-E36]

My play thing for the next 48 hours

This was such a mistake...

It’s better than anything I’ve driven before in every way and now I need one...

Well played BMW... Well played...!

[doyleeoin]

My play thing for the next 48 hours

Very nice, you'll have some fun in that!

[Moe]

This was such a mistake...

It’s better than anything I’ve driven before in every way and now I need one...

Well played BMW... Well played...!

And just like that your expectations have been re-calibrated. The engine is mighty on these and they handle so sweet. These modern M cars are shocking arent they, another level of performance. MDM mode and floor it, and a few launch controls. Hope it stays dry for you. ENjoy.

[Peter-E36]

I just got home... my god... I’m completely and utterly consumed by this car. I didn’t eat, didn’t sleep after my night shift, I didn’t even go to work today... I’ve just been driving for 12 hrs...! I’ve never enjoyed anything as much. It’s everything I wanted my previous cars to be and more. It’s absolutely perfect, there’s nothing I’d change!

I’d go back out for another drive if I wasn’t completely dead... I’ll probably go for a power nap and back out again!

[Moe]

Peter, I am sorry for you loss when you had to hand it back . Maybe you might get into a bit more detail as to what you liked about the car and give us all your impressions. My advice, take a great big dirty loan and get one....you will be a long time dead.

[dergside]

My advice, take a great big dirty loan and get one....

I suspect the good times must be back. I was in my bank branch yesterday for the first time in a while for a transaction and was called back by the person after helping me to be asked if I was "OK for finance on anything". The last time that happened was just before the 2007/2008 crash.

[Peter-E36]

Peter, I am sorry for you loss when you had to hand it back . Maybe you might get into a bit more detail as to what you liked about the car and give us all your impressions. My advice, take a great big dirty loan and get one....you will be a long time dead.

It's going back at 11:00, I feel sick... Feels like giving back a body part not a car...

My thoughts are so disorganised right now but here's a random thoughts review:

Engine - ridiculous! Sounds great (better than in an M3/4 [sorry Moe]), pulls hard - SO MUCH TORQUE - from virtually no RPMs, *turbo sounds* - many turbo sounds... You will never need more power...

Transmission - Not as fast as I thought a DCT would be, but super quick. Always thought given the choice I'd have the manual, but I'd have the DCT for sure. Please fit a damn "P" position BMW.

Brakes - First time I ever "enjoy" braking, before driving this braking was just something I had to do to not crash... Serious anchors on this thing, great feel, progressive, "Goldie Locks" in terms of assistance.

Suspension - possibly the most impressive thing on this car, the car feels so tight without being harsh, absorbs bumps well, not going to say particularly comfortable around our disgraceful inner city streets, but certainly well dampened. The way the car feels over rough or undulating surfaces at high speeds just inspires so much confidence!

Exhaust - in sport plus, pops and bangs and sounds as aggressive as you want. Is synthesized sound piped in? Maybe.. didn't notice... don't care! All these things you hear people complain about are irrelevant from the driver's seat.

Handling:

This is this car's forte, this is where it's head and shoulders above everything else... It's a no-compromise sports car, it's light, agile (the first time you turn the wheel to avoid a pot hole you simply can't believe how well it changes direction), grippy (where it matters) and loose where you want it i.e. you steer with the throttle and there's zero understeer... Going around Wicklow's finest, the car is so light on it's feet and adjusts itself on the road with minor throttle inputs before the electronic nannies even interfere. It's so "alive" on twisty back roads, you can go around corners with confidence, hit the THROTTLE and you're hurled violently towards the next corner, BRAKE along with a couple of DCT downshifts and you deccelerate to a soundtrack of engine blips and exhaust pops in time for the next bend, hair pin? Stab the throttle and laugh hysterically at the way you get around it! You just get into a trance, feeling the weight transfer from corner to corner while making rapid progress.

Honestly, this is just driving nirvana!

Other thoughts:
- The upgraded HK sound system is probably the best system I've heard in a car.
- Love the proper M seats with the lit up M2 logos
- The Adaptive Laser Lights are very cool!
- No sunroof? Ok, personal preference, but 90k and no folding mirrors?
- Baby seat fits behind a tall person in the passenger seat - buggy + shopping fit in the boot. Bit of a faff getting the baby seat in and out, don't think it would be tolerable day to day.
- iDrive is intuitive, 3D maps with buildings in it are cool, reversing camera is good.
- Virtual clocks are a somewhat missed opportunity, most of it is static clocks anyway, only a portion can display other information.
- Having configurable M1 and M2 buttons is great, but I just had balls out "sport plus" everything M2 on, or boring auto mode for stop start traffic, with most of the time spent on M2.
- Auto start/stop is annoying, but annoyingly makes sense in city centre traffic.
- Car stalled once while at a set of lights for no reason?
- You need to be awake driving this... Cold tyres? Sideways! Wet/damp/greasy/cold roads? Sideways! Frankly, the car will find any excuse to break traction any time really... U turn - turned into a big drift with DSC on...
- The Michelins are great, but wonder what F1s would be like on it.

I may revisit this once I've had the appropriate amount of sleep an adult male requires... but this is what's off the top of my head right now...

[eddiem74]

It's going back at 11:00, I feel sick... Feels like giving back a body part not a car...

My thoughts are so disorganised right now but here's a random thoughts review:

Engine - ridiculous! Sounds great (better than in an M3/4 [sorry Moe]), pulls hard - SO MUCH TORQUE - from virtually no RPMs, *turbo sounds* - many turbo sounds... You will never need more power...

Transmission - Not as fast as I thought a DCT would be, but super quick. Always thought given the choice I'd have the manual, but I'd have the DCT for sure. Please fit a damn "P" position BMW.

Brakes - First time I ever "enjoy" braking, before driving this braking was just something I had to do to not crash... Serious anchors on this thing, great feel, progressive, "Goldie Locks" in terms of assistance.

Suspension - possibly the most impressive thing on this car, the car feels so tight without being harsh, absorbs bumps well, not going to say particularly comfortable around our disgraceful inner city streets, but certainly well dampened. The way the car feels over rough or undulating surfaces at high speeds just inspires so much confidence!

Exhaust - in sport plus, pops and bangs and sounds as aggressive as you want. Is synthesized sound piped in? Maybe.. didn't notice... don't care! All these things you hear people complain about are irrelevant from the driver's seat.

Handling:

This is this car's forte, this is where it's head and shoulders above everything else... It's a no-compromise sports car, it's light, agile (the first time you turn the wheel to avoid a pot hole you simply can't believe how well it changes direction), grippy (where it matters) and loose where you want it i.e. you steer with the throttle and there's zero understeer... Going around Wicklow's finest, the car is so light on it's feet and adjusts itself on the road with minor throttle inputs before the electronic nannies even interfere. It's so "alive" on twisty back roads, you can go around corners with confidence, hit the THROTTLE and you're hurled violently towards the next corner, BRAKE along with a couple of DCT downshifts and you deccelerate to a soundtrack of engine blips and exhaust pops in time for the next bend, hair pin? Stab the throttle and laugh hysterically at the way you get around it! You just get into a trance, feeling the weight transfer from corner to corner while making rapid progress.

Honestly, this is just driving nirvana!

Other thoughts:
- The upgraded HK sound system is probably the best system I've heard in a car.
- Love the proper M seats with the lit up M2 logos
- The Adaptive Laser Lights are very cool!
- No sunroof? Ok, personal preference, but 90k and no folding mirrors?
- Baby seat fits behind a tall person in the passenger seat - buggy + shopping fit in the boot. Bit of a faff getting the baby seat in and out, don't think it would be tolerable day to day.
- iDrive is intuitive, 3D maps with buildings in it are cool, reversing camera is good.
- Virtual clocks are a somewhat missed opportunity, most of it is static clocks anyway, only a portion can display other information.
- Having configurable M1 and M2 buttons is great, but I just had balls out "sport plus" everything M2 on, or boring auto mode for stop start traffic, with most of the time spent on M2.
- Auto start/stop is annoying, but annoyingly makes sense in city centre traffic.
- Car stalled once while at a set of lights for no reason?
- You need to be awake driving this... Cold tyres? Sideways! Wet/damp/greasy/cold roads? Sideways! Frankly, the car will find any excuse to break traction any time really... U turn - turned into a big drift with DSC on...
- The Michelins are great, but wonder what F1s would be like on it.

I may revisit this once I've had the appropriate amount of sleep an adult male requires... but this is what's off the top of my head right now...

Fuel economy?

[Peter-E36]

Fuel economy?

13 mpg....